BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

At one time crappie were the top game fish at Clear Lake, but the past two years has seen the population of this tasty fish take a nosedive.

A lot of fishermen are wondering why.

Where it was once common to catch 20-100 crappie per day, this year it’s considered a excellent day if you can catch three or four. This is weird given the fact that the bass, catfish and bluegill fishing has been ranging from excellent to brilliant.

Crappie are often referred to as a “cycle” fish by biologists, meaning they undergo wild swings in population. The population will build up to massive numbers in a few years and then crash. This has happened at Clear Lake a number of times. The last time the crappie population peaked was 2008. Typically the crappie population goes from a high to a low over a four-year period at Clear Lake. If this holds true, the crappie fishing should show a vast improvement by next summer.

The lake’s crappie fishery reached its peak in the early 1960s when it wasn’t unusual to catch 100-150 fish per day. however, around 1980 the crappie fishery crashed and they all but disappeared. The county even stocked the lake with Florida-strain crappie with the hope the fishery would make a comeback. Juvenile crappie started showing up in excellent numbers last summer during the electro-shocking studies done by the Department of Fish and Game and many fishermen reported seeing schools of young crappie this fall. The big question is if these young crappie will survive the winter and become young adults by next summer.

The downfall of crappie is their table quality. few fish can match a crappie for eating and that’s a reason most of the fishermen catch and keep the 25-fish-per-day limit. however, biologists say that catching and keeping a limit of crappie probably has little effect on their population.

Like largemouth bass, crappie aren’t native to Clear Lake or even the West. Really, Clear Lake was the first lake in California to be stocked with crappie. that happened in 1908 when crappie were brought to the lake from Meredosia, Illinois. These were the black crappie species and Clear Lake offered ideal habitat and the fish flourished. White crappie were planted in the lake beginning in 1951.

Both species of crappie are nearly identical, however, they can be identified by counting the spiny rays on the dorsal fin. A black crappie has seven or eight spines and a white crappie has six spines. most of the crappie presently in the lake are of the black species although there are also excellent numbers of white crappie.

They can grow to large sizes. The world record is 6 pounds for black crappie and 5 pounds, 3 ounces for white crappie. Clear Lake holds the state record for white crappie, a 4-pound, 8-ounce fish caught in 1971. Two-pounders are common and occasionally a 3-pounder is caught.

Unlike bass, crappie actively feed even in the winter when the water temperature dips below 50 degrees. In fact, in northern states such as Minnesota and Michigan, crappie are a well loved fish for ice fishermen. The anglers cut a hole in the ice and either drop a live minnow or jig down into the icy water. they often catch dozens of crappie.

Crappie are always found in schools and some of the schools can be huge, holding up to 200 fish. For example, the crappie often school by the thousands off Kono Tayee. The same thing happens off Shag Rock. they also tend to be in the deeper water during the winter months. At Clear Lake, most of the crappie are found in water that’s at least 20 feet deep, which means they are primarily found in the south end of the lake.

When the crappie population is at its peak they draw more fishermen to Clear Lake than does the bass. they are more of a family fish because they are simple to catch and make brilliant table fare.

By the Record November 20, 2011 12:00 AM

STOCKTON – After protests from Delta fishermen, the state Fish and Game Commission will change the venue of an upcoming meeting to discuss controversial changes to striped bass fishing regulations.

Originally, the commission was set to consider the matter at its December meeting in San Diego – about as far from the Delta as you can get.

Now the issue will be heard at the commission’s February meeting in Sacramento.

The commission will consider loosening protections for the striped bass, a popular sport fish.

Stripers are not native to the Delta, and they eat endangered salmon. But fishermen argue that increasing the number of fish that can be caught will decimate the fishery.

SAN ANDREAS – Calaveras County Water District officials this week announced the agency has received a $1.48 million grant to replace aging water system infrastructure in West Point.

The money comes from the California Department of Water Resources.

The work is expected to start in the spring and includes replacing 8,000 feet of water mains and a redwood water storage tank.

A free community flu shot clinic will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, 1420 N. Tracy Blvd.

Influenza vaccines are available for anyone 6 months of age or older. there is a limited supply on a first come, first served basis.

Donations will be accepted from those who are able to help offset the cost of the clinic.

For more information, call (209) 833-2420.

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That terrific halibut bite at San Nicholas Island is still there for those who know the ropes on how to catch them. sometimes it is very dull waiting for the flatties to grab the bait and I hear the large halibuts that were caught were caught doing the “bounce-ball” method.

Bounce balling is a way to catch halibut that started with commercial halibut fishermen. The terminal tackle is not much to look at and is so heavy an angler must use a sturdy rod and reel setup. The running line should be at least 30-pound mono and many anglers are using 50-pound or heavier braid. The line can be lighter than that, but the sinker weighing 1 1/2 to 2 pounds needs very heavy line so the angler can pull free from hang-ups and not break off expensive tackle.

Above the sinker about 18 to 20 inches a heavy dropper leader is deployed about three feet long from the 30- to 40-pound test. from that, a 6- to 8-inch chrome “dodger” is added following the dodger about 12 inches to a plastic “hoochie” or some type of bait. The dodger can be various colors just like the ones that are used in salmon fishing. Finally, some anglers use a three-way swivel to attach the running line, sinker line and the dodger hoochie line.

Bounce balling is a technique to stir the bottom with lots of noise and clouds of sand or mud to attract the halibut. Halibut are ambushers that lay on the bottom covered with sand and usually strike a bait only if it is inches away.

Normally they will not chase bait out of their zone, but with bounce balling they will aggressively chase a lure or bait and they don’t care about all the tackle that’s being dragged across the bottom from 50-80 feet deep. Bounce balling really works. Halibut get their “hackles” up and charge recklessly into the commotion of flashing lures and clouds of mud and sand.

The Toronado from Pierpoint Landing went to St. Nick lately expressively for those extra-large halibut that inhabit the area and really got very bored drifting without a pick-up from a butt so they switched to rockfish fishing and the day was saved by catching all the rockfish they could handle.

The real excitement came from a wide-open lingcod bite where many of the lings were more than 20 pounds. More than 30 were caught.

A few yellowtail are showing up around the Islands for the 6-pack boats and for those who know how, some sea bass are also crossing the rail. The islands are producing lots of calico bass, especially since the market squid is so abundant and simple to catch.

Albacore/rockfish: The Pacific Queen from San Diego that has been stationed at Patriot landing for the hot albacore bite went back to its home landing in San Diego as the albacore fishing dried up. Patriot Landing says if the albacore show up again they will send the sportboat Pacific Horizon to chase them down.

The local day-long sportboats at Patriot are experiencing great rockfish trips where it’s not unusual to see limits caught for each angler. Patriot is still announcing its lingcod contest that will end Dec 31. Guy Leo is currently in first place with a 26-pounder. William Chong (19) and Brad Hudson (18-9) are in second and third place.

The prizes are $3,000 for first, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third.

Waterfowl hunting: Duck hunters in California find the best shooting in one of the dozens of wetlands operated by the Department of Fish and Game. these wetlands are referred to as refuges.

The refuge system began in the 1920s in response to national concern over dramatic drops in the waterfowl population. The money used mostly came from the Duck Stamps that hunters had to buy along with their hunting licenses. The stamp money allowed the state to buy up wetlands and make the refuses across the state.

In the 1950s, national refuges and state wildlife refuges opened to waterfowl and pheasant hunting in response to a growing demand for public hunting.

To date, both the state hunting refuges “State Wildlife Areas” (WLA) and the “National Wildlife Refuges” (NWR) have special regulations to hunting on them. Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday during the season these areas are open to hunting. One of the most prudent actions a hunter can take before planning to hunt on a refuge is to read the booklet on Hunting and other Public uses on State and Federal Areas.

There are many ways to access public hunting land.

1. Reservations: The DFG receives your application for a date 17 days in advance of your hunting date. If drawn, you and your partner are guaranteed entry.

2. Lottery System: Spots not filled by reservation are filled by a drawing the night before. 3. first come, first-served: Hunters sign up for a number after the reservation list is exhausted.

4. Each area has it own system of calling numbers in the morning. those numbers include:

Wister Wildlife refuge: 760-359-0577; San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge: 951-928 -0580; Baldwin Lake: 760-607-2043; Kern National Wildlife Refuge: 661-725-2767; Raahauge’s Duck Club: 951-735-5981; Four Winds Duck Club: 310-370-2238; San Diego City Lakes: 619-668-2050; Lake Henshaw: 760-782-3501; Cibola Sportsman’s Club: 928-857-3531; Cibola National Wildlife Refuge: 928-857-3253 ext. 111; Mendota National Wildlife Refuge: 559-655-4645

By Karen Garrison

I’ve written in the past about the health of California’s fisheries, and how we can use available information to assess how well the state is doing at ensuring the health and productivity of the ocean. So what’s the latest? There are bright spots, but we lack excellent information for 70% of the fish we target. Scientists who are beginning to fill those information gaps are finding serious reasons for concern.

A recent study by a team led by Brad Erisman at Scripps Institution of Oceanography found that two popular recreational fisheries-barred sand bass and kelp bass-have collapsed: both have experienced a surprising 90% decline in abundance, and the study authors say overfishing is partly to blame, along with climatic shifts. These two fish have ranked near the top of the list of species caught by charter boats for many years. Fishing for the two species is concentrated on spawning aggregations, which are places where fish predictably congregate in large numbers.

The phenomenon, known as "the illusion of plenty," has masked the declines until very recently because fish can be caught quickly in those places even as the over-all population is shrinking. for similar reasons, declines in other species caught while aggregating to spawn are widespread. in an article on the study in the  San Diego Union-Tribune, Erisman clarified it this way: "The problem is when fish are aggregating in these huge masses, fishermen can still catch a lot each trip, so everything looks fine-but in reality the true population is declining." Fishermen are among those worried by these trends. From coverage of the study in the Orange County Register: Recreational fishing enthusiasts have seen a decline in barred sand bass, said Dave Elm of Huntington Beach, the chairman of the United Anglers of Southern California. "We don’t get the spawns we used to have 10 years ago on the Huntington Flats," Elm said. Despite the steep drop in landings, regulations for these fisheries haven’t changed in the past 30 years. clearly, we need a course correction in order to halt these population declines.Study author Erisman has recommended reducing the bag limit and increasing the minimum size of fish that can be kept. And closing a part of the spawning grounds to fishing, as California carries out the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), will help reseed these depleted populations and keep them healthy into the future.

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John Laird is sitting in an armchair in his austere 13th floor office in the state Resources Building on O and 9th Streets. the former chair of the Assembly Budget committee is in shirt sleeves buttoned at the wrist. He gestures broadly while talking.

There are posters of parks on the walls, a hard hat from the state firefighters on a credenza, a row of baseball caps in the otherwise empty bookcase. His desk is ordered but full.Named secretary on Jan. 5 – one of Gov. Jerry Brown’s first appointments – the 61-year-ancient Santa Rosa native touched many of the issues he now is responsible for overseeing during his six-year tenure in the Assembly: state parks, the Sierra Conservancy, renewable energy, the future of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The former aide to East Bay Rep. Jerry Waldie, Santa Cruz City Council member, director of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project and Cabrillo College Board trustee talks with Capitol Weekly about his current job and some of its unique challenges.

Capitol Weekly: So how big is the Resources agency?John Laird: There’s over 17,000 employees. It’s got a $14 billion budget and 25 departments, boards and commissions.

What’s the ratio of special fund to general fund?Of the $14 billion, $1 billion is general fund and the rest is special fund or outside revenue. the two biggest general fund parts of the budget are (the Department of) Parks (and recreation) and Calfire (the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection). Resources relies on bonds for a lot of its efforts. Flood control. Water infrastructure. Parks. Acquisition of parkland by local governments. Habitat restoration.

Is it hard going from being a legislator to running such a big agency? I spent most of my career being an administrator in one way or another, both as a non-profit director and a local government administrator. even when you’re a mayor – and that’s elected of course – there’s a lot of administrative pieces to the job.

Where does the public touch your agency the most?Mostly in rural California. Resources is in many ways the ambassador of the state to rural California whether it’s Fish and Game or Parks, Water. and in urban areas if you have water tap you interact with the agency.

Where would the average Californian – whatever that is – come into contact with the agency? in the broadest sense, the “average” Californian is probably either going to the park or fishing. the Energy Commission also interacts with a lot of Californians whether you’re urban or not in terms of alternate energy and whatever comes with that. Building standards. the Energy Saver program.

What does the current occupant of the corner office say he would like you to do as resources secretary?For once I’m being circumspect. the governor wants to make sure the state’s goal of one-third of its energy from renewables is met. He wants to make sure that the water system is upgraded to modern times and to take into account fish and habitat as they relate to water supply. He’s committed to the dual goals of the Delta – determine water reliability for those who depend on the Delta and restore the habitat as fast as we can.  

So is it going to be on your watch when California gets that pesky water thing solved?It’s one place where we hit the ground running. We’re trying to have a clear plan and process for restoring fish habitat in the Delta. That’s part of our meeting those dual goals the Legislature gave us in 2009 – water reliability and habitat restoration.

The real difference between the Schwarzenegger and Brown administrations is the fact that there’s no loyalty oath to sign in order to participate in developing the state’s water plan and the meetings are public and transparent and there are groups of stakeholders and people with an interest in water with widely different perspectives at the table trying to solve the key issues.

Because there’s water in the reservoirs this year are there more cards in your hand to do something meaningful on water?Water is the Rubik’s Cube of public policy. the thing that probably works to our advantage to get towards some agreement is, for the first time in a long time, the status quo in the Delta benefits no one. the fish populations are crashing. Judges were turning off the exports. So there’s almost no one that isn’t dissatisfied with what’s going on in the Delta. and the two dual goals are somewhat elegant in that sense. I’m always fond of saying everybody is firmly committed to one of the two goals.

Where do you start?There’s nothing simple. There is the bay Delta Conservation plan process, of course. for 20 years there have been all the lawsuits on everything. Sue on smelt. Sue on salmon. Sue on striped bass. What the Delta plan process does is say, ‘We’re going to look at it all together, see how it fits and try to address the whole thing.’

So we’ve made something like 12 stakeholders committees on a number of issues: What to do with the Yolo Bypass, what to do with the South Delta, what to do about salinity, what’s the governance and finance of any water project going forward.

And we’re asking the members of those committees, ‘What do you want? What fixes your concerns?’ the members are so used to an adversarial relationship with the state for so long, they’re not used to being asked. It can be tough trying to orient people to thinking we’re going to actually do something at some point.

When do they have to finish meeting and offer recommendations?The goal is to try and get it done by the end of the year.

Then what happens?If they come to some conclusions then those solved problems will be included in the Bay Conservation Development plan. Those have been kinda vexing issues for any number of decades.

Yes. exactly. But now there are people at the table talking about them, not the government trying to impose a solution. now, if they can’t come to a decision we have to make the decision on how to go forward. So we’re giving everybody a change to come to agreement among themselves, which makes everything simpler for everybody.

What’s the worst thing about this job?My worst nightmare is closing parks. It’s especially hard for me as the guy who made the proposal in the Legislature to raise the vehicle license fee to have a steady revenue stream for parks and couldn’t get the two-thirds needed. then it went to the people on the ballot and lost. and now I’m the one who has to do the closing.

Why did voters not go for that? It seemed like a pretty excellent deal all around for, what, 18 bucks?One factor was the economy. It was a really tough time to ask voters that question. that was the overriding thing. and I think the public was concerned that the money wouldn’t necessarily go to parks. They set aside this money and then the Legislature immediately raids it. It’s not like that hasn’t happened before.

Is there any way to keep them open? I mean closing the former Governor’s Mansion?Statutory authority exists now for cities and counties to run state parks, but not a general statutory authority for non-profits to do it. (A bill on Gov. Brown’s desk by Assemblyman Jared) Huffman would allow up to 20 non-profits to partner for up to 20 parks.

They’d be more likely to do it?Some non-profits have capacity cities and counties wouldn’t. Non-profits could also organize around specific parks, establishing the upkeep and improvement as the non-profit’s purpose.

The money can’t be found? What is it, something like $22 million?There’s been a 37 percent reduction in the General Fund to parks in recent years. the only way to find the revenue is to shift it to parks from something else other than parks and in the current state budget climate that’s very hard.

Those on the list of 70 to be closed… …Are the least visited and generate the least revenue.

Are you going to be the Resources Secretary for a while or is there a (state) Senate seat in your near-term future?I would hope to be the resources secretary for a while.

OK so what longer-term goals do you and the governor have?Let me say, Number One, whatever the governor sets, as a priority is the Resources Agency’s priority. over the course of the long term, a sustainable way to deal with state parks, a way to take the marine protection program to stability and get it where it needs to be going forward. trying to help everybody that’s working to get to the 33 percent renewable goal and trying to just get to a measure of sustainability in all the different efforts in the agency. and one of those is getting to the end of our Fish & Game (department) vision process.

What’s that?It’s a way to set priorities for the department and figure out how best it can carry out those priorities. When you have a 37 percent general fund reduction, you may very well no longer be able to accomplish what once was your core mission. the vision plan is formally due by next July 1 but we’re trying to get it done a small earlier so its submission runs consistent with the budget process and the legislative session.  

What happens if a department can’t carry out its primary mission?It has to be changed or the support to carry out that mission has to be present. I’m sure at some point the economy will come back and there will be some measure of support that comes back to the state but also a long-term vision should be thinking how we can best maintain support for state parks.  That’s the discussion that started as a result of the economy.

What’s the problem with the marine protection areas?What’s lacking is there are four different segments of the coast. South, Central, North Central and North. for Southern California, the regulations are just about to become final in the next few months. the North Coast is out for environmental review. a map will be place out and a final vote of Fish and Game Commission in February or March of next year. then we go on to enforcement. How it works, how it’s monitored for the science and having money to enforce – that’s still a challenge.

Stability is needed for the financial support for the enforcement. There are mechanisms to do the enforcement but not to raise the money to do it. Considerable private support for this has been raised and bond money or money that went to the Ocean Protection Council that’s funding the monitoring but, as I said earlier, what’s the long-term plan?

Is everyone in agreement on how these marine protection areas should be configured and what restrictions apply within their boundaries?Recreational fishermen have not been happy about some aspects.  from others there have been some differences over what the right science is. One interesting criticism, which has actually come from commercial fishermen, is they think the problem we need to be addressing is much broader than just marine protected areas. we also need to deal with marine debris and acidification and other issues that are threatening the ocean instead of simply responding to fish populations crashing.

Who’s winning that argument?It’s not an argument. There need to be some reserves. Look what’s already happened off some parts of the coast of California. There’s such urgency you can’t wait. if you wait until a comprehensive solution is established, you might never get there.

What’s going on with the Sierra Conservancy?I carried the legislation. actually it was a bipartisan compromise with (former GOP Assemblyman) Tim Leslie. They’ve been really successful in what they’ve undertaken. the goal was both environmental protection and economic development of the Sierra. I just met with people from the conservancy here about a number of different issues to take it to the next step. It’s great that they’re focusing on that.

So this time around – it’s something like the third – is the Water Control Board going to get it right on those septic regulations that have been kicking around for 10 years?this is my second favorite thing to say in this job: “They’re in Cal-EPA.” My most favorite thing to say is when people complain about something done by the Resources Agency during the Schwarzenegger administration: “‘I can give you Susan Kennedy’s phone number if you want it.’”

Veteran skippers will tell you that if you find the bait, you’ll find the fish. For residents of Hermosa Beach, it’s not hard at all to find the bait.

Just offshore, bright lights from commercial and sportfishing boats looking for market squid illuminate the ocean’s surface in an attempt to bring the squid to the surface. On most nights just after sunset, the lights are clearly visible from the shoreline.

Market squid took up residence here several months ago and now, the Santa Monica Bay is holding as much squid as anywhere in Southern California.

“All you want here,” said Jimmy Bass from Tradition Sportfishing. “There is a tremendous amount of squid here now.”

In the 1860s, Chinese fishermen used to row out into Monterey Bay with a torch to attract the mollusks. now, of course, high-powered lights are used.

The Redondo Special had a 25-pound yellowtail and excellent calico bass fishing on Thursday. Earlier in the week, it had two 35-pound yellowtail, three white seabass of 15-30 pounds and some rockfish.

Calico bass fishing on the Tradition has been outstanding on live squid also. the Tradition had simple limits (10 per angler) of nice calico bass on Wednesday and has been catching copious amounts of nice rockfish too.

The Spitfire out of Marina de Rey Sportfishing also has had some white seabass lately along with nice bass fishing.

The Highliner out of Redondo Beach caught two white seabass and some huge lingcod last weekend.

“This squid has everything amped up,” skipper Gary Lacroix said. “I reckon we are headed for a huge fall in the Bay.”

Lacroix will not be fishing for the next week or so as he is taking a busman’s holiday to fish a seven-day trip on the Shogun.

Leave it to a fisherman to take a break from the fishing business by going fishing.

Reel unsteady: Tuna fishing had its ups and downs this week. Boats fishing from 50 to 150 miles southwest of San Diego caught bluefin and yellowfin tuna, albacore and yellowtail. some boats were able to catch Mexican limits of tuna (five per angler) while others had a more hard time.

Many of the best catches were still being made off the floating tuna pens as they are being towed up and down the Baja coast. a reminder that you will need a Mexican permit to fish Mexican waters. you can get those permits on-line by going to BestBajaFishing.org.

Whale of a tale: The whale watch boat Christopher out of Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach had something remarkable happen on Tuesday. a blue whale floated to the surface only a few feet from the whale watching catamaran and let out an audible, low-pitched groan.

“This has never, ever been seen or documented before,” Captain Danny Salas said. “It was a remarkable happening.”

NBC News was on the boat at the time and may have caught the sound on tape.

While blue whale sounds have been recorded before by using underwater hydrophones, this is believed to be one of the first times if not the first time a blue whale has been heard vocalizing above water.

Fish looking for (STIPER bass, Ling cod, or sharks.) Thank you so much!

did you mean striped bass? I didn't see any stiper bass on google.

forget about California. come up here, to Oregon.

The reservoir is the best place North.

I'm relatively new to fishing. I went quite often as a child, but never really had any thought what I was doing and only caught one real fish, bluegill and baby fish aside. the closest lakes are Santee Lakes, which are not very large and apparently only have one excellent lake for bass.

I have a tackle box that I got from my father, but it's mostly hooks, a few sinkers, and one spinnerbait. I don't really know what anything is. I'm able to cast and attach a hook or lure to a line, but not much else.

Any suggestions on getting started?

I'd say herring. Works for everything else.

Fresh shrimp or fresh clams.

sardines, chovies, small macks. I've caught both with soft fishtraps also, browns and greens.

shrimp, Ghost shrimp (but you have to pump it) also Mackeral

ANDERSON: There’s a solid bass bite on all kinds of techniques. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits work well in early morning. Go to Senkos later in day. Most are 1 to 2 pounds. Crappie bite is OK, but nothing like bass bite. 408-927-9144, 408-463-0711.

BERRYESSA: there is a topwater bass bite at dawn. Stay in shady areas or weedy areas in north while sun comes up. Use plastics from bank to 30 feet during day. look for balls of bait 30 feet down and use spoons to lure feeding bass. 916-502-3474, 707-372-7599.

CALERO: Lots of weeds and bass are using cover to hide. Fish line of water and weeds in morning with Texas-rigged Senkos or spinnerbaits. Frogs also will work in morning. 408-268-3883, 408-463-0711.

CHABOT: there hasn’t been a decent-sized fish caught for two weeks, only a few small trout and a few cats. Catfish are providing best action near Raccoon Point, island and Alder Point. 510-247-2526.

CHESBRO: Excellent bluegill and crappie prospects here. Crappie weighing more than a pound take red-and-white jigs. 408-358-3741, 408-463-0711.

COYOTE: this has been a challenge at times for bass anglers. Go early and target grass. Bite slows dramatically later in day. 408-463-0711.

DEL VALLE: Smallmouth bass are being caught near dam and Hetch Hetchy. Most are 1 to 2 pounds. Rapalas, Senkos or nightcrawlers will work. Striped-bass bite is improving a bit at the dam, Swallow Bay and the narrows. Many are 7 to 10 pounds. Trout and catfish continue to be planted near the dam. 925-449-5201.

LEXINGTON: A excellent number of 3- to 5-pound bass are being caught in shallows. Texas-rigged plastics and weightless Senkos are a excellent bet. 408-463-0711.

LOCH LOMOND: Surface temperature is 74 degrees and visibility is five feet. Bass bite has trailed off. West shore is most productive. Bluegill are in shallow, warm water. 831-335-7424.

McALPINE: Sturgeon are being stocked. Lake is yielding a excellent number of 2- to 3-pound trout and catfish to 15 pounds. 831-623-4263.

QUARRY LAKES: Fishermen’s Row is best spot for catfish. Trout bite is slow. A catfish plant goes in this week. Trout go in next week. 510-544-3130.

SAN LUIS RESERVOIR: Anglers going to Dinosaur Point get cats to 25 pounds. Use cutbaits, and cats will come and stripers might surprise. Forebay has been slow. Use weightless flukes and rip baits for small stripers. 408-463-0711.

SAN PABLO RESERVOIR: Small trout have been the rule, if 1- to 2-pound trout can be considered small. Main rec or Pines have been best spots. The first catfish plant of season — 2,000-pounds — went in Wednesday. 510-223-1661.

UVAS: Largemouth bite late in evening. Middle of day is slow-go. Use weightless Senkos or drop-shot plastics. Topwater lures work early and late. 408-463-0711.

BENICIA: No salmon were caught during opening week. Stripers are plentiful along shoreline from Glen Cove to Benicia Bridge. biggest are 10 pounds. Expect schoolie-sized fish. Use pile or blood worms. some have taken bullheads or anchovies. Boaters go to Buoy 4 for stripers. Go to Ozol for sturgeon. Benicia Bait 707-745-4921.

RIO VISTA: Broad Slough has striped bass for trollers. Few salmon have been caught. one was caught opening day near Miner Slough. 707-374-2372, 916-777-6498, 916-870-4225.

TRACY: Striped bass are starting to come in more frequently on Grant Line Canal. Better-than-legal stripers are possible. 209-835-3182.

CAPITOLA: Halibut are showing in better numbers and in larger sizes. Best bite is off Soquel. A kayaker caught a 26-pounder. Bite was excellent from Saturday through Monday when a swell ran through. It should settle by Friday. Salmon are moving in closer. Baitfish are at end of marina but aren’t moving in close. A 20-pound striper was caught off New Brighton early in week. 831-462-2208.

EMERYVILLE: Salmon fishing has been excellent since Saturday. Boats have been fishing east of Farallons for limits averaging 6 to 12 pounds. A few have been in the 20s. It’s an all-day affair. Potluck boats get limits of stripers to 17 pounds. The Huck Finn had limits of stripers Monday and Tuesday. A few halibut are being scratched. Excellent size, no numbers. 510-654-6040.

MONTEREY: Salmon limits were caught Monday and Tuesday, and near limits were achieved Wednesday. Most are 8 to 10 pounds with a few in teens. Boats are mooching off Cannery Row. Rock cod boats return with limits from local reefs. 831-375-5951, 831-372-7440.

PACIFICA: Striped-bass fishing has been excellent from all local beaches. Anchovies are in tight. Metal and hair-raisers are getting fish from 4-6 a.m., but high tide is a excellent time. biggest fish has been 42 inches. Expect crowds on beaches. 650-355-8303, 650-359-9790.

PILLAR POINT: Salmon fishing has been very excellent west of harbor below Farallon Islands. Limits to half-limits are being taken. Rock cod boats go south of harbor and are encountering big black cod and a mix of other cod. 650-726-7133, 650-726-2913.

SANTA CRUZ: Salmon fishing is solid on south side of bay. Rock fishing has been quite excellent. Limits come back every day on half-day and full-day trips. Vermilions and browns have been excellent-sized. 831-662-3020, 831-427-2334.

SAN FRANCISCO: Striper fishing has been hit and miss in South Bay. Party boats in Central Bay score striper limits. Shore anglers get sharks and rays. 650-589-3474, 510-703-4148.

SAN PABLO BAY: Angler went to Pumphouse on Tuesday and caught two sturgeon on two casts despite unfavorable tides. Tides for sturgeon will be excellent again next week. Stripers are Paradise, Red Rock and Southhampton. Drift with live bait. 415-456-0321.

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