BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

By Peter Ottesen August 24, 2011 12:00 AM

The wait continues for the fall striped bass run to materialize. Downstreamers do make the occasional showing at the Isleton bridge and other locations on the old Sacramento River. but stripers coming into the system from the salty bays seemed to have stalled near Antioch, where Tong Chang of the Outdoor Sportsman has claimed fish in the sub-legal to 3-pound bracket.

School-sized stripers are found at Broad Slough, the Antioch bridge, Chain Island and as far up as Decker Island, where shallow-running lures work best.

Largemouth bass are honestly numerous in the 1- to 2-pound bracket, but hooking a 5-pounder is a real feat. Flippin’ jigs and Senkos gets the most action. King salmon are passing through the Delta in excellent numbers, especially for this early in the spawning run. a few are hooked weekly, up to 18 pounds, near Vieira’s Resort on large spinners, reported guide Barry Canevaro of Isleton. The better bite for salmon is farther up the Sacramento River at Miller and Discovery parks. Warning: Salmon fishing is not permitted on the Mokelumne River.

Catfish and bluegill round out the fare. Sturgeon are zip.

Ocean – Wind permitting, angling for king salmon is excellent and improving for private craft and charters outside the Golden Gate. Kings in the 24- to 25-inch bracket, occasionally to 22 pounds, are south of the gate at Mussel Rock and Linda Mar. larger salmon, from the mid-teens to 34 pounds, are found in less quantity at Point Bonita, Duxbury, Muir Beach and Point Reyes. when the ocean permits, two-fish limits are the norm. The migratory push through the gate and into the Sacramento River system is on! The bite is lessening at Monterey Bay and off-and-on at Bodega Bay, where the wind has been a real problem. Rockfishing is excellent up and down the coast, but anglers are concentrating more on salmon.

Bays – Slower tides this week spark an otherwise mediocre halibut fishing season at Paradise, Angel Island and Crissy Field. King salmon fishing is at California City near Tiburon, but only at the top and change of the incoming tide. Kings to 35 pounds have been hooked this week. Striped bass fishing slows with the ides, but linesides are thick on the rock piles and along the Marin shoreline.

Slow trolling upriver at 1.2 miles per hour with a Kwikfish and sardine wrapper fools the occasional king salmon to 18 pounds between the mouth of the Yuba River and the Oroville Afterbay Outlet on the Feather River. Caution: Salmon fishing is not permitted within 1,000 feet of the outlet hole. Stockton guide Dave Mierkey is hooking up to a dozen kings per day on the Sacramento River, boon-doggling roe at Hamilton City. Lures and a spinner worked off three-way swivels produce from the mouth of the American River up to Chico. at Balls Ferry, guide bill Quinn of Shingletown is taking consistent catches of salmon on Kwikfish and roe. Most salmon weigh 7 to 20 pounds, with the larger fish sprinkled in. The run usually peaks in early October. The Trinity River “springer” season is over, but the fall king salmon run is just beginning at Douglas City. The season looks even more promising because the Hoopa tribe has outlawed commercial fishing, allowing more salmon to make it upriver to spawn.

The most consistent bite for large rainbows, 16 to 20 inches and up to 8 pounds, is Camanche, where trollers run 15 to 35 feet deep with wobblers, flies and night-crawlers. Some drift with Power Bait, about 60 pulls down, allowing the wind to push the boat. Spotted bass to 21/2 pounds seem willing. during midweek, Camanche is practically void of anglers. The second annual Derby Day, where anglers try for 10 tagged trout, including one worth $25,000, is set for Oct. 15. new Melones offers trout but mostly at night under submersible lights. Bob Hemphill scored a 71/2-pound largemouth on a Zoom worm. Kokanee are about done and require bouncing bottom with downrigger balls to hook. Don Pedro finds a mix of kokanee (their season runs longer at Don Pedro), reluctant king salmon and trout to 16 inches. Field scout William Heinselman said Hogan is slow with very small “boils” for feeding striped bass occurring early. Stripers run 3 pounds.

Frenchman, located near Chilcoot, yields 16- to 20-inch rainbows to bank anglers at Snallygaster and the dam, and for trollers pulling flies and garden hackle at Turkey Point. Davis Lake boasts rainbows in the 2- to 3-pound bracket for trollers who work 18 to 20 feet down with Dick Nite spoons and flies, with limits reported. Eagle Lake requires drifting nightcrawlers or trolling the deepest water areas at Shrimp Island and Eagle’s Nest for trout to 19 inches. Tahoe perked up this week with mackinaw, 2 to 12 pounds, on the north end. Kokanee dominated on the south end.

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i think i have some of them they are location, lure, persentation, and i dont know about the last one. the paper is for the newpaper so i would like to be right.

water conditions, temperature, structure and time of year. if you know nothing about these, your chances are slim. each or all dictates how and where you will fishand will dictate the lure and presentation.

there are several ways to catch bass
one is with artificial lures or worms. lures u need to use action by light tugs on the pole as you are reeling. worms just throw them out let them sink & slowley reel in. some worms are weedless which bass likes to lie under weeds, so just cast in the weeds & let sink.
real live minnows are good for bass these u just cast out & wait for a strike let the fish run with the for a few seconds then set the hook.

go to the library and get a book by Roland Martin and he will tell you
I will tell you that there are many factors to consider when fishing and their importance varies in different situations,weather,time of year what the bass are eating, are they spawning are they deep or shallow, clouds or sun on and on good luck from TEXAS the land of the 18.18 pound black bass

learn to spell before you turn in you paper—writing not righting
maybe a small punctuation

Fish + Location + Lure Selection + Presentation = Success

Read more from a fantastic "In-Fisherman" article here:
in-fisherman.com/magazine/art…

Weather, water temp, presentation, lure.

Lake (body of water) + Fishing pole+ Bait + Luck
I'd say you would have to have these 4 important things, but of course there are many other determining factors

If you are writing for a newspaper the most important thing for you might be learning how to spell or use spellchecker!

Conditions
Structure
Presentation
Lure

I would say the most important things are location, lure selection, practice and most of all patience.

I have a excellent lake near my house and spring and fall fishing are excellent on shore lines but i don't know how to fish for them in deeper water during the summer months. any things to look for? what baits to use? how to fish them? Anything!

Bruce has a very in-depth answer, (thumbs up!). Nice!

Here are a couple tips for finding them deep:

#1. When you are ABSOLUTELY sure they aren't shallow, try trolling the outside weed edge. Use 1/4-1/2 OZ diving plugs that match the clarity of the water. (IE- Muddy/stained water use "Firetiger" colors; for clear water use more "realistic" colors- and expect to change frequently until you find the Crank they want to strike)

By trolling you cover more ground quicker and get an thought of WHERE the fish might be congregating.

I have no thought where or what your lake looks like- (wether weedy or relatively clear)- but, typically, at the 10-12FT mark, weeds start to disappear and a 6-8FT diving Crank can be easily trolled.

Trolling is great way to "find" active, deeper water, fish. once you find their "general vicinity", you can change tactics and start Flippin jigs or soft plastic's. Pro's use this tactic (at times) to find the "sweet spot" on an extended deep-water weed-edge.

Here are a couple time proven Cranks perfect for "searching"-

1. Bomber, fat Free Shad- basspro.com/Bomber-Stout-Free-S…

2. Rapala, Original Floating Minnow- basspro.com/Rapala-Original-F…

#2. During the Summer, (esp HOT Summers) Bass will move further back under docks and woody structure and an "average" (outside) cast to these structures won't produce strikes and fish. Try "skipping" as far back underneath docks and structure as possible.

Hope these extra tips help ya?

largemouth bass? as the water warms look for largemouth bass in the shallow bays that border deeper water.During the day the bass will be seeking shady areas,such as weedbeds,especially lily pads.Try beds with clear water openings and passages through them are often excellent fish holding locations.they just like the cover small mouth bass will like deeper water like,deep points,shoals(rock beds)

I have seen alot of people fish from shore with a ballance beam system. How do all you guys feal about ballancing your pole to catch strippers. Ive tryed it but I have not seen my fish numbers improve. is there a place to buy these rod holders? Thanks in advance for all your help.

i am trying to catch all monster fish but i cant catch salmon, i have never seen one in the game.
could any one tell me ware in lake champion to catch salmon along with line size, lure, weather and salmon???
any help would be very help full
thank you.

By PETER BUDRYK July 06, 2011

So what, if anything, will we choose to save? The commonwealth’s striped bass? The jobs and the economic impact made by the recreational pursuit of striped bass? or the health of the public who eat striped bass?

Three bills currently in the state Legislature provide residents with a clear chance to control the future of our striped bass as opposed to being victimized yet again by historically small-sighted corporate and self-serving individuals.

This is an vital opportunity for us to protect current jobs and make sorely needed jobs, safeguard the health of consumers of striped bass, and reverse the dramatic decline of these fish due mostly to over fishing.

Cape Codders especially have much to gain since most of the benefits from passage of these bills will accrue, not exclusively, but in large measure, to the Cape. likewise, failure to pass these bills will especially hurt Cape Cod.

The first bill is an “Act Promoting the Public Health of the Citizens of the Commonwealth through the Testing and Labeling of Striped Bass.” The health of striped bass has been compromised as they migrate from southern waters to new England. All of the states in whose waters they swim have tested for various health issues and contaminants — mercury, PCBs, dioxin, dieldrin and others — carried by the fish and, of course, they require warnings regarding the eating of these fish. All states, except Massachusetts. State bureaucrats who have jurisdiction in such matters would have us believe the fish are miraculously purified upon entering the waters of the Bay State. Why? Read on.

The second bill is an “Act Relative to the Economic Value and Revenue Generation of the Atlantic Striped Bass.” The ripple effect of recreational striped bass fishing in Massachusetts, most especially Cape Cod — tourism, restaurants, hospitality, bait and tackle stores, grocery stores, etc. — has a 10-fold economic impact on revenue generation and jobs as compared with commercial striped bass fishing.

This bill will require the state Division of Marine Fisheries to consider this huge disparity when making decisions about the commercial fishery.

The third bill is an “Act Relative to the Conservation of Striped Bass.” this is a bill that has been considered in previous sessions of the Legislature to make the striped bass a “game fish,” that is, prohibiting the commercial taking of these fish. It has federal game fish status in all Atlantic state federal waters, 3-plus nautical miles offshore, but allowing individual states to follow the conservation example or continue to take fish. Nine enlightened states, including Maine and new Hampshire, have declared game fish status to conserve the fishery.

In Massachusetts, as expected, and as the sad history has demonstrated, the corporate and individual commercial fishing lobby has worked hard to defeat this bill. this is the same lobby that decimated the Bay State’s haddock, cod, halibut and other ground fish until emergency regulatory action had to be taken to save some of these fishermen and the remnants of the industry from themselves.

Of course there are legitimate and conservation-minded commercial fishermen in the state. The commercial striped bass lot, but, is largely very suspect. of the approximately 3,600 individuals who pay the $60 permit fee, only 1,200 report catching fish. of these, fewer than 30 actually catch sufficient numbers to supplement their other targeted species and cobble together a living from the atrociously overfished resources. These few true commercial fishermen will benefit from a proposed sale of a dedicated recreational striped bass stamp to buy out those licensed commercial harvesters who can document that a significant portion of their income is derived from historical landings of striped bass.

Most of the other permit holders are lawyers, real estate sales people, corporate managers and other professionals with expensive fishing boats who shut down the shop or otherwise adjust their work schedules to permit them to fish when the killing season is opened. they join a number of firefighters and state and local police officers who often arrange and work shifts with 3-4 days off to get in on the action. then come the carpenters, painters and others both on and off the Cape to get into the mix.

Whether they sell fish under the table, stock their friends’, families’ and their own freezers or use the permit to dupe the IRS and the state by writing off all the bells and whistles for their boats and fishing gear, annually, they combine to kill over one million pounds of mostly fertile female stripers that will never be able to replenish a dangerously dwindling population. It is a murky enterprise at best.

Adding to this recipe for disaster is the current recreational daily limit of two fish over 28 inches, which results in 2-3 times more stripers killed, despite the growing trend towards catch and release. this new bill will eliminate the commercial carnage and halve the recreational limit. It will save the fishery and increase jobs and produce other economic benefits for the Cape and the commonwealth.

Without passage of these bills we are at the mercy of the state Division of Marine Fisheries in whose bureaucratic hands is held the current and future status of the striped bass. Since the director must get approval from his advisory board for any moves related to this issue, the future is as bleak as the past history of collapsed fisheries. A voting majority of his board is composed of commercial fishing corporate and industry representatives.

If, as individual citizens and members of conservation organizations we fail to take responsibility, it will be a shameful repeat of the rape of yet another natural resource. We can prevent this.

Go to the Stripers Forever web site for documentation of the science and the need for these bills.

Peter Budryk of East Orleans is a member of Stripers Forever.

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When i send the bluegill out (hooked through the dorsal fin) i can usually see the bass checking it out but the bluegill will immedietly act dead and float on it's side, resulting in the bass to lose interest and swim away. does anyone know why this is happening or how to prevent it. Also, should i use a bobber or just let the fish go wherever?

Try hooking the perch in the tail section,behind the dorsal fin.It makes him swim better.Puy a split shot about 8 or 10 in. above the bait.that wiil keep him down.if you can sight cast to the bass don't use a bobber.Let the bluegill do it's thing.most bass can't pass up a bait that looks like it's wounded.

I would first change the way you hook the fish. Try hooking it through the nose instead, as it helps the fish swim more naturally. Hooking it through the dorsal fin would also restrict the bluegills movements. As for using a bobber or not, it depends, but I would let it go where it wants to because a bluegill is huge enough to go a bobber a lot, which could spook the bass. But, it could attract them in some cases, but in general, I would avoid it unless your fishing in thick cover. It could also make the fish swim unnaturally.

Hope this helps!!

Place a bobber on so it will still be able to swim around and then when you see it sinks set the hook i just caught a five pounder doing this yesterday

you can always use the rod twitch method. this may help to keep the bream active or you could go to a smaller bream and or smaller hook.

I would like information from anyone who has fished the lake or knows anything about it. I would like to know about the bass in particular. Population, species, size, etc. It would be greatly appreciated if you helped me out.

If we told you here then everybody would go

i want to get sponsored haha

several pro bass fishermen, talked family members into sponsoring them for the pro tour

Win local tournaments. Then win or place in larger, more vital tournaments.

Brilliant bass fishing is on the menu at Lake Oroville, reported Fil Torres at Oroville Outdoors.

“It’s very possible for a pair of anglers to release 50 or 60 bass in a day right now,” observed Torres. “The bass are really up and chasing reaction baits, including some topwaters. Plastics are also really off the hook right now, with Senkos and bulky paddle tails working best. Work the lures from the bank down to about 20 feet, with the fish really relating to bushes and cuts. Just about every area of the lake is holding fish.

“Coho salmon anglers are doing well by trolling hoochies at 35 feet. The cohos are ranging in the 16-18 inch range, and the best area has been the middle fork. Casting small shiny lures at almost any point is also getting coho.”

Torres offered a few tips for Memorial Day holiday weekend anglers, “Go early, and leave early. try the large 5-mph zone in the west branch. be courteous; everybody’s just trying to have a good time.”

Sacramento River

Memorial Day is a traditional time for local anglers to get out on the Sacramento River in pursuit of shad, and things are looking good according to Phil Peeples at The Tackle Box in Chico. “The shad bite has been pretty good over by Scotty’s,” noted Peeples. “The boat anglers have an advantage when it comes to locating schools of fish. we saw the largest shad in many years recently; it was well over six pounds.

“Best lure colors have been chartreuse sparkle tail with a red head. Glide casters have been having trouble with the wind, but using a shad glide and split-shot with spinning gear is working well.”

Horseshoe Lake

Last weekend’s “Hooked on Fishing” event at Horseshoe Lake in Chico’s Upper Bidwell Park was a success, although the nearly 2,500 children in attendance was about 500 fewer than last year. Cool water temperatures meant that the 8,000 pounds of channel catfish planted in the lake were not biting especially well, and the majority of those catfish are still in the lake. The lake also supports a natural population of crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, carp, bullhead, and even some relatively large wild goldfish.

Horseshoe Lake’s regulations allow both adults and children to fish, but only kids age 14 and under are permitted to keep fish. Adults are required to catch and release only, and anyone age 16 or older must also have a valid California Fishing License. Anglers are also reminded to use the “line recycling bins” positioned around the lake by the Chico Bass Club. The lake regulations can be found under section 12R.04.310 in the Chico Municipal Code.

HOFNOD Oroville

The free “Hooked on Fishing, not on Drugs” children’s event for Oroville is slated for 7:00 AM to Noon on June 4 at Bedrock Park in Oroville. The event is free for children age 12 and under, and will include a free pancake breakfast, free loaner rods, free bait, free photo of your fish, and a free raffle. Lots of other activities will be available, including a bounce house, fishing simulator, Smokey Bear, and there will be a special area for small children under 6 years of age, and for those needing handicapped access.

Trout plants

The DFG planted catchable-size trout this week in the following area waters; Butte County- Paradise Lake; Tehama County- Deer Creek, South Fork Battle Creek; Plumas County- Hamilton Branch Creek, North Fork Feather River Almanor; Colusa County- Upper Letts Lake; Shasta County- Baum Lake, Clear Creek near Whiskeytown, Grace Lake, Hatchet Creek, Iron Canyon Reservoir, Keswick Canal, Lower-Middle-Upper Burney Creek, McCumber Reservoir, Middle-Upper Hat Creek, Montgomery Creek, Nora Lake, Sacramento River, Upper Bailey Creek; Siskiyou County- Bass Lake, Juanita Lake, Kidder Creek at Orchard Camp, Lake Siskiyou, McCloud River Fowlers, Sacramento River, Orr Lake; Trinity County- Carville Dredge Pond, East Fork Trinity River, Lewiston Lake, Ruth Lake, Stoney Creek, Stuart Fork Trinity River, Trinity River.

Trout fishing in the stretch of the Sacramento River between Redding and Anderson is as good as it gets, reports local guide Kevin Brock. “We released over 40 beautiful wild rainbow trout on Tuesday,” said Brock. “Most were in the 16 to 20-inch range, and the largest was well over five pounds and over 23 inches long. Pretty much every day we average over 10 fish per angler.

“All of our fish are being caught side drifting with crickets, cured roe, or glo-bugs. The river is not crowded at all; we see one or two power boats and a handful of drift boats for the entire day. This brilliant action should continue for at least another two weeks.”

Lake Almanor

The action at Lake Almanor is turning on these days, reported Doug Neal at Almanor Adventures. “Start trolling right from the Canyon Dam launch ramp” advised Neal. “Go along about 100 yards off shore, and rigged down from six feet early to 14 feet later in the morning. we are seeing fish in the two pound range; mostly browns, followed by rainbows, and the occasional king salmon. The kings have been as large as 4.3 pounds.

“Along the west shore, some fantastic fishing is happening from the USFS ramp to Almanor West Point, and out to Airport Flats. we have been about 800 yards out, and are catching lots of feisty 1.75 to 2.5 pound rainbows.

“Excellent trolling lures include Luhr Jensen Needlefish in cop-car, pearl, or silver prism, along with Seps Pro Secrets. Lake level is rising, watch for floating hazards. Surface temperature is 53.4 degrees, water clarity is very good.”