The Stanislaus is flowing quite heavily this week.  This week may even be the highest volume of water flowing down the river so far this year.  As there was snowfall all the way until the end of May, it appears as though there will be tons of water all summer long in 2010.

Finding some nice slower water is a bit of a challenge right now.  There are several fly fisherman who are having some luck with dry Griffiths Gnat.

Right now, it seems that the fish counts from some of the other locals are less than usual for this time of year, but everyone is optomistic that it will turn into some much better fly fishing on the Stanislaus really soon, hopefully before the 4th of July.

Fishing just South of Boards Crossing on Stanislaus

If you get excited about spin fishing the Stanislaus, you will still have some great luck using live crickets with a bobber or some light weight on 6lb test in many parts of the river.  The water is moving fast, so make sure to use propper hooks so the crickets stay on as best as you can, otherwise you will be casting out your bait all day long without any trout.

And of course, if you land a large trout from the Stanislaus, be sure to make a comment on this post and send the picture on over.

We took hundreds of pictures on the trip to Deep Creek Fishing Lodge in Kenai, Alaska. Here are a few of them.  The pictures are all from early June 2010. During the fishing trip, we fished the salt water for halibut, the river for king salmon, and a remote glacier fed lake for lake trout.  Some of the greatest times were spent just sitting around the fishing lodge which was located just next to Deep Creek, Alaska.  The staff and the guides and the owner of the Deep Creek Lodge are all excellent people.  With the views across the channel that were to die for, it was a vacation of lifetime that will not ever be forgotten.

One of the most spectacular parts of the fishing lodge experience was taking the float plane to the desolate lake to go fishing for trout. We caught all kinds of trout within just a few hours and then we fried them all up afterwards.  It was super tasty and alot of fun at the same time.

The fishing lodge is called Deep Creek Fishing Club and it is located in Kasilof, Alaska.  There is another deep creek fishing lodge so you need to make sure you fish the one with the captain called Captain Crusty.  Otherwise you won’t be getting the same experience you see in the pictures above.  The first night that you spend at the lodge, you will probably dig into a massive dinner of Alaska King Crab legs which should get your fishing vacation started off right.

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Alaska Halibut Fishing Boats

The first morning of our Alaskan fishing trip, we decided to go out on the salt water and try out halibut fishing.  We were fishing in the Cook Inlet just south of Kenai, Alaska.  We had been told that the halibut fishing was great, and yes, there were tons of pictures of one hundred and two and three hundred pound halibut all over the fishing lodge, but you never really know what you are getting into.

The lodge that we stayed at (Deep Creek Fishing Lodge, owned by Steve Moe and his wife Vivian) has two 28 foot boats that they use on the salt water for halibut. These boats are awesome to say the least.  Below is a picture of the halibut boats so you can get a feel for what I am talking about.  They are perfect for halibut fishing and the potentially nasty Alaskan weather too.

halibut fishing on Cook Inlet

Once we started our journey just a mile away to the launch site, things got really interesting.  I have used many launch ramps before, but nothing quite like the deal they got going in Ninilchik, Alaska.  Basically, you trailer your boat down to the “launch site” and take your boat off your car trailer.  Then the crew down there completely takes over.  What they do is they use a crane that has a trailer hitch on it, and they back your boat up into the water.  Next, you start your engine and pull off the trailer and away you go.
Here is a video of the Ninilchik launch ramp for small boats:

It was wild to see, and amazingly quick and easy.  The same deal when you pull your boat out later in the day.  And the total fee for this service is $55  per day.

Once we got out about 20 miles, we started our day halibut fishing.  The deal was each of us had our own pole.  Our captain Skye and Jeremy did a great job of loading up our hooks with weights and bait all day long.  The halibut bait that we used was cod fish, herring, and octopus.  The fishing line was pretty heavy duty.  The leaders were about 30 feet long and the final portion was some 300lb test line.  So I wasn’t too worried about anything every breaking free on us.  Here is a picture right before we started catching halibut.

We were fishing in about 180 feet of water, and there was about two knots of current.  So we all had some considerable amount of fishing line out.  But, within a few minutes of dropping down our poles, we started noticing that something was beginning to bite on our halibut poles.  My pole was the first to go off, so I began reeling it in.  After a few minutes, and not too much of a fight at all, it was a false alarm, just a couple pound cod.  But we pulled it overboard, and the deckhands began cutting it up and said we could surely use it for bait for the halibut.

It wasn’t too much longer until some of the other fishing poles went off, and this time it was halibut action.  Some of the halibut that we caught were between 20-50 pounds.  No 100 pound halibut today, but we limited out our 2 halibut per person within two hours, and that was pretty good.  The weather was starting to pick up with some relatively heavy winds and some light rain and moderate seas, so we decided to call it a day right after landing the final fish.  And back in we went to put our boat back on the trailer.

Alaskan Halibut Fishing near Homer,AK

A super great day halibut fishing, and I was most excited about being able to bring a ton of fish home and share it with family and friends, and especially my wife who told me to make sure to come home with some halibut or else… Here are some more fishing pictures from the day we caught all the halibut in Alaska.

Deep Creek Fishing Club

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The halibut fishing has been pretty hot. Take a look at the guys filleting their day’s catch below. This group of guys went out on their private boat on Sunday before Memorial Day and caught 4 halibut. This was their first day fishing for halibut of the season, so my guess is that fishing must be pretty good right now if you know where to go for the halibut. They mentioned that they caught the fish just right off the Santa Cruz point, which I think is just south of Santa Cruz harbor less than a few miles.

Some other halibut fishermen from santa cruz harbor said they too had some good luck over the past few weeks fishing for halibut at the Santa Cruz Point. Most of them seem to be using live bait when its possible to get that. Others are using dead anchovies or sardines as bait and then just bouncing that off the bottom until the fish strike. The guys from the halibut video said that all of the fish gave them a pretty good fight, so get prepared for a little workout.

One quick fishing tip, be sure to only gaff the halibut that you are positive are legal fish. If you are bringing up a fish and you are not sure it is of legal size, you are better off netting it, and then measuring it. That way, it will if the fish is undersized, you will have a better chance of releasing it alive compared to if you have gaffed a hole inside of it already.

Good luck with the halibut fishing!

That’s right, its time to get your salmon gear together and make your way down to Santa Cruz or Monterey California to get your 2 daily salmon limit.  The fishing has been the best its been all year for several days now, and its not too far of a crawl to get to the fishing grounds.

Most of the anglers are choosing to fish salmon at the Soquel Hole which is just a 30 minute run for most boats from the Santa Cruz harbor.  If you are planning on coming from Monterey it will be a bit longer run to the fishing grounds.  And of course if you are making the trip by boat from Half Moon Bay harbor, it will be even longer again. The Soquel Hole is known for great salmon fishing because it is a collection pot for all types of bait fish with the massive depth changes it has.

The sea conditions the past few days have been relatively nice and calm compared to several weeks ago.  There has been a really nice calm feel out there early in the morning, and of course the afternoon winds have kicked up every single day so far this week, so get your fishing done early.

As the fish are now being caught closer to the surface, mostly between 30-80 feet of water, more and more people are stopping the trolling and opting to save some gas and energy with their mooching gear.  Of course, you won’t escape the numerous troll fisherman who are have tons of success with rigs like pulling a anchovy around or pretty much any other lure these days.

Most of the fish that are showing up at the docs in Santa Cruz have been in the 8-14 pound range, with 20 pound fish coming in daily as well.  Good luck, and if you are going out for the whole day and don’t catch anything, we’ll, better luck fishing next time.

The Salmon fishing has been luke warm still in the Monterey Bay.  The bets have still been the Soquel Hole off of Santa Cruz with some anglers catching their limits of reasonable sized salmon.

monterey bay

The fishing a bit north in Half Moon Bay has continued to be less attractive to the small skiff fisherman, and many have opted to launch their boats out of Santa Cruz in search of a faster ride to the more productive fishing grounds.  But, this surely doesn’t mean that fishing has been a complete waste out of Half Moon Bay.  There have been a few limits of salmon reported there as well.

The fishing out of Monterey has been reasonable, just under one fish per rod on some of the boats, and of course some limits and some skunked salmon fishermen mixed in too.  Most of the party boats are dropping anchovies and sardines down to relatively low depths of 150 feet or more to find the salmon while on the mooching rigs.   Overall, there seems to be a very high percentage of fisherman trolling hoochies and all sorts of other rigs for the salmon.  One of the common lures last week was a yellow Crocodile lure.

This week coming up should have some decent days for getting out and making another stab at the salmon if you are still in search of your first fish of the season.   There were several reports of boats who kissed their first salmon of the season over the weekend, and if you are still searching, don’t get discouraged.

The 2nd Week of April, 2010:

A salmon dodger used for trolling for salmon

Well, the salmon fishing has been decent for most people fishing near and around the Soquel Hole.  But, weather has started to take the fish counts down.  As the weekend went on, there wind and the waves and the rain made fishing conditions not worth it for many of the anglers, and the launch ramp at Santa Cruz harbor became a ghost town.  A big difference from opening weekend a week ago.

The overwhelming majority of salmon being caught from private fisherman is happening with trolling gear.  Most of these fish are being hooked at depths ranging from 120-200 feet down.  There was even a report of a kid fishing for halibut near the Soquel Hole bouncing a anchovy off the bottom who landed a keeper salmon (not confirmed though)

It’s too difficult to say what is working best, there is the usual mix of hoochie and dodgers/flashers and dead bait being dragged off the downriggers for the trollers.  And the few fisherman who are mooching are doing the typical sardine/anchovy rig with anywhere from 2-8 ounces of weight depending on the conditions.  If you asked me, mooching with anything over 6 ounces is not too much fun, especially if you are down deep.

So here’s the deal, we are all going to hope for some good weather these next few days off of the coast of California, and if that works out, there just might be some reports of some 30 plus lb. salmon next week.  If anyone has any reliable mile buoy reports for salmon fishing from either Monterey or Santa Cruz of even Half Moon Bay, please submit them via comments below.  There are quite a few smaller craft fisherman who are dying to know if they can just creep out of the channel and have some decent luck at catching their first salmon of the season.

The Salmon Season has officially begun in the Monterey Bay of California in 2010.Here is a video of the first salmon of the year caught off of Santa Cruz, California.

We left the Santa Cruz, California harbor at about 8:30 in the morning and were back at the dock at 11:30am with just one fish, but it was a nice one, and the first in two years!
What was the most amazing part of the day was the number of boats who went out looking for salmon. There were literally hundreds of boats out on the water according to California Fish and Game officials. The boats started leaving Santa Cruz Harbor before 5am, and were nearly lined up heading out of the channel until around 7:30 when it finally slowed down.

Here is a picture of the salmon that we caught in about 300 feet of water at about 10:00am Saturday April 3, 2010 off Santa Cruz.

King Salmon from Santa Cruz

As a bit of a follow up on how Half Moon Bay did with Salmon the first weekend, they did horrible compared to Santa Cruz.  Although I wasn’t up there, the reports are that the fishing was way less than one fish per rod, and more like 1 fish per 10 rods.  Also, the weather for the opening weekend was much nastier than down south in Santa Cruz.   So, if you are considering going fishing April 10th or 11th, my advice would be to fish Santa Cruz before leaving from Half Moon Bay.  The Soquel Hole was very nice to us, and to many other fisherman, and it sounds like the Soquel Hole might have been the best place in Northern California to be fishing for opening weekend of the Salmon Season this year.  If there are any other reports from Northern California salmon fishing trips, I will try to post them ASAP to get a better feel for what happened.  I am yet to hear anything from way up North at this point about the salmon fishing.

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Been a long time coming, but the Salmon Season is arriving this weekend on April 3rd, 2010!

Going to be going out on a 17 foot Boston Whaler out of Santa Cruz, California early on Saturday morning in hopes of hooking up with a few of the red meat fish.  It has been a few years for so many people to have the chance to go and do this once again, hopefully the weather will cooperate.

The latest reports from local friends along the Monterey Bay and Half Moon Bay parts of California is that the salmon are out there, so you bet my crew will already have the bait and gas ready when it comes time to go to bed on Friday night.  Our current plan is to head down to water a few miles off Moss Beach and to do some mooching with dead anchovies.  Mooching is fishing with the engine turned off with bait on a hook, and some weight to get the bait down to the desired depth.  This method is my favorite for salmon in the ocean as it allows you to feel the bite and set the hook on your own.  Also, it allows you to catch some sleep if you like with the hope of getting woken up by the sound of a fish pulling line against the drag.  Some people like using sardines for bait, and yet a very select few will use dead squid for bait when hunting for salmon.  I personally have never used the squid, but a few fishing buddies swear by it.

As for the fishing regulations, right now the rules for most of California are 2 salmon per person per day, and the minimum size is 20 inches.  Coho need to be thrown back to get those growing in numbers once again.

My hope is to be able to bring you all kinds of reports of how the action is and how things go down on the fishing side of things, if you have any great news to report on your end, feel free to comment it below.

Good Luck Fishing,

Fishing Feeds

Here is a Report From BaySide Marine from Santa Cruz
Feb. 17
The swells have started to drop here and things are looking much better at the Harbor mouth. The few reports that we have had this month include Seabass, Squid, Halibut, and Perch. There was a nice Halibut caught near the Mile Reef in Capitola. The Seabass and Halibut are still hit and miss in Monterey but there were a few good days last week. The Perch fishing has been good near Manresa and the Cement Ship. The best bet is to use Motor Oil Grubs and Coon Striped Shrimp. There is a Perch tournament on March 20 and once again I will have all the live shrimp and worms you need. Stop by the shop to get the entry you must sign up by Feb. 21.
JAN. 19
The fishing for Seabass has been good for the anglers who were in Monterey before the storm. The Squid is still the bait of choice. The swells and winds have become huge so there has been no action today. The Humbolt Squid are still wide open in the edge of the Monterey Canyon in 800-1200 feet of water. Fishing for crab has been decent on the north coast in 240 feet of water The Surf perch have been biting well on Coon striped shrimp.

Jan. 2 2010 Happy New Year!
The Squid fishing, crabbing, and Sand dabs are keeping anglers busy during these nice calm winter days. There has been a few swells but the winds have been generally light after the rain. There are big Squid in the Soquel Canyon and near Davenport. There was a good bite on Squid near 36’46/121’51. The Squid are in 800-1200 feet of water and the big Glow Ahi Jigs are working best. The crab fishing is still doing well up the coast in 200 feet of water. I still have crab pots rigged from Mc Kay’s with 300 feet of leaded rope for only $205.

Dec. 19
The crab fishing is still doing well for the anglers fishing up the coast. There have been a few good reports of Humbolt Squid being caught in the Canyons in 800-1200 feet of water. The swells have been up and down with the storms that have passed through. We have the 2010 Sport fishing License in stock along with Gift Certificates for stocking stuffers. We also have a great deal on McKay Crab Pots and Ace Line Hauler. I hope to see you soon. Happy Holidays!
Nov. 18
The crab fishing is still going well for the anglers up the coast in 180-220 feet of water. There were some Humbolt Squid caught in 1200 feet of water 8 miles from Santa Cruz in the Soquel Canyon.
Nov. 14
The fishing was great today near Franklin Point and there were some good scores near 4 Mile Beach. The best bet on crab seems to be up the coast in 200 feet of water. There was no wind in the morning but there was a breeze in the afternoon. The winds are reported to be calmer Sunday so come finish off the Rock fishing season in calm weather. The sun has been out with a little morning fog.
Nov. 13
The fishing was good today for the anglers who went looking for crabs. I spoke to one boat who had 30 crabs for 6 pots in 200 feet of water up the coast. The Rock fishing was decent for the anglers who worked the local reefs. There was some wind today in the afternoon which did not help. The winds and swells are expected to decrease all day Saturday and Sunday making this a great time to go fishing before the Rock fishing closes.
Nov. 11
The wind was down all morning and the fishing for crab has been great. I heard of good reports on the Becky Ann with Capt. Jimmy. The winds are going to remain light for the weekend so come crabbing and finish off the Rock fishing season.
Nov. 10
The crab season is open and there have been some good scores near Natural bridges and straight out of the Santa Cruz Harbor. The Crab are ranging from keeper to 6 + inches. The Humbolt Squid are showing in the deep canyons near the Soquel Hole and Davenport. There were a few boats up near Franklin Point in calm seas today and the action was good. The winds are down for the next few days and Rock fishing closes Sunday so come fishing.
PV Report
I was down for a few days fishing with my girl Regina in P.V. for a few days. I went fishing with Danny ” LuLu” on his father in laws boat “Balta” the first day and caught a nice tuna in the upper 180′s. We caught a few more Dorado and came home with the sun on our backs. I had Ryan “Salty” who works on Maximo as my deck hand for 3 days. Ryan was able to sneak out and pull on some fish for the first time this year. I can not say enough about how much this kid has become a seasoned Salty angler / deck hand. We had a great day one and my freezer was filled. The second day we went to the bank with Danny Osuna and Regina made her first appearance on the boat. We caught Tuna from 60-90 pounds on bullet Tunas on the troll. Regina did a great job on her first Tuna and had a great time on the water and in P.V. The last day things went slow at the Bank but we did end up with some nice Dorado. All in all it was a great trip and great weather. Thanks again to all my good friends in P.V. and in La Cruz! Until Next Time!

What is the best way to catch tuna in San Diego?

There is all kinds of options so you better get your rod and reel ready.  You can use lures, bait, mooch, troll, spinners, jigs, you can even spear fish for them if you are really quick.

• Bait- This is the method that the majority of the fish are taken with.  Many of the long long range fishing boats load up on this stuff, or catch more of it when they are out to sea.  Live bait is usually a big bonus, and time and time again produces the best numbers.  If you have a live bait well in your boat, definitely stock it up with some sardines or small mackrel, and the tuna will thank you for that.
• Lures- For the people who want to cover a large distance during the day of fishing, lures provide great value, although they will hit your gas tank when trolled at high speeds compared to sitting still and mooching.  But there is a time and a place for everything.  Lures allow you to troll around and cover more ground if you are not certain where the tuna schools are located.  Also, this will allow you to test out different colors throughout the day until you setttle on one lure that works well, or several that work well.  There is nothing more exciting than trolling lures behind a boat and connecting with 3 or 4 tuna at one time.  its VERY possible too, so be on guard
• Jigs and other Casting Lures- these work well when you located a school of tuna.  Tuna can be a bit picky on the jig that is thrown to them when they are jumping and nailing live bait, but they are very aggressive none the less.  There have been many people who have had the most success with jigs being cast into schools of tuna.  This can lead to less time spent re-baiting live bait which has the ability to either come off the line, or being stolen by a tuna fish.

IF YOU HAVE LIVE BAIT:

Once you make your way to a school of tuna, this is a critical time.  You want to make sure the fish don’t go too far without having given yourself the chance to catch at least a few of them.  So make it easy on yourself. Show up with some livebait.  This way, you can try to keep the fish near your boat by throwing over some sardines for example every few minutes.  Yeah of course you will be giving away some of your precious bait that has no hope of catching you a fish, but this will keep the fish near you.  And in the long run, this will allow you to catch more fish from either bait on hooks, jigs, or any other way you plan on catching the tuna.

All too often people show up to a school of tuna where the fish are jumping like crazy, but they scratch their heads when the fish take off, and are off and lost for good.  This has a great chance of being avoided if you just keep throwing over a few fish or bait in the water next to your boat at 3 or 5 minute intervals.

Stanislaus River Fishing.  All types of news below on fishing off highway 4 up in the Gold Country.

The most up to date is below:

My own experiences at the North Fork of the Stanislaus River just below Boards Crossing .  It was really hot, around 100 degrees in the day.

June 26-28 – Our group fished all three days, the 26-28th of June 2009. All in all for 3 of us, we had a total of 3 keeper trout, and several that were thrown back. We were fishing the part of the river just south of the Boards Crossing Bridge. As far as the water is concerned, it was flowing reasonably well. In past years, it has definitely been higher, but a nice level for fishing and walking around in the water. It is still super cold, but very refreshing on days and weekends like there was. We tried all types of things on the trout. Night crawlers on the spinning rod worked the best. Also, the largest of the keepers was a rainbow taken on a night crawler attached to a treble hook and with a floating bobber. One of my friends took one trout on the fly road with a nymph type of fly. We all tried the Woolly Bugger that came highly recommended, however we were not able to tackle any of the trout with the bugger. As far as spinners were concerned, we also tried several of those. Two times, fish were landed, but of the 6-8 inch variety, way too small to keep, and not much fight either. All in all, my suggestion would be to try some natural live bait if its available.We did not have the chance to try crickets, but we have had great success on the trout around here with them in the past. Night crawlers were the most consistent, and someday soon flies will begin to work well. Up to this point, we really did not see too much in the way of fish jumping out of the water in search of food, so not sure what to say there. There were some other signs of fish being caught, the campers next to us had a wooden string of 5 trout one afternoon. When I went up to the guy to ask what he was doing to catch them, all he would say was the word determination, he would give no other ideas than just that. I will add though, that it was surprising to see him keeping a couple of the fish on the string, two which looked to be barely six inches long, but heck, not my problem trying to eat such a small trout I guess…

Below is a clip from the Ebbetts Pass Site, It is their fishing report for right now.
Central Sierra/Hwy 4 Fishing Report July 12, 2009
Lake Alpine has been recently planted and fishermen are catching fish.
Bait casters should try Gulp Power Eggs, Gulp Power Bait, Floating Power Eggs, Gulp Nightcrawlers, inflated nightcrawlers, and salmon eggs on a 24″ to 30″ leader using a sliding sinker. Lure casters should try Kastmasters, Panther Martin spinners, and Rooster Tails. Trollers should try Apex, Needlefish, Glo Bugs, and Wedding Rings behind a small dodger tipped either with a nightcrawler or a Gulp Nightcrawler. Fly fishermen have been using woolly buggers, stone fly nymphs, ants, adams, stimulators and bead head nymphs.
Spicer Lake
has been slower since the weather has been getting warmer. Trollers have had success using Apex, Needlefish, Glo Bugs, Rapala’s, Wedding Rings and using just a flasher/nightcrawler combo. Bait fishermen have been using Gulp Power Eggs, Gulp Power Bait, Floating Power Eggs, Crickets, Nightcrawlers, and Gulp Nightcrawlers. Lure casters should try Panther Martin Spinners, Rooster Tails, Kastmasters, and Rapalas. Fly fishermen should try ants, adams, stimulators, and woolly buggers.
The North Fork of the Stanislaus
has been tough due to lack of plants lately. The No. Fork has been in excellent condition. Fishermen should try split-shotting nightcrawlers, crickets, salmon eggs, Gulp Power Eggs, and Floating Power Eggs. Lure fishermen should try Rapala’s, Panther Martin Spinners, Rooster Tail’s, and Kastmasters. Fly casters should try stimulators, parachute adams, ants, royal wulff, woolly buggers, and bead head nymphs.
Beaver Creek
was planted this past week and has producing some beautiful fish. Bait casters should try split-shotting nightcrawlers, crickets, salmon eggs, Gulp Nightcrawlers, Gulp Power Eggs, Power Eggs. Lure casters should try Panther Martin spinners, Rooster Tails, Kastmasters, and Rapala’s. Fly fishermen should try woolly buggers, small stimulators, royal coachman, ants, adams, and bead head nymphs.
White Pines
has still not been planted due to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services putting a hold on planting as of right now. No word as to when it will be planted. There are still some nice Bass and Bluegill that are very plentiful in White Pines.

Campgrounds at Sourgrass are now open. Camping is also available at Big Trees State Park and Golden Pines just beyond Big Trees on Highway 4. You can contact Big Trees State Park at 209-795-2334.

Fishing Opportunities On the Highway 4 Corridor… Central Sierra/Hwy 4 Fishing Report June 16, 2009

Please visit the More Fishing Link for important news on a recent court ruling!

Due to the stocking of White Pines Lake being held up by the Federal Fish & Wildlife Division, they are unable to stock the lake and therefore we must cancel the Father’s Day Derby. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Ebbetts Pass is now open

Lake Alpine is now on the Plant list and is to be planted this week. The Lodge at Lake Alpine is now open and can be contacted at 209-753-6358. The phone number for the campgrounds is 209-753-2671.

Bait casters should try Gulp Power Eggs, Gulp Power Bait, Floating Power Eggs, Gulp Nightcrawlers, inflated nightcrawlers, and salmon eggs on a 24″ to 30″ leader using a sliding sinker. Lure casters should try Kastmasters, Panther Martin spinners, and Rooster Tails. Trollers should try Apex, Needlefish, Glo Bugs, and Wedding Rings behind a small dodger tipped either with a nightcrawler or a Gulp Nightcrawler.

Just remember to troll really slow as the water is still really cold and the fish are still lethargic. Fly fishermen have been using woolly buggers, stone fly nymphs, ants, and bead head nymphs.

Spicer Lake has been excellent and the dock is now in the water. Trollers have had success using Apex, Needlefish, Glo Bugs, Rapala’s, Wedding Rings and using just a flasher/nightcrawler combo. Bait fishermen have been using Gulp Power Eggs, Gulp Power Bait, Floating Power Eggs, Crickets, Nightcrawlers, and Gulp Nightcrawlers. Lure casters should try Panther Martin Spinners, Rooster Tails, Kastmasters, and Rapalas. HOBART CREEK IS OFF LIMITS UNTIL JULY 1, 2009.

The North Fork of the Stanislaus was planted this past week. The No. Fork has been in excellent condition. Fishermen should try split-shotting nightcrawlers, crickets, salmon eggs, Gulp Power Eggs, and Floating Power Eggs. Lure fishermen should try Rapala’s, Panther Martin Spinners, Rooster Tail’s, and Kastmasters. Fly casters should try stimulators, parachute adams, ants, woolly buggers, and bead head nymphs.

Beaver Creek was also planted this past week and has producing some beautiful fish. Bait casters should try split-shotting nightcrawleers, crickets, salmon eggs, Gulp Nightcrawlers, Gulp Power Eggs, Power Eggs, Gulp Maggots. Lure casters should try Panther Martin spinners, Rooster Tails, Kastmasters, and Rapala’s. Fly fishermen should try woolly buggers, small stimulators, royal coachman, ants, and bead head nymphs.

White Pines has still not been planted even though the EIR report has been completed. No word as to when it will be planted. There are still some nice Bass and Bluegill that are very plentiful in White Pines.

Mosquito Lake has thawed but no word as to when it will be planted.

Campgrounds at Sourgrass are now open. Camping is also available at Big Trees State Park and Golden Pines just beyond Big Trees on Highway 4. You can contact Big Trees State Park at 209-795-2334. Golden Pines website is www.goldenpinesrvresort.com

For more information you can check our website or email us through the website www.ebbettspasssportinggoods.com for weekly updates or call Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods at (209) 795-1686 and ask for Bill. We have lots of new items coming into the store weekly. Drop by and check it out. Thanks again for patronizing our store. We look forward to seeing you all again. Bill Reynolds – Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods

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Back by popular demand after a one month break is this action packed page.  Enjoy, and women, thanks for the pictures, and we are waiting until you email in to info at fishingfeeds before we throw one up of guys fishing in bathing suits.

If you have some good pictures of you or your loved ones that you want to broadcast to the world, go ahead and send them in.

Subject: Salmon Fishing west of HMB

Ahoy there one and all!

Spring is in the air (and howling a gale)!! We were blown off the ocean
on Saturday. The waves were just right to make for a miserable ride so we
turned back after giving it a try! On sunday we fared much better going
20 miles west of the harbor. We had a good size swell but not too much
wind close to shore. As we got further off shore it did increaset but
conditions were very fishable.

We were lucky and did not have much trouble with the sea lions (darn
dragons)! or many problems with alot of shakers. Most everything we
hooked ended up in the fish box and tagged by either Zack or Jeff!
Around 11:30 the wind started to freshen and things got a bit dicier. We
continued to catch fish and by 1 PM we had thirteen limits!!! No really
big fish – our biggest was around 16 lbs.
The ride home had me working hard at the wheel to hold our course as
things were not improving in the weather department!

I just hope that it will lay down by Tuesday for our regulars who are
coming out for there monthly Tuesday trip.

Ahoy there one and all!

This is the best day so far of the season!!! The ocean today was oily slick calm. We left the dock with 12 passengers who were enjoying the anticipation of an early start and heading out of the harbor with the dawn’s early light just starting to emerge over the costal mountains. A day full of promise and it sure did deliver!

We headed southwest from the harbor and one of my regular customers Terry came up to the wheelhouse and said that the new propeller was so smooth was this the same boat???? I had changed the old propeller on Wednsday from a three bladed prop. to a 4 bladed prop with a different configuration and pitch. The change is dramatic to say the least!!! Kind of like driving on snow tires and then switching to a set of regular tires.

After getting about 10- miles off shore and south of the fleet I found a spot of krill and birdlife that looked intriguing.
So upon stopping and getting the gear in the water for everyone we started to work the bait. BANG, FISH ON!! then two hanging! Holy smoke we were catching some nice 10 to 12 pound salmon! With the fleet staying up above us and my thoughts were to head south to get away from the other boats I continued to work down the line, hooking fish here and there – some doubles and triples. Which is the way of things when you are “krill fishing.” This is one of the most exciting times for salmon fishing with multiple hookups and fish acting crazy zipping from one side to the other, jumping, then turning to look at the other rods as all the passengers are watching the fish and hollering HEY YOU GOT ONE ON YOUR ROD TOO!!! Dancing and weaving the lines around each other trying to keep them from tangling. Most of the time we are able to keep them clear but then some fish are just not going to make it to the boat.

Ahoy there one and all!

June has been a tough month for salmon fishing. We have had lots of wind,
big seas, rain, earthquakes, Tsunami warnings and just about everything
else thrown in including a new head for the boat (Don’t ask — you don’t
want to know!). So we have been using the time to get some fresh paint
on the old girl. I’ve never known a lady who does not like some fresh
makeup!

I’ve also been spending some time at the Pacific Fisheries Council
Meetings in Foster City where the rock fishing season was basically
staying the same. We hope this is good news. The season opener is on July
1st. The ling cod go back to the old regulations of 2 fish at 24 inches.
Which, after their (the scientists) statistical glitch we are looking at
some great fishing opportunities for ling cod. Boy! oh boy, I sure can’t
wait for that first fresh dinner of some schoolie blues (my favorite!).

Now on to today’s salmon fishing. We have not been out in almost a week
and a half and the last trip out was with Ken and the “boys”. Today we
traveled down south and found some great fishing off of Pigeon Point in
the deep water!!! After having so much time off and no one really looking
we decided to head down that way to see what the fish gods might offer up
to us. When we stopped and put the gear in the water we almost
immediately had on a 14 lb salmon! Hooray!!! But, we had several people
who thought they would stop these brutes by tightening down on their
drags and the next thing I hear is FISH ON and then snap. I hate that
sound!!! I saw at least 6 to 10 fish popped off due to tight drags. It
sure is tough to lose nice big fish like that. We finally got our act
together and started to box the fish!! There were many Humpback whales
throughout the area and if you know me I like to fish around them as I
think they bring me luck. Which they pretty much did today!

We did fish a bit late today with such beautiful weather it was really
grand to enjoy the ocean and spend some much needed time on the briny
deep! We ended the day with 14 limits for all of the passengers and the
biggest was 19 lbs.

Gosh I think I remember what it is like to once again enjoy being on the
ocean and enjoying the vast expanse of its rich bounty (and with a head
that works)!!!!
Till next time!

April 25, 2006

Ahoy there one and all!

Monday was a true awakening of the season for us aboard the RIPTIDE!! We
had a private family charter on board and they were pretty much locked
into going on Monday, which actually was a very nice weather day. But, I
was so worried about taking them out and having to stay so close to the
beach as everyone knows is not really where the salmon are thought to be
(what an assumption!). Off we went in search of one of the true sportfish
that can be caught on a rod and reel. After hearing about one boat that
had run south the day before (Sunday) I decided to go exploring down that
way. Knowing that the fishing had been slow on the inside and everyone
thinking the same thing I did not have very high expectations. Around 11
AM I was still praying to just get one fish!

For those of you who know me, you know I like to chase whales. I was
figuring that if nothing else I can at least show them some magnificent
creatures! When we found them, they were feeding on anchovies. We were
watching them lung feed through these huge balls of bait. As soon as we
hit one of these first haystacks of bait I heard Deckhand Zack screaming
out “FISH ON SMITTY!!!”

After boating the first one and noticing the current was screaming down
to the south I turned and started to tack back up to the whales. We did
not quite make it as we had a double go off with two rods screaming off
line with a pair of 15 pound salmon!
Losing one and getting the other I thought I better stick with these
Whales! Man was I right!! We had a steady pick from then on with singles
and doubles landing some and losing some. I just feel frustrated when
that happens but what the heck, at least they got to play the fish and
feel the thrill of the salmon fighting! Still fighting the current and
working around all of these great “riptides” on the surface we had an
OUTSTANDING DAY!!!!!!!!!

Excellent Albacore Information from Bob who was running the highly respected boat Fishing Machine. He is one of the Bay Area’s most highly respected fisherman, so feel free to follow of the details he presents. This all comes from the coast sidefishing club.com website:

Trolling Jigs For Albacore – Throw the old tuna book away

By Bob Franko

I subscribed for years to the regurgitated nonsense that gets passed on from generation to generation about ways to catch tuna. You know what I’m talking about. How many times have you heard color is important, or this is the one everyone is catching them on, or you must use dark colors in the morning, light colors in the afternoon. I have seen every high tech gimmick known to man sold to the young albacore angler, with a smile and a promise of greatness.

I recently was walking by a so-called albacore trolling guru at a well-known boat show. I listened for several minutes as he repeated the same old tired formula that most of the outdoor experts seem to want young anglers to buy into. I can only come to a couple of conclusions: they either work for a tackle company that wants you to buy every color in the free world, or it’s just to much trouble to spend the time necessary on the water to think out of the box.

What most young albacore anglers fail to understand is these fish, contrary to what some might have you believe, didn’t graduate from Harvard.

The Tao of Fishing for Albacore

Efficiency

I believe efficiency will put more fish in the box than anything else you can do. Let me explain. I chase tuna on a daily basis, and have for many years. On most trips there is a window of opportunity. During this window they will eat the bottom of the boat. It may last 30 minutes, 1 hour, or it may go all day, but during this time you must be efficient. Anything less than a full court press at this time is just burning daylight.
There is nothing less efficient than a guy in the middle of the window standing in the back of the boat jerking his rod up and down trying to see where his lure is. Then to his amazement it goes off and he thinks life is good, but the reality of the situation is that that stop has produced only one fish. That is not efficiency when the rest of the spread never got in play. Would it not have made for a more exciting moment if all the gear got out, and now your son, father, brother all had fish hanging, screaming in both panic and pleasure as they battled this great fighting fish? There is only one thing better than a reel screaming after a jig strike, that is many reels screaming at the same time.

Rods and Positions

What has been (hopefully) affectionately nick named the Franko method by the largest fishing organisation in Northern California (Coastside Fishing Club, www.coastsidefishingclub.com), starts with marking you’re lines, and dedicating a rod to a permanent position. I use a piece of fluorescent trout leader tied with a uni knot to my main line, some guys use rubber bands, but the goal is to provide an exact distance mark so the team can free spool the gear out in a hurry, stopping at the mark and having that lure exactly placed in the spread. This system takes the guesswork out, and the end result is during that window instead of catching singles, you will maximize that window because multiples will be the rule. It always amazes me when, after the fish come up, and they have bit for a couple of hours, the talk on the radio among the sport boats goes something like this. “Hey Bill that was incredible. I think they must have gone down. How many did you guys get?” “I got 9″. “I don’t know Harry, I must have something like that in the box. Bob how did your crew do.” “We got 17.” The message here was Bob and crew were not better fisherman, but they were more efficient.

Lures and Placement
One of the most important things you can do is not provide tuna a choice when it comes to the lures in the spread. I believe this one factors denies more anglers the opportunity for an epic day than anything else. There is a reason to run all the same lures in your spread. What is important is how they swim, and where they swim. I want the same lure, and the same weight. I like a 2-½ ounce clone, they always swim right, even in rough water, compared to lighter jigs. And I fish the same color all day.

Let me explain it like this. Fish are no different than any other predator on the planet. If you watch a lion hunt, he is looking for the weak buffalo, he will always go after the one that is limping. Its nature’s way to weed out the weak. Albacore are the same way, they are looking for their weak buffalo, the odd ball, the one that is swimming a little different. I suggest, don’t give them a weak buffalo. When they come up don’t give them a choice, they’ll all gravitate to the weak one, the odd ball, and you’ll catch a lot of singles. Instead keep the lures all the same and let them eat them all!

There is nothing more exciting than seven positions going off, with only four guys on boat. There are descriptive words for this kind of event, but I better not use them. Let me illustrate my point even further. In my neck of the woods, cedar plugs get a lot of attention. They are very popular these days and in most cases are run in the middle way back. If you ask the angler why he runs it there he will tell you “I’m also fishing for a bluefin”. If you question him further he will tell you he has never caught a bluefin, but was told that is the way to get it done. There is validity to catching bluefin in that fashion (I personally would troll a kite), but let me suggest something else that will happen. That cedar plug becomes a weak buffalo so the angler thinks it’s the best lure that was ever made. It got bit more than anything else he had out, but in reality he brought the school up in the back of the spread, resulting in a lot more singles than he should have had, and missed the opportunity for a five banger.

If you must run a weak buffalo, at least run it in front of the spread. I position two meat lines with big jet heads 60ft behind the boat. I want that school of fish that are holding at 20 fathoms to look up and see all that movement from the bigger lures, and head in that direction. If I can get them there, everything else comes through. When positioning your gear you need to find your boat’s sweet spot. As I said every boat is different so experiment a little. I would start with my distances, and work from there.

For the record I run 60ft on the meatlines, 85ft on the two side back positions, and the center back position, the outriggers lures are at 115ft from my transom. I suggest that every boat is different when you talk about noise, wake, vibration, I believe because of these factors outboards are the least productive then comes outdrives, and the best-case scenario is a single screw diesel with a four bladed prop.

I would suggest on the couple of days they don’t want to bite like wild dogs, bring the spread closer to the transom. These fish have eyes as big as silver dollars, so let the prop wash help hide the line for you. And when working an area that has fish, never troll in a straight line for any length of time. Fish love to bite in a turn.

One other thing in regards to placement. My rod tips on my side rods are just above the water line, and my center position is on a flat line clip just below the gunnel. This is so lures not only swim better, but they are not influenced by the wind. Nothing is more inefficient than a tangle.

Remember there will be slow days in everyone future, I don’t care who you are. On those slow days a weak buffalo is the last thing you need, you need to get that multi hookup when they do show up.

Outriggers
There are several things to say about outriggers. I realize a lot of guys have those gunnel mount outriggers that only give you two positions up and when out are still up high. The problem with this is they are really affected by the wind. On days with anything above 15 knots of breeze, the wind puts big bellies in the line. This leads to tangles, and everything that goes with that. You can’t catch fish if you’re in the back of the boat trying to untangle a big mess for 30 minutes. I would recommend outriggers that mount to the wheelhouse, then place a stop in the maximum down position. The goal is to get them as low as you can without dipping them in the swell, and run them in the back positions in the spread. The wind will have less affect, and your lures won’t be coming out of the water.
Color
It’s almost laughable at times when you hear the fleet talking about color. It seems like every time someone sticks a fish, he will suggest on the radio that his friends go to that color. It’s as if people believe that tuna wakes up in the morning saying I think I will eat one with red spots rather than green today. Let me drop a bomb here, I know it is heresy to some of you, but the truth is that color doesn’t matter! I’m more concerned about how they swim and where they swim, than whether they have yellow in the skirt, or red. If you get nothing else out of this article remember this, location, and presentation will work for you regardless of what your target species is. The only thing I will say about color is this: if you must have different colors in the water make sure they’re all the same lure, this way, at a minimum, they will all swim the same. I take it a step further and run all the same color. I run a seven-strand 2-½ oz clone Mexican Flag or Pro Dolphin.

Hooks and Line and Other Tips

There are a lot of ways to skin this cat. I personally top shot spectra with 50lb mono. This way I only have to replace the top shot if the wheels come of the cart. Over the last couple years I have been using P line and have been more than satisfied. I do believe any quality line will get the job done. If you have done enough long range, it does not take many trips to realize tuna get line shy. There are times when with live bait you must drop down to 15lb test to get bit. It’s that old eye’s as big as silver dollar thing, and there is nothing wrong with an albacore vision. Its important to always put yourself in a position to succeed. You don’t know when you leave the slip that morning if it is a day that they will eat the bottom of the boat, in other words bite anything even rope, or whether its going to require something lighter. I always straight tie 50lb test right to the swivel that holds the hook. Both are hidden in the skirt. I know some of you want to run heavy leader, and a swivel up the lin. All that gets you is another knot to fail, and any tuna that might be a little line shy that day to swim right past it. This method will increase your harvest throughout the year, but its incumbent upon you to check for line fray above the hook. This is simple, just tell that now efficient crew of yours about every other stop to slide the clone up the line and feel above the swivel. If you feel something just retie, it only takes a second. On big days you may have to retie 3 or 4 times. Your hook is a choice you have to make. I like both single and double, barbed or barbless. I can tell you this: tuna impale themselves for the most part, and if you go barbless you will not lose many fish, and it makes it a lot easier to get that hook out. One little trick I started about 10 years ago was to take a small plastic tie wrap, tie it around the shank of the double hooks. Before I started doing that at least once a year I would stick a fish on one side of the hook and the swivel would slide down the other side. The end result would be the hook would be pulled apart and the fish never made it to the kill box.

Meatlines

I talked about meatlines earlier, and they play a valuable rule in my program. I can’t tell you how many times they have found fish for me.

We all look for the obvious indicators, meter marks, temp change, thermocline, rips, birds, plankton, jumpers etc. Lots of times running to a bite, you will come across these kind of indicators. You really don’t want to pull back on the throttles because the guys 10 miles ahead of you are screaming at you on the radio to keep coming.

I will slow down for a couple minutes and just throw out the meatlines. I don’t want to waste a bunch of time lowering outriggers etc. Wham! On the hook. I now don’t have the traffic to put the school down. I’m now in my own honey hole.

I’m not going to get into horns on the meat lines, but I will say that my meat lines are wired to a 12 volt horn. Maybe the closest thing this tuna junky will ever get to injecting pure adrenalin in his arm is when that horn goes off.

In situations when you know your in tuna water, and you’re going to get to where you want to start that day early, slow down and throw the meat lines out, but don’t be surprised if that horn starts going off, you may not be able to see further than a few feet with the deck lights on, but you can sure as heck pull fish over the transom. The bonus is you’re more than likely located for the day. This only seems to happen just prior to daybreak, when it first starts to go from black to gray.

In the past I would not know unless I happened to be staring at the snubber that there was a sort strike. Because I have sound effects I can tell you it happens maybe 15% of the time. If you get to the meatline after a short strike quickly jerk on it for a few seconds and keep your eye on the lure. In about 20% of the cases you will see the water blow up around your lure, and hold on because that tuna going to try and take it from you.

Make sure you have tubs on the back of your boat for your meatlines. They always come in first and go out first. The last thing you need is the tuna cord and mono all over the deck for crewmembers to trip on, tangle, and damage.

It’s also important to use a big barbless hook. Picture fish hooked up in several positions, its important to get those meatlines in first, and the fish off quickly. It’s also important that you don’t throw the hook in the tub unless you like tangles. Hang the hook on the side of the tub. This way when its time to get going you can drop it off the back and it all comes out on its own permitting you to put out another position (efficiency).

One last thing about meatlines. Don’t weight them because you saw a party boat do it, or you heard some commercial fishes that way. The reason party boats do it is so they can get a 5 or 6 man trolling team out the back and still run meatlines. The commercial is putting as much gear as he can in the water for obvious reasons. They will harvest more fish and bring more fish up if they’re darting in and out of the water on the top.

Rods and Reels

There are so many quality products on the market today. I’m hesitant to make any recommendation. Let me say this: my choice is Calstar for my rods, and I’m a big fan of Shimano for my reels. I have used Shimano TLD 25’s for years with great success, but I’m getting kind of long in the tooth, so I’m now using my TLD 30’s (two speeds).

The Battle

The boat is moving at 7 to 8 knots. You are adjusting your speed depending on up hill or down hill, and sea conditions throughout the day. The program is working and you’re on fire, every time you move the boat everything goes off.

You have been under way for about 3 minutes now. You’re trying to look for jumpers in all directions at the same time. Jumpers or no jumpers you know it’s going to happen. All of a sudden there they are, the birds have tipped you off again. You can see the birds with their wings held up high above the water so as not to slow them down as they chase the bait the tuna has pushed to the top. You’re focused on the spot, there’s a jumper, then another one. You are now on top of the location, the birds and jumpers have, at the last second, disappeared, you’re on auto pilot and still looking forward in search of birds and fish in case the exception to the rule happens, and you don’t get bit. In your heart you know 8 out of 10 times you will be successful, so the anticipation starts to build in your stomach as you wait for someone in the back to scream the magic words, “On the hook!”, or the sound of the horn as the albacore hits a meat line sending a lightning bolt right through you.

Those few second from the time you got on them to the lures reaching the fish seem like 30 minutes, then, all of a sudden it’s the lightning bolt! Then you hear someone scream “On the hook!”. You turn around just in time to see one of the outriggers yanked suddenly backward, you’re sure it’s going to bend the aluminum pole, then it releases and jolts backwards making that line twang sound you have become so accustomed to as it rattles the wheelhouse. Now the left side position rod bends in half, you turn around and reach for the throttle and pull it down to the slowest position. You abandon the wheelhouse with the boat doing about 3 ½ knots with the autopilot still engaged. Your crew is on the move, but they need your help to clear gear that’s not hooked up. You’re on the outrigger that has no fish, you’re reeling as fast as you can. The lure is skimming across the water about 30ft behind the transom, a tuna blows up on it. The outrigger starts to bend then returns to its original position, he missed the hook. The crewmember hand lining the meatline that didn’t get bit yells out “He took it ten feet behind the boat.”

I now have my outrigger clone dangling out of the way just under the water below the end of the outrigger. I’m thinking of two stops ago when a tuna came up and swallowed it like a catfish on a bamboo pole. On that stop the tip of the outrigger bent half way to the water before the release let it go, that devilfish ran under the boat and took off out the other side almost tying everything in something that resembled a bow tie

Your crew is working like a Swiss watch. They know not to touch a rod with a fish on until its time. The boat is still moving forward and all positions with fish hanging are tangle free and parallel, not like yesterday when one of your regulars brought someone new to the program, and in his excitement on the first stop grabbed a side rod, and ran to the back of the boat crossing three lines.

The fish on the meat lines are now in the kill box, and those lines are in the tub, with hooks hanging off the top of the tub. I go back to the wheelhouse to take the engine out of gear and disconnect autopilot. Each crewmember takes a rod with a fish. My job is done, and I grab a spare rod rigged with a swim bait, hoping to pick up just one more while the boat is sliding to a stop. The crew staggers the fish coming in so all are not doing circles at the same time around the boat. I put the swim bait rod away in time to grab the gaff. The first guy that lands his fish, sticks it so it will bleed and throws it in the kill box, and is immediately over at the outrigger that went off bringing the release clip down ready to accept the rod when it’s available.

The last fish comes over the rail, blood is everywhere, we ignore it. We will hose the deck down between stops. I move quickly to the wheel house throw it in gear, push the rpm up to 1200, I know it will level off at 7 to 8 knots. I lock the autopilot, and move toward that outrigger that was hanging in the water. I start free spooling to the mark, my crew has already thrown the meat lines out, and are free spooling positions to their marks.

I glance at the other outrigger waiting to accept a pole. I wonder if I will have time to load it before that damn horn goes off, after all the window is open.

A Final Thought

Before I leave you. I want to make a point here in regards to harvest verses responsibility. I wrote this article to try and give the young angler something to think about, to open his mind to another approach. The purpose is to make him a better tuna angler. With success comes responsibility just because we can, does not mean we must. So remember only take what you and use. The days where people thought the ocean was an endless resource are gone.

Good Fishing

Bob Franko

Here is some information from the University of California regarding the Albacore Fishery:

SUMMARY
In the north Pacific Ocean, albacore are an international resource harvested by Japanese, Hawaiian, and North American fisheries; for this study, we assumed there is one population in the area.

Albacore rank among California’s most important species, in terms of recreation and monetary value. Our sport and commercial fisheries depend on a seasonal migration that fluctuates in size and is influenced by changing ocean temperatures. We examined historical records of both fisheries and used sea temperatures in developing hypotheses to explain past events and thus help predict the future.

The Commercial Fishery
For a critical rŽsumŽ, the records were divided into four periods, depending upon annual magnitude of the landings.
Period I (1916Ð1925):
During these 10 years, fishing was limited almost exclusively to the California Channel Islands area; and the catch, which was dominated by fish weighing 20 pounds or more, averaged 17.4 million pounds. It was a period of cool sea temperatures, although twice interrupted by unusually warm years (1918 and 1923). During these, albacore ran offshore beyond reach of the small, one-day fishing boats.

Period II (1926Ð1941):

Abnormal ocean heating in 1926 “pushed” the migrating albacore north of Point Conception, where they found satisfactory conditions each year despite intermittent cooling. Southern California fishing grounds failed, averaging only 2.4 million pounds. Captains gradually increased the duration of their trips, and fishing finally spread into central and northern CaliforniaÑmore than a decade after the migration had shifted there.

Period III (1942Ð1947):

This is the “transition period.” Its more important characteristics include relatively cool sea temperatures; a gradual return of the albacore run to the south; a marked improvement in the fisherman’s capability to locate and harvest the schools, resulting in the fishery spreading into waters off central Baja California; an increased catch averaging 17.2 million pounds annually; and an end to the dominance of large fish (> 20 pounds) in the landings.

Period IV (1948Ð1961):

Year 1948 ushered a 9-year, cold-water era into California’s marine environment. Incoming albacore schools entered the fishing grounds off central Baja California and, depending upon sea temperatures, swung upcoast either inshore or off.

Warm seas in 1957 ended the cool era and again displaced the albacore run northward, eliminating the productive Baja California fishing grounds that had developed below Guadalupe Island. Increased warming in 1958 caused a drastic decline in the entire Baja California fishery, and abnormal heating in 1959 resulted in complete failure. Meanwhile, fishing to the north improved greatly as fishermen stayed with the schools. The sea cooled in 1960 and 1961, and landings north of the state declined while fishing off Baja California, between the Mexican border and Guadalupe Island, increased markedly.
The commercial fishery matured during this period; the location of the run had no important effect on the size of the catch, and landings averaged nearly 37 million poundsÑmore than double any preceding period. Many 13-pound albacore failed to migrate into the fishing grounds in 1961. Fortunately, unprecedented numbers of larger fish moved in and averted a drastic decline in production.

The Sportfishery
Deep-sea angling from partyboats began during the early 1900′s in the southern California Channel Islands area, and because of increasing popularity it soon entered the realm of big business. The number of partyboats operating statewide reached a peak of 612 in 1954, and some 200 of these took paying passengers out deep-sea angling for albacore.

Partyboats fishing albacore increased to a high of 304 in 1950 and averaged well over 200 during the post-war years 1947Ð1957. From 1958 through 1961, the number varied from only 3 boats in 1959 to 149 in 1961. The total anglers attained a record of more than 132,000 in 1952, and a low of 20 in 1959. At the same time, their albacore catch ranged from over 187,000 to only 39. Catch Analysis

Both sport and commercial fishery statistics have been presented, along with estimates of the magnitude of the annual migration and some insight into albacore behavior. When our data are pooled with similar information in an international exchange, we will be able to determine the ocean-wide harvest and to estimate the relative size of the north Pacific population.
Sales receipts and fishermen’s logs were utilized in discussing historical trends in the commercial fishery. A catch-per-day fishing index showed that although the migration size was fairly consistent for 12 years, it was relatively small in 1951 and 1954 and large in 1959 and 1960. The result, overall, was a slight upward trend, implying no decrease in size of the runs. The index also was used to examine relationships between albacore catches and the environment. We found that individuals in a migration distributed themselves by size within preferred temperatures and as a result, each run (as a unit) became temperature-oriented according to its size composition. Fishing success in various temperature categories depended upon both the size composition of the run and its magnitude.
A plot of the abundance index with 58¡ and 66¡ F sea-surface isotherms showed that the location of certain temperatures, and the rate at which they progress northward along the coast each season, affects the albacore migration. In addition, the records show that most schools traveled upcoast as the warm water advanced; fewer inhabited seas cooler than 58¡ F or warmer than 66¡ F, although they seemed more tolerant of the warmer extremes; and, during warm seasons, larger numbers of albacore entered the northern grounds, traveled farther upcoast, and appeared at greater distances offshore than during cool ones.
Catch records from California’s partyboat fleet were summed by 20-minute squares and used in discussing historical sportfishing trends for the period 1936 through 1961. They revealed that the number of anglers, total albacore caught, and catch-per-angler-day peaked in 1952. Since then, the anglers have varied from 89,000 in 1956 to only 20 in
1959. The catch-per-effort figures also show large seasonal changes, ranging from 0.6 fish-per-angler-day in 1953 to a high of 3.3 in 1960. The annual catch, which was below average most of the time, varied from 39 albacore in 1959 to nearly 185,000 in 1961. Such fluctuations are to be expected in a seasonal fishery depedent upon a species that may or may not migrate within range of the anglers.
Partyboat records supported conclusions reached from analyzing the commercial fishery and also demonstrated that successful angling depended upon good inshore runs. These took place when warm sea temperatures advanced very slowly along the Baja California coast, permitting the schools to approach reasonably close to shore. Such events occurred about half the time during the period 1950Ð1961.

CONDITION OF THE RESOURCE
The condition of the albacore resource cannot be estimated satisfactorily until equivalent catch data from throughout its geographical range have been assembled and analyzed. Our studies revealed, however, that the segment migrating through California fishing grounds, which provided most of the Northeastern Pacific harvest (Figure 176), has held its own successfully each season against the combined efforts of more than 1,000 sport and commercial fishing vessels. On the average, during the 12 years 1950Ð1961, the commercial fleet exerted a fishing pressure of nearly 35,000 days (96 boat-years), resulting in a seasonal harvest of 2.5 million albacore. At the same time, the partyboat fleet contributed an average pressure of more than 58,000 angler-days, resulting in a seasonal catch exceeding 73,000 albacore.
Throughout this period, the trend in number of albacore in the run has been slightly upward. If the size of the California migration is any indicator of total numbers in the population, the resource would appear to be in good condition. It is important to note that in 1961, 13-pounders (age II), for years the backbone of a multimillion dollar industry, failed to enter the fishing grounds in their usual numbers. This could happen again and we may not be as fortunate, for next time exceptional quantities of larger fish may not be present to make up for a missing year-class, and the fishery would decline drastically without forewarning

The Report is Broken down by location:

Sept. 26, 2009
BARRETT: Very good bass fishing. This past week there were 35 anglers checked and they reported catching 497 bass. Lake information: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations: 619)668-2050 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.

EL CAPITAN: The 192 anglers checked reported catching 204 bass, 387 bluegill, four crappie, and 21 catfish. The lake is open Thursday through Saturday and Monday for fishing. There are no boat rentals during June, July, and August. Lake information: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations: 619)668-2050 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
LOWER OTAY: There were 145 anglers checked who reported catching 84 bass, 206 bluegill, and 17 catfish. Dallas Wailon, San Diego, landed a 10.7-pound largemouth on a mealworm. Lance Dixon, San Diego, caught a stringer of catfish totaling 35 pounds with fish to 12.5 pounds on mackerel. The lake is open on a Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday schedule. Lake information: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations: 619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
UPPER OTAY: Fair to good bass action. The 15 anglers checked reported landing 23 bass to 3.8 pounds. The lake is open on a Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday for fishing, sunrise to sunset. The road to Upper Otay is open. Lake information: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations: 619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
MURRAY: The 61 anglers checked reported catching 47 bass, 117 bluegill, and two catfish. The lake is open for fishing and boating seven days a week. Boat rentals are available Saturday and Sunday only. Lake information: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations: 619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
MIRAMAR: There were 44 anglers checked and they reported catching 10 bass, 56 bluegill, and nine catfish. The lake is open for fishing seven days a week. Boat rentals are available on Saturday and Sunday only. Lake information: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations: 619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
SUTHERLAND: No report. The lake is open on weekends only, but will not have rental boats available. Water level is very low and boat launch is allowed at your own risk. Lake information: 619-465-3474 or www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/. Rental boat reservations: 619-668-3274 or ssmith@sandiego.gov.
WOHLFORD: The catfish action slowed a bit once again this past week but some fish are still showing. Mackerel and chicken liver are the top baits and the top spots are the buoy line areas. The last catfish plant of the season went in over a month ago. The bass fishing was slow this past week with the best action on live bait or dark colored plastics. Aramis Medina, Escondido, caught a 3-15 Bass off the south shore rock pile on a Roboworm. Bluegill and crappie are fair. Trout are slow with only a few showing in deep water at the mouth of the canal or along the west buoy line. Carp action has been good on dough baits. The lake is now closed weekdays and will only be open Saturday and Sunday each week. There are four new bass boat-type rentals available. Quagga mussel fears still have a private boating ban. Information: 760-839-4346 or www.wohlfordlake.com.
DOANE POND: No DFG plants in over a month.
DIXON LAKE: The catfish bite is slow to fair with the last plant of the season over a month ago. There is a fair bass bite with some topwater activity. Fair to good blue action with mealworms or redworms fished at any of the fishing piers working well. Lake information: 760-839-4345 or www.dixonlake.com.
POWAY: Bass action was very good this past week with shad all over the lake. The catfish bite was fair to good. Jeff Kopischke, Chula Vista, caught a 15-pound limit of catfish on mackerel at the Log Boom. Jason Hendrex, Poway, landed a seven-pound catfish on mackerel. The last catfish plant of the season went in over a month ago. Some bluegill are still showing in Hidden Bay. Trout action slow. Lake information: 858-668-4770, tackle shop 858-486-1234.
JENNINGS: Catfish action was hit or miss again this past week. Shore anglers had very little success while anglers fishing from boat near the main buoyline were scoring limits. The last catfish plant of the season went in over a month ago. Nightcrawlers or mackerel with scent have been working best. The bass bite is still mostly slow. Anglers have had some success using Rapalas, TD Minnows, and spoons on boils. Creature baits have also started to work for bass. Some redear are still showing on mealworms and wax worms but the fish have moved deeper and become more difficult to locate. Upcoming events: Free fishing class on catfish fishing 1 p.m. Sunday hosted by Ranger Hugh Marx. For information call 619-443-2510. Lake information: 619-390-1300 or www.lakejennings.org.
MORENA: The catfish bite is fair on mackerel, chicken liver, and nightcrawlers. There is a good carp bite for those targeting them. Bass, bluegill, and crappie are slow. Anglers are requested to release any blue catfish they catch under five pounds. Price of boats and permits has been reduced Monday through Thursday. Permits are $3.50 and boat rentals just $20 for the whole day. Information: 24-hour fishing update line 619-478-5473, ranger station 619-579-4101.
CUYAMACA: Continued fair to good trout action with Power Bait and nightcrawlers working best. The hot spots have been the dam buoy line and the willows. The largemouth bass bite is fair with a few nice fish reported this week. The crappie action is good for those targeting them, but they are small. The occasional catfish is also showing. A plant of 1,700 pounds of rainbows are slated for this week. Upcoming events: This Saturday the lake is hosting it’s annual “Fishin’ in the Pines” free kids derby. Kids ages 4 to 15 can fish for free and prizes are awarded for top fish. Supervising ranger Willard Lepley offers a free fishing class every Saturday at 10 a.m., however, there will be no fishing class this Saturday due to the derby. Private boats are allowed on the lake again, but the boats must be sprayed for quagga mussels by a high-pressure heated wash prior to entering the lake. The cost is $10 for the spraying and it lasts for multiple trips to Cuyamaca as long as the boat is not used in another reservoir. The decontamination wash down station is for all craft and items used in the water, including boats, motors, kayak, canoes, float tubes and waders. Information: 760-765-0515 or www.lakecuyamaca.org.
HENSHAW: Good catfish action. The best bite has been all along the shoreline using shrimp, chicken liver, and mackerel. The bluegill bite has been good near the dock. The crappie action is also good with fish averaging around a pound each and some bigger. There is also a fair bass bite. Fair to good carp action. Information: 760-782-3501.

Barrett: 141 anglers checked caught 1,357 bass (all released), 66 bluegill and 5 crappie. Open to catch-and-release fishing and barbless hooks only every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Reservations for September available through Ticketmaster (619) 220-8497 or www.ticketmaster.com at 7 p.m. Aug. 11.

Chollas: Open daily to youngsters 15 and under. San Diego Fly Fishers sponsors a Lend-A-Rod program on Sundays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and it includes free bait and tackle and fishing tips.

Cuyamaca: Fish have gone deep in the heat. Fish in deeper water for better success. Joseph Reyes Smith, Morena Valley, 2½-pound trout, between the Jetty and the Dam. Andy and Cody Estrada and Tanner Holt, El Centro, 40 bluegill and 23 crappie. Chase Tilliel, 4, Valley Center, first fish, bluegill, wax worm, T-Dock. Cameron Walton, 10, Chula Vista, 3 trout and 5 bluegill, night crawlers, Lone Pine. Catfish and crappie fest going on right now. Free Fishing Class: Saturday at 10 a.m., Charlie Taylor, Launch Ramp. All boats entering the lake must be spray washed for quagga mussels. Charge is $10 per boat. Open daily.

Diamond Valley Lake: Bass fishing continues to be very good here, with some of the better fish being found at 35 feet. Stephanie Reschke, 7-pound bass, drop-shotting a Margarita Mutilator Roboworm, Southwest Corner. Trout fishing is fair, with an occasional holdover rainbow biting. Bass anglers picking up some by-catch now and then. Rawson Cove, the Rock Quarry, best bets. Juan Miranda, Hemet, 12.55-pound striped bass, swimbait, East End. Open daily. Launch ramp closed until further notice.

Dixon: Lake will get 500 pounds of channel catfish tomorrow, so that should improve the fishing here. Catfish still the best bet here, with most of the fish in the 1 to 3-pound range. But don’t forget the lunker bass early in the day and late. Bluegill action has been good for the kids off the piers. The fish are on the small side but the kids don’t mind. Night fishing every Thursday and Friday. Stocked regularly with channel catfish. Night fishing is permitted on Thursday and Friday nights only. Shoreline fishing is permitted until 11:45. Night boats may be rented starting at 5 p.m., but must be returned to the dock by 10:45 p.m. Boats are half price. There will be a limited amount of shoreline to fish after the park closes. Open daily.

El Capitan: 50 anglers checked caught 55 bass (50 released), 15 blue gill and 3 channel catfish. Fishing and water activities permitted Thursdays through Saturdays, with Sundays reserved for water contact only. Fishing only on Mondays. Water contact activities include water-skiing, wake-boarding, Jet Skis, towing inflatables. All persons entering reservoir property must purchase a day use permit.

Henshaw: Catfish action remains the top ticket here. Carlos Diaz, Chula Vista, 4-0 catfish. J.D Schweitzer caught and released twenty catfish, with his best estimated at 5 pounds. Michael Pruett and Faben Rodriguez, Escondido, 5 catfish, with a 7-pounder. Open daily, Friday and Saturday for night fishing.

Hodges: 120 anglers checked caught 51 bass (all released), 3 bluegill, 1 crappie and 5 channel catfish (largest 5 pounds). All private boats must be inspected for quagga mussels prior to being launched. Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Jennings: Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Friday and Saturday until 11:30 p.m. for night fishing. Check www.lakejennings.org for more information.

Loveland: Open daily to hike-in fishing only on a limited area of shoreline. No permits required. Fishing license is required. New 140-foot fishing pier open on the west side of the fishing cove.

Miramar: 59 anglers checked caught 24 bass (14 released, 27 bluegill and 1 channel catfish. Open daily to fishing and boating. Pay fees at iron ranger or electronic pay station near the concession building.

Morena: Open daily.

Murray: 63 anglers checked caught 40 bass (37 released) and 70 bluegill. Open daily to fishing and boating. Pay fees at iron rangers near the abandoned concession building or at key access points.

Otay, Lower: 231 anglers checked caught 116 bass (104 released; largest 6 pounds); 336 bluegill (largest 1.8 pounds), 19 channel catfish (1.3 pounds), 2 blue catfish (24.80) and 2 carp (17.0). Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Pay fees at iron rangers near the boat launch and abandoned concession building. Boat rentals available.

Otay, Upper: Nine anglers checked caugh 19 bass (all released; largest 2.95 pounds). Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for fishing, sunrise to sunset. Upper Otay is a catch and release only fishery. Bait is not permitted, only artificial lures with barbless hooks. Boats are not permitted on Upper Otay, only shore fishing, waders and float tubes.

Poway: Big catfish showing in various areas around the lake. The Log Boom, and shoreline in Boulder Bay the better spots. Another 1,500 pounds of channel catfish due this week. Marion Seitz, Poway, 8-0 channel catfish, mackerel, Log Boom. Alexendr Yermakuv, San Diego, 5.4-pound channel catfish, mackerel, Boulder Bay. Bass slowing down, but bluegill coming on. Lake is full and will stay that way all summer. Night fishing has been extended through Aug. 22. Night fishing is offered every Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. for boaters, 11:30 p.m. for shoreline anglers. The lake’s popular Midnight Catfish Craze is set for July 31 from 4 p.m. to midnight. Tickets available at Lake Poway Grill and Tackle. Cost is $10 for adults (in addition to your daily permit) and $5 for youths 15 years old and younger (in addition to your daily permit). Motorboat sales will start at 3 p.m. Friday on a first-come, first-served basis. Fishing starts at 4 p.m. The Lake will be closed for boating and fishing July 31 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to allow the lake staff to prepare for the event. Open Wednesday through Sunday. In order to prevent the introduction and infestation of quagga mussels, the following items are prohibited at Lake Poway: float tubes, private motors and anchors, live bait containers, fish finders, floating catch baskets, live bait from any source other than the Lake Poway concession, any items the staff considers to be potential contaminants.

Santee Lakes: Check www.santeelakes.com . Open daily.

San Vicente: Closed. For construction schedules and information on the Emergency Storage Project, go to the San Diego County Water Authority’s web site at www.sdcwa.org and click on San Vicente Dam Raise.

Sutherland: 49 anglers checked caught 94 bass (all released), 26 bluegill, 9 channel catfish and 1 blue catfish (24.10 pounds). Jake Keyser, 12, Ramona caught a 14.25 pound carp. Doug Vang of San Diego caught a 24.10 pound blue channel catfish on mackerel. Willy Head, 5, Ramona, caught a 5.60 pound blue channel catfish on bread. All boats must be inspected for quagga mussels prior to entering the lake. Open Saturday and Sunday for fishing and boating, Monday for shoreline fishing only.

Sweetwater: Open Saturday, Sunday and Monday to limited shoreline fishing only.

Wohlford: For more information, call the Ranger Station at (760) 839-4346 or visit www.wohlfordlake.com . Rental boats available. Open daily.

Catfish stocking schedule: Poway, 1,500 pounds.

Pt. Loma Sportfishing, H&M Landing, Fisherman’s Landing: 176 anglers, eight overnight boats: 2 albacore, 325 yellowtail, 2 bluefin tuna, 1 yellowfin tuna, 92 dorado. 128 anglers, four half-day boats: 315 calico bass, 3 sand bass, 5 barracuda, 8 rockfish. 74 anlgers, two three-quarter-day boats: 300 sand bass, 40 barracuda, 2 sheepshead, 18 rockfish, 121 sculpin.

Seaforth: 38 anglers, one 1½ -day boat: 2 bluefin tuna, 41 dorado, 162 yellowtail. 22 anglers, one one-day boat: 1 dorado, 24 yellowtail. 41 anglers, two three-quarter-day boats: 1 dorado, 3 yellowtail, 11 barracuda, 3 calico bass, 185 sand bass. 120 anglers, four half-day boats: 1 bonito, 11 barracuda, 245 calico bass, 8 sand bass, 25 rockfish, 1 sheepshead. 42 anglers, one twilight boat: 12 barracuda, 24 calico bass, 16 rockfish, 7 mackerel.

Oceanside: 13 anglers, one three-quarter-day boat: 130 sand bass, 50 barracuda. 46 anglers, two half-day boats: 238 sand bass, 65 barracuda. Seven anglers, one twilight boat: 60 sand bass, 7 barracuda.

Red Rooster III: Captain Andy Cates reports a three-day trip, 180 miles out, caught 74 albacore, 45 yellowtail, 10 bluefin tuna, 6 yellowfin tuna and 4 dorado. Ralph Hughes, San Diego, caught a 29.3 pound bluefin tuna; Jeff Bracy, Newport Beach, caught a 27.7 albacore; Tommy Escalante, Camarillo, caught a 24.6 pound albacore.

East Cape: Blue marlin showing just in time for the East Cape Bisbee Tournament, set to begin tomorrow. John Ireland, owner of East Cape’s Rancho Leonero Resort, said he’s never seen so many blue marlin in the area. He released three last week, with the fish ranging in the 100-to 400-pound range. Sailfish also showing and dorado to 60 pounds being caught. Smaller yellowfin and schooling dorado also showing and plentiful north of Punta Pescadero. Inshore action on roosterfish, pompano and pargo remains outstanding.

La Paz: Fishing slowed here after a month of incredible action on tuna, wahoo, dorado and billfish. Dorado action stayed fair, but fewer bulls joined the party, according to Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International.

Cabo San Lucas: One in two boats getting a billfish in what has been a very strange summer, according to veteran captains and Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters in Lemon Grove. Fishing is lagging for this time of year. The Gaviota VIII, skippered by Captain Juan Dominguez, was high boat for the week with three billfish for three days fished.

Noteworthy: Special Deer Hunt: For the sixth straight year the California Deer Association (CDA) is sponsoring its “Sharing the Tradition Junior Deer Hunt.†It’s open to 25 junior deer hunters who will get a free, fully-guided antlerless deer hunt on the famous Tejon Ranch. Junior hunters will be selected in a free, random drawing open to any junior hunter with a 2009 California junior hunting license and an unfilled deer tag. In addition, the following sponsors will supply the 25 lucky juniors with ammunition from Federal Premium Ammunition and Barnes Bullets, binoculars from Alpen Optics, and hunting gear from Hunter’s Specialties and Birchwood Casey. A total of 90 juniors have already participated in the prior year hunts, and over 90 percent of them had never taken a deer before. Yet, the success rate on these hunts has been an incredible 98.8 percent. Entry applications must be received by October 14, 2009. Hunts will take place in the second half of December. The applications and rules may be found at the California Deer Association: www.caldeer.com/tejon-hunts.htm or the California Department of Fish and Game: www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting /docs/SharingtheTradition.pdf.

Marine Life Protection Act: The California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group meets Monday, Aug. 3 at 9 a.m. at the Holiday Inn, 850 Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad, Calif., 92008. The public is invited to attend and participate by providing public comment at approximately 3:30 pm. Speaker cards are requested and may be found at the entrance to the room. Time allotted for public comment is determined by the number of requests and can range from one to three minutes per comment; submitting written comments that can be easily summarized in one to two minutes is encouraged. Note that the public comment period is for comments specific to the SCRSG; comments related to the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force, science advisory team, or other MLPA Initiative activities should be directed to those bodies or MLPA staff. Meeting materials will not be provided at the meeting but will be posted to the MLPA website as soon as they are available. This agenda may be found on the MLPA website at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa /meetings_sc.asp.

Barrett: The 137 anglers checked reported 1,566 bass, 43 bluegill and 11 crappie. Open to catch-and-release fishing and barbless hooks only every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Reservations for August available through Ticketmaster tonight at 7 by calling (619) 220-8497 or www.ticketmaster.com . Chollas: Open daily to youngsters 15 and under. San Diego Fly Fishers sponsors a Lend-A-Rod program on Sundays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and it includes free bait and tackle and fishing tips.

Cuyamaca: Open daily.

Diamond Valley Lake: Still getting reports from bass anglers about 30-bass days. And striped bass action has been good for bigger fish. Russell Nievar, Anza, 20-pound striped bass, swimbait. John Balderson, Sage, 20-0 striped bass, swimbait. George Delgado, Temecula, 18-pound striper, swimbait. Eddie Martinez, Fontana, 12.5-pound striped bass, Fish Taco lure, East Dam. Trout fishing has been slow, with most of the fish being caught in water 20 to 30 feet deep. Michael Wolf, Redondo Beach, two trout, with a 5-pounder topping the catch. Open daily. Launch ramp closed until further notice.

Dixon: Night fishing here every Thursday and Friday. Another 1,000 pounds of channel catfish added this week. Shoreline fishing is permitted until 11:45 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Night boats may be rented starting at 5 p.m., but must be returned to the dock by 10:45 p.m. Boats are half price. There will be a limited amount of shoreline to fish after the park closes. Open daily.

El Capitan: Anglers reported catching and releasing 42 bass, keeping one bass, 28 bluegill, 3 blue catfish and 1 channel catfish. Fishing and water activities permitted Thursdays through Saturdays, with Sundays reserved for water contact only. Fishing only on Mondays. Water contact activities include water-skiing, wake-boarding, Jet Skis, towing inflatables. All persons entering reservoir property must purchase a day use permit.

Henshaw: Catfish action best here, but there is plenty of other good fishing for largemouth bass, crappie and bluegill. Lance Molina, La Jolla Indian Reservation, 5-pound channel catfish, shrimp, Rocky Point. Bluegill action also picking up. John Lowell and his son, Jared, Temecula, 25 bluegill, best a 1-pounder, and John also caught a 4-pound largemouth bass. Bill Meyers, San Diego, 12 bluegill, most a half-pound. Crappie also active. Lee Doss, San Diego, 12, most in the half-pound range. Darrel Langley, Mesa Grande, two bass, a 6.25-pounder and a 5.5-pounder. Open daily, Friday and Saturday for night fishing.

Hodges: The 227 anglers checked reported 1 bass kept (288 bass released), 25 channel catfish, 7 crappie and 1 blue catfish. Tim O’Connor, Santee, 8.20 blue catfish and 5.05 bass (released), crawdads, Boat Dock. Tom Leedom and Brian Kowalski, 5 bass (released), 11.30 with a 4.07, spinnerbaits, all over. All private boats must be inspected for quagga mussels prior to being launched. Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Jennings: Best catfish action in Hermit Cove on Friday and then moved to the Floating Boathouse on Saturday. Redear sunfish being caught on meal worms, wax worms and most in 15 feet of water. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Friday and Saturday until 11:30 p.m. for night fishing. Check www.lakejennings.org for more information.

Loveland: The 86 fishermen reported 9 bass (all released), 64 bluegill, 7 carp and 4 channel catfish. Open daily to hike-in fishing only on a limited area of shoreline. No permits required. Fishing license is required. New 140-foot fishing pier open on the west side of the fishing cove.

Miramar: The 104 anglers checked reported 45 bass (all released), 36 bluegill, 5 channel catfish and 6 carp. Open daily to fishing and boating. Pay fees at iron ranger or electronic pay station near the concession building.

Morena: Open daily.

Murray: The 66 anglers checked reported 1 bass kept (23 bass released), 7 bluegill and 3 channel catfish. Open daily to fishing and boating. Pay fees at iron rangers near the abandoned concession building or at key access points.

Otay, Lower: The 214 anglers checked reported 8 bass kept (174 bass released), 583 bluegill, 11 channel catfish. Lonnie Wheaton, Lakeside, 9.20 bass (released), crawdad, Otay Arm. Cecil L. Brookins, San Diego, 2.30 bluegill, wax worm, Harvey Arm. Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Pay fees at iron rangers near the boat launch and abandoned concession building. Boat rentals available.

Otay, Upper: The 7 anglers checked reported 26 bass (all released). Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for fishing, sunrise to sunset. Upper Otay is a catch and release only fishery. Bait is not permitted, only artificial lures with barbless hooks. Boats are not permitted on Upper Otay, only shore fishing, waders and float tubes.

Poway: Fair bass fishing, with bigger ones still showing and chasing shad. Catfish action good at night. Aida Brown, 11-0 channel catfish, mackerel, Log Boom. Danielle Washington, San Diego, 8-0 channel catfish. Robert Bosco, El Cajon, 1.25 redear sunfish, micro jig, Hidden Bay. Night fishing here every Friday and Saturday. The Lake Poway Midnight Catfish Craze is Friday, July 31, 4 p.m. to midnight. Tickets available soon at the Lake Poway Grill & Tackle. Motorboat sales will start at 3 p.m. Friday, July 31 on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Lake will be closed for boating and fishing Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to allow the staff to prepare for the event. Open Wednesday through Sunday. In order to prevent the introduction and infestation of quagga mussels, the following items are prohibited at Lake Poway: float tubes, private motors and anchors, live bait containers, fish finders, floating catch baskets, live bait from any source other than the Lake Poway concession, any items the staff considers to be potential contaminants.

Santee Lakes: Cameron Balough, 16, Santee, 9-4 bass, night crawler, Lake 4. Kenny Heier, 15, Santee, 5-8 bass, night crawler, Lake 4. Nice, early morning bite on catfish in Lakes 2, 3 and 4. Next night fishing event set for Thursday. Lakes 1 through 4 open until 11:30 p.m. Check www.santeelakes.com . Open daily.

San Vicente: Closed. For construction schedules and information on the Emergency Storage Project, go to the San Diego County Water Authority’s web site at www.sdcwa.org and click on San Vicente Dam Raise.

Skinner: Very good catfish action here, with fish up to 8 pounds reported. Stripers still hitting and most active near the dam and inlet. Bluegill bite is steady, with afternoon fishing best from a bobber and with small pieces of night crawlers, meal worms or wax worms doing the trick. Vic Lawrence, Moreno Valley, 6 channel catfish, best a 8-pounder, chicken liver, Ramp No. 2.

Sutherland: The 54 anglers checked reported 2 bass kept (84 bass released), 30 crappie, 14 channel catfish and 18 carp. Vic Williams, Ramona, 21.10 blue catfish (released), jig. Zack Balcone, 8, Mesa Grande, 2 carp, 19.20 with a 10.55. Sydney Honadle, 7, Ramona, 12.50 carp, bread. Kenny Morytko, Ramona, 10.70 carp, bread. Mark Dodson, San Diego, 7.00 bass (released), crawdad. Greg LeRoy, Ramona, 6.25 bass (released), shiner. Del Lambert, Ramona, 5.45 bass (released). All boats must be inspected for quagga mussels prior to entering the lake. Open Saturday and Sunday for fishing and boating, Monday for shoreline fishing only.

Sweetwater: The 31 anglers reported 4 bass (all released), 1 carp. Open Saturday, Sunday and Monday to limited shoreline fishing only.

Wohlford: Due for another 1,000 pounds of channel catfish tomorrow. And will get catfish stocked every other week until mid-August. Be sure to drop by the Ranger Station for the dougbait recipe that works great for catfish and carp. Good bass fishing early and late. Catfishing has been very good. Robert Adams, Escondido, limit of channel catfish, with a best at 2-15, chicken liver, Oakvale Cove. Crappie fishing also fair. Each month Whopper Contest winners in 4 categories are awarded a free fishing and boating permit. Check www.wohlfordlake.com . Whopper Contest winners for June were: Promoane Souvannakhot, 10-10 bass; Homer Gray, 1-14 crappie; Alan Solis, 4-4 channel catfish. Felix Lopez leads the July Whopper Contest for trout with a 2-10 rainbow. Open daily. Ban on private boats remains in place due to the threat of quagga mussels. Other banned equipment include canoes, kayaks, float tubes, trolling motors, fish finders, anchors, etc. Rental boats available. Open daily.

Catfish stocking schedule: Wohlford and Dixon, each with 1,000 pounds. Poway, 1,000 pounds.

Pt. Loma Sportfishing, H&M Landing, Fisherman’s Landing: 100 anglers, five 1-½-day boats: 138 albacore, 22 yellowtail, 8 bluefin; 41 anglers, two three-quarter day boats: 83 calico bass, 200 sand bass, 2 white seabass, 8 barracuda, 31 sculpin; 119 anglers, three half-day boats: 282 calico bass, 5 sand bass, 4 barracuda, 20 rockfish.

Seaforth: 16 anglers, one 1-½-day boat: 6 albacore, 1 yellowtail. 3 anglers, one three-quarter day boat: 1 white seabass, 15 barracuda, 14 sand bass. 116 anglers, five half-day boats: 165 barracuda, 291 calico bass, 2 sand bass, 34 rockfish, 1 sculpin. 28 anglers, one twilight boat: 21 calico bass, 28 rockfish, 37 mackerel.

Oceanside: 19 anglers, one three-quarter day boat: 5 sand bass, 17 calico bass, 1 sheephead, 10 rockfish; 20 anglers, one half-day boat: 2 sand bass, 24 calico bass; 8 anglers, one charter boat: 4 blue sharks, 1 mako shark.

Overview: Good action for calicos, sand bass, with halibut and white seabass also showing locally. Jumbo squid popping up in La Jolla. Here’s a report from Larry Laumann: “It’s not often that you get to play with live Humboldt squid and watch them gliding around in a tidepool! Each year, we may see a couple of them washed up (dead) on the beach in the spring/summer, but, this is a rare event to capture them alive from the beach. Well . . . at least I’ve never done it before, and I’ve spent the last 30 years around California’s beaches. I believe that a large school of them just got trapped in our warm water after that very cold upwelling current from La Jolla canyon last week. Normally they live 500-to 2,000 feet deep in the ocean canyons. They get weak and disoriented in the shallows where the water is too warm for them to survive, and they end up drifting in eventually, usually dead. I caught these ten live Humboldt squid in the shallows near Windansea beach and carried them to a big tidepool nearby to watch them swim. They were in various states of health, but all were alive. These things can be vicious if they get hold of you. I was goofing around swimming with them, and ended up with some cheesegrated areas on my legs and feet where they latched a tentacle and I pulled them off – apparently they have tiny hooks in their suction cups! Now I know. This happened in summer 2009 about a block from my place.â€

Now a little line on teasers when trolling:

What type of teaser works best?

All teasers tend to help attract fish. Some have different methods of doing it. A mirror teaser creates a huge flashing through the entire water column that can cause a fish to be attracted to the spread. On certain bright days, this can be a very effective method of getting them to look at your lures.
Extremely large lures also make great teasers, especially the ones that have a very erratic action and tend to look like an excited fish. Other predators are going to be in a hurry to get in on the “frenzy”. Pull large teasers hookless and on the lightest leader that you feel comfortable with in order to get the most of the action that was designed into that lure.
Strings of small flashing spinners or small lures all in a row look very much like a school of baitfish. When you mix this with a lot of other activity within a spread, this can look very inviting to a hungry cruising predator looking for a quick lunch.
Artificial “birds” that wobble and splash on the surface tend to tell the fish that something is going on right in the immediate area. They usually determine that it’s worth the effort for them to investigate further.
Large brightly colored boards cut in the shape of a fish and boat fenders painted up to look like a large fish all do one important thing. They tell predators that there is currently “life happening” at this location and it is going to be worth expending the energy to check it out.
I had a friend that twenty years ago actually trolled a giant truck hubcap as a teaser. He still swears that it brought up lots of fish. I even once used a string of coke cans as a teaser and I can tell you that it worked exceptionally well before they shredded into pieces from the force of the water. Anything that will attract attention can be a great teaser.

Santa Barbara Fishing on Sterns wharf is sometimes very good.  Here are some ideas:

Most fishing takes place out toward the end of the pier. Best bets in this section are to try anchovy or squid on the bottom for halibut, bass and rays; try fresh mussels around the pilings for perch; or try spoons, feathers, size 4 Lucky Lura outfits, or strips of squid for mackerel. For the halibut, use a high/low leader baited with cut anchovy, a whole anchovy attached to a sliding sinker rigging, or a small live bait – smelt, shinerperch, very small jack mackerel or sardine – which has been caught by jigging. A high/low leader baited with cut anchovy works well for the bass as do scampi lures. For large bat rays, use heavy tackle and squid for bait and be prepared; several bat rays weighing over 100 pounds have been landed here. If you want to try for large pileperch, blackperch, or rubberlip perch, use mussels or bloodworms and fish right under the pier and around the pilings – using as light a line and small a hook as you feel comfortable with. Kids can try the fish well out near the end of the pier. The small, rectangular spot will often yield an unending number of small perch, primarily shiners, even when other areas are seeing few fish.

This can be a good pier at times for mackerel, bonito and even barracuda (generally at night). For the smaller mackerel, a Lucky Lura or Lucky Joe rigging can result in several fish at a time. When the mackerel are more wary, tie a single hook to the end of the line, attach a small split shot sinker a couple of feet up the line, and bait with a strip of squid or a piece of mackerel. When large mackerel are around, or bonito are also present, try different lures. Shiny lures will often produce – Kastmasters and Krocodiles – or even lures such as Scampi Coasters. Lately, a 1/2 ounce Snapper Zapper has seemed to be a good producer of fish. Barracuda, when present, will also fall for the artificial lures. Finally, most of the year will see fair fishing for white croaker; simply use a high/low leader baited with a small piece of anchovy.

The inshore area is restricted somewhat by shops but there are still some open spaces. Water here is typically shallow but will yield some barred surfperch, yellowfin croaker, corbina, shovelnose guitarfish, thornback rays and a few white croaker and walleye surfperch. Try sand crabs, bloodworms, or fresh mussels if you want the larger perch, croakers and corbina. Try squid or bloody pieces of mackerel if you want sharks or rays.

I’ve also seen some large pileperch and rubberlip seaperch lurking near the pilings, especially where the wye section connects to the main part of the pier. As usual, these species are hard to hook. One local technique is to attach half of a mussel shell to the line with a paper clip. A couple of size 12 hooks on dropper lines are then inserted into the meat of the mussel. When the large perch suck up the meat they get hooked.

Some years will also see quite a few spider crabs caught out toward the end of the pier and some are massive. Do follow the correct laws for crabbing since the game wardens seem to really target the crabbers at this pier. Also make sure that you follow the various laws for the fish species. Although it is true you don’t need a license to fish on the public piers, you do need to follow the rules for size and number of fish. Thus bass must be 12 inches, bonito 24″, barracuda 28″, white seabass 28″, halibut 22″, and salmon 24″. Remember that it is every angler’s duty to help restore our fishery! Always be prepared for the unexpected. On a short visit to the pier in July of 1994, I had experienced what can only be described as a poor fishing trip for myself – two small fish – a kelp bass and a jack mackerel. However, an old-timer stood proudly nearby, displaying a 29-inch, 11-pound silver salmon he had caught on the pier that afternoon. His name was Bill Schenk, he was 90 1/2 years young, and he had fished on the wharf nearly every day since 1969. He, of course, was a regular and one who had his own personal pier name – “Sitting Bill” – since there were four other regulars also with the name of Bill. It was the largest fish “Sitting Bill” had caught on the pier in 25 years. It was also his second salmon after an earlier 3-pounder in 1990. Using light trout-fishing tackle and a heavier-than-normal 8-pound line (because barracuda had been biting through his line) he had his hands full. However, his friend, Mike Katz, owner of the nearby tackle shop, heard his cries, ran out, and netted the fish. The day was a success for “Sitting Bill” and after meeting and talking with him, I deemed my visit also a success.

Santa Cruz Fishing Reports:

Rock Cod Details Below
It is their fishing report from a few days ago and before and before.

What a banner day of Ling and Rock fishing. We put in 5 limits of Lings to 18lbs, plus huge Black Cod to 8lbs, plus big Reds, Cabazone, Kelp Cod, and Blues. The waters have cleared up the coast, and fish are moving back in after the big swell last week. Gary and his crew were a pleasure to have on the boat. Also I still have a couple of spaces open tomorrow, Aug 2. If interested give me a call at 831-212-1832. Lets go wreck um.
- Sat Aug 1 20:17:00 2009

Today the weather was perfect. Grease sleack all day. The fishing in the morning started a little slow, but as the tides moved in it got better. We ended the day with near limits of nice Rock Cod, two Lings to 22lbs, and limits of Cabazone. And pulled our Crab pots on the way home, and put in 24 Dungenous Crabs to end the day.

- Sat Jun 6 22:46:44 2009 The fishihg today started a little slow. But as the tides changed, It picked dramaticaly. We put in near limits of assorted Rock Cod. plus Ling Cod to 22lbs. The weather was perfict. Lets hope it holds. Also there are a couple of boats offshore keeping the new warm waters moving in honest. Lets hope there holding Albies.

- Sat Jun 6 19:42:59 2009
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Just an update. The National Data Bouy Center reports forcasts of calm seas for the next 4 days. Lets take advantage of the conditions.

- Sat May 30 20:05:44 2009
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What a great day to be on the ocean. All day the weather were perfect grease slick calm, and the fishing was fantastic. Our 5 anglers put in limits of big Ling Cod to almost 20lbs, and near limits of Rock Cod, then stoped on the way home and pulled the Dungenous Crab pots, and put in 17 Crabs. It was a pleasure to be on the ocean today. I almost hated to call it work. Nate and his crew were a pleasure to spend the day with. And I hope they return.

- Sat May 30 19:49:24 2009
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Today it looked like things are picking up. The water temp and more bait is finally moving into our area. We pulled our Crab pots in the morning to get limits, then headed up the coast to put in 36 Rock Cod, and 5 Lings to 18lbs for our 4 anglers. The weather was great.

- Fri May 29 19:45:54 2009
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The fishing locally has been a bit boaring for me. The same old Gopher Cod, and small Blues and Blacks. Boy what a fight those are. Last weekend we ran to Pt. Sur, and just wrecked um. Not knowing what we would catch next. Mostly Big Vermillion, Olives, White Bellies, and some others I have to look up in the Reg Book. The weather was perfect. If your interested, everybody throws in an extra $20,00 bucks to cover fuel costs, and we go for it. Also we have to keep an eye on the weather. Because we’re 50 miles down the coast, we don’t want to beat ourselves up coming home. Lets go fishing.

- Wed May 27 17:24:35 2009
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Just a special report. The Dungenous Crab fishing has been off the charts. Our last trip we put in 8 limits for our passengers and crew by 9:00am, then went looking for Rock Cod. Its a great way to start the day. The winds have been a bit heave the last couple of days. But the forcast for the next few days looks great. That allows us to check all our secret spots up the coast for Halibut and Rock Cod.

- Tue May 26 23:08:30 2009

Below is a good article about fall fishing in and around the Santa Cruz Area:

“The winds tend to calm down and the waves smooth out making conditions nice for chasing rockfish or venturing out for albacore.

The party boats at the Monterey Wharf report consistent fishing for rockfish, especially on the days they can jig-up live squid to use for bait. Limits are the rule. The albacore are a little closer to shore than before, and the nice weather has flattened the sea, so some of the boats are planning tuna trips in the near future. A private boat recently reported catching 26 albacore at GPS coordinates 36/53 and 122/53.

Others are finding fish from 36/54 to 122/49.This is a good time to book a tuna trip.

Up in the Delta, small striped bass are still the rule.One angler described his catch as “stripers in diapers.” There are some decent sized fish being caught, but the reports say the larger fish are just now moving in.A couple of stripers up to 40 pounds have been taken near Decker Island and in the main Sacramento River by anglers using butterflied shad and bullheads.

Like the Delta, smaller fish are the rule over in the Forebay. Things will improve as the water cools.

Up in the mountains, trout fishing all over the state is generally rated as either “fair” or “good.” Anglers are doing best either early in the morning or later in the evening when the sun gets off the water.

A specialized Lahontan cutthroat fishery opened recently at Heenan Lake up near Markleeville. Heenan is closed for most of the year, but opens briefly every fall. It serves as a broodstock lake where the DFG raises Lahontan cutthroat trout, and there are some big boys swimming around in there.

The lake is open to bank fishermen and float tubers on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the end of October. The rules include single, barbless hooks and catch and release. This is about the only place in California where a trout enthusiast can hook up a really large Lahontan. If you have not yet caught one of these rare and special trout, put Heenan on your list of places to try.”

Fishing in the SF Bay:

Sturgeon Fishing News:

The Columbia River Sturgeon:

The Columbia River is one of American West infamy. Lewis and Clark, in their famous cross American journey, traveled the Columbia as their last great waterway to the Pacific ocean. The present day Columbia River has it’s headwaters in British Columbia and flows South through Washington where it takes a sharp turn west at the confluence of its biggest tributary, Idaho’s Snake River. At the Snake, the river sets it course due west to the Pacific Ocean. On its westward journey, the Columbia creates a natural border between the American States of Oregon and Washington, before eventually dumping into the Pacific near Astoria. By the time the Columbia reaches Astoria it has traveled over 1,200 miles.

The Columbia has a number of important and well known tributaries including the Deshutes, Willamette, Cowlitz and Lewis. The Snake River can lay claim to a 1,500 pound fish that was caught in 1928.

The Columbia of Lewis and Clark’s time is not the Columbia of today. With 11 major hydroelectric projects on the mainstream, and hundreds more on its tributaries, the Columbia holds the dubious honor of being the most hydroelectrically developed river system in the world.

The Columbia River is home to both Pacific Coast sturgeon species– the Green Sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) and the White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). The White Sturgeon of the Columbia River are some of the largest on the West Coast, and in the world. The Columbia Sturgeon though, like other populations, have been pressured to near extinction. The damming of the river has cut off access to the Pacific for the anadromous Sturgeon. Before the arrival of white settlers and subsequent development of the Pacific Northwest, White Sturgeon were well dispersed throughout the Columbia River Basin from the estuary at the mouth of the river, up the Snake River to southern Idaho. The hydro projects have hurt the Sturgeon populations two-fold; they block upstream migration as well as altering the rivers habitat and affecting water temperature levels.

Although white sturgeon were brought to near extinction by commercial fishing in the late 1800′s, populations have slowly recovered and sturgeon are once again an important fishery resource in the Columbia River system.

The Columbia offers sturgeon fishing opportunities year around. There are always plenty of smaller sturgeon in the river as they live in the river until they grow large enough to migrate out to the salt water usually at around 3 feet in length. Once the fish have reached the age that they begin migrating they are constantly on the move looking for sources of food. These food sources are the key to targeting a specific age class of sturgeon.

For the keeper sized sturgeon the main food sources are smelt, crayfish, clams (both freshwater and saltwater), anchovies, sardines, herring, salmon roe and carcasses, sand and mud shrimp. By far their favorites are smelt, clams, anchovies, shrimp. They feed heavily on these food sources with the food of choice dependant on where in the river system they are and what the predominant food source is for that time of year. The keeper sized 42″-60″ fish migrate with the food. Usually The fishing for keepers is good in the lower Columbia river below Bonneville dam down to Rainer when the smelt run is in from January to May with the bulk of the smelt arriving around mid Feb to mid Mar. The smelt run tends to congregate the fish in the sections of the river where the smelt concentrations are the highest. When the smelt run begins to wind down the keepers begin migrating down river to feed in the estuary at Astoria Oregon on shrimp, clams, anchovies, herring, sardine and so on. Usually the majority of the keeper sized fish will arrive in the estuary at the mouth of the Columbia river around mid May to mid June and will remain there until late fall then they will start back up river following the fall salmon run. They will remain somewhat scattered until January when they begin stacking up again in anticipation of the upcoming smelt return.

Sturgeons
Sturgeons are the largest freshwater fish in the world, the largest on record reaching 25 feet! There are 24 different species of sturgeon found in Russia, Northern Europe, Asia, the United States and Canada. All sturgeons have a cartilage skeleton, five rows of bony plates on their bodies instead of scales, thick lips, and four sensory barbs in front of the mouth for detecting food. Along the Pacific coast we see mostly white sturgeon (Acinpenser transmontanus), with the occasional visiting green sturgeon (A. medirostris).

The life cycle
It may seem like a little bit of a stretch to call a sturgeon anadromous. They do not undertake long, dangerous migrations like salmon. They do not spend years at sea fattening up for the return trip to their spawning grounds. In fact, they may spend very little time in ocean waters, preferring instead the calmer, brackish waters of coastal estuaries. Nevertheless, they are a fish that spends part of their life in saltwater and spawn in fresh, and that makes them anadromous.

Life as a sturgeon begins as a sticky egg attached to some gravel at the bottom of a fast-moving stream or river. Eggs hatch quickly, within two weeks. Little larval sturgeon stay close to the bottom and feed on algae and small aquatic insects on their way to estuaries, where they’ll spend the majority of their lives.

Sturgeon are slow growing, long-lived fish. It may take them over 10 years to become sexually mature. Once mature, they mate only every 4 to 11 years. But when they do, they don’t fool around. A single female sturgeon can produce several million eggs. Most of these eggs will be lost in the current or eaten by predators.

In the late spring and summer, sturgeons swim up their home rivers in search of good spawning habitat. Males and females cast eggs and sperm into the fast-moving water. Fertilized eggs sink to the bottom and stick to the gravel bottom, where they’ll stay until they hatch.

The white sturgeon is the largest fish in North America with some reports of fish nearly 20 feet long and weighing 1,800 pounds. It is also one of the longest living fish–old-timers reaching the century mark and beyond. Sturgeon find their food on the bottom with sensory barbels under their snout. They root around in the mud looking for invertebrates and small fish that they will suck up with their tube-shaped vacuum mouth. The Columbia river is home to a population of white sturgeon. They spawn in early summer from May to July and spend the rest of the year in estuaries along the Pacific coast. Some sturgeons have been isolated by human activities resulting in at least one active population in Montana. Since sturgeons do not use fish ladders, dams become impenetrable barriers.

ENDANGERED There is one landlocked population of white sturgeon in the Kootenai river of Montana and British Columbia that is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Columbia river population below the Bonneville dam is large enough again to support sport and commercial fisheries. Due to increased fishing pressure and demand for caviar worldwide all sturgeon species are now officially protected under CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Fishing for Sturgeon can be tremendously challenging some days and then other days can be a walk in the park. The main challenge is to find them on any given day. There will be days when we might try up to ten different holes trying to locate the fish. Once you find them you need to get your bait on the bottom and try to keep it as still as possible. We do this by using short leaders of three feet in length and shorter. The bait varies at different times of the year. Smelt is one of the more popular baits and it will work most of the year. Try to use the freshest bait you can find. People have used old stinky baits that they have concocted by combining different items and then letting these sit out in the sun to ripen until you can smell them from a mile away. These baits work, but you need a strong stomach to use them. Fresh bait works all year and it is not nearly as bad to work with. When you put the bait on the hook you try to get it as streamlined as possible so the river current will not move it in all different directions and make it hard for the Sturgeon to eat.

If you have a depth finder simply motor up or down the river searching for holes or sharp changes in depth. Gradual changes in depth do not work as well as sharper changes in depth. The Sturgeon try to find places where they can get out of the main current and still be close enough that the current will wash food by their resting place.

Once you find a promising looking hole, motor above it and drop anchor. One of the key points when anchoring is that if you know where the hole is, don’t motor over it. Come in from the side or from upriver and drop anchor. This will keep the hole undisturbed. When you motor over the hole sometimes it will take up to twenty minutes for the fish to settle down. Before you drop anchor make sure your feet are away from the rope. When the anchor hooks up in heavy current it can put a tremendous pressure on the rope and if your feet get tangled it can easily pull you overboard. I always make sure the entire anchor system is in front of me before I throw out the anchor.

When pulling up the anchor with a EZ pull ball system never motor over the rope, even with a jet boat. Start going upriver at a forty five degree angle to the rope. Once you get a good angle on the anchor, usually about twenty to fifty feet to the side, you can head straight upriver. Keep a sharp eye on the rope while you are pulling it to make sure it does not go under the boat. One thing to always remember in a river is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER tie a anchor rope to the back of the boat. Many a boat has went to the bottom from someone using a double anchor system, or as they are drifting downriver they tie the anchor rope to a back cleat to pull it and before they can head upriver the rope tightens and water starts coming over the transom, not that a smart Captain like myself has ever experienced one of the above…..

When you get anchored over a good hole, throw out your bait and wait for the subtle tap of the Sturgeon. There are many different baits that work. I use smelt, sand shrimp, shad, worms, salmon bellys, and other baits. One day the smelt will out perform the other baits and the very next day one of the other baits will be the top performer. I don’t know what triggers the different tastes on different days, but it happens quite a bit.

When I set up my rig, I like to use a sliding weight system. With this system I can keep the bait on the bottom and see the smallest of bites. I vary the weight with the conditions. Sometimes I use up to two pound weights to keep the bait on the bottom. When I get the bait down, I then make sure there is a slight bend to the pole tip. You don’t want to have any slack in your line, but you also don’t want to much pressure on the line or the Sturgeon will feel the tension and drop the bait.

I like to use poles with sensitive tips. If you use a pole with too stiff of a tip you might not see the bite at all. We tried some poles that were too heavy and we would reel up to check the bait and the Sturgeon sucked the bait off without the pole tip moving. For keepers and shakers I use the Ugly Stick Lite Heavy. It has a sensitive tip and good backbone for fighting fish. The Tiger Ugly Stick is great for fighting oversize Sturgeon. It gives you great leverage for fighting these monster fish.

I recently did a TV show with Outdoor America. We fished for oversized Sturgeon up near Bonneville dam. Steve Gruber, who is the host of the program, hooked on to several Sturgeon with the largest being a TWELVE FOOT MONSTER. Usually when we hook on to a big one everybody in the boat takes a turn hauling them in, but Steve fought that huge giant for over two hours without any help. The show with this fish will be showing sometime in January. It is something you just need to see to believe.

The entire time with the Outdoor America crew was a great experience. We had a ton of fun, caught lots of huge fish, and had enough footage for two great shows. It is quite the experience to just see how they put the show together. They had an underwater camera man and the footage he got on these fish put the shows over the top. It was the first time I had seen oversize Sturgeon from underwater and the footage was excellent.

Sturgeon fishing can be a great experience. If you have never anchored in a river I highly recommend going with a guide for your first trip. It can save you a lot of grief and you can learn a lot from one outing with a good guide. See you on the water!!!!!

Below is a report from www.usafishing.com

The halibut bite has taken off again despite the large tides and the late date on the calendar. Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker is back from his Alaska 2nd home, and he took out of small load of 8 anglers on Thursday 9-17 with a couple of the passengers boating limits of halibut with another few at a pair of fish and then there were those with at least one. They had  one bass today with the possibility of a few more late in the afternoon in the rocks. Jim was working the central bay flats with the best action in the Berkeley Flats. He is going out again on Saturday and possibly Sunday with the tides shrinking on a daily basis.
The New Huck Finn out of Emeryville Sport Fishing had a great day on Wednesday with 7 limits of halibut to 14-pounds and 3 stripers to 9-pounds.
Emeryville is scheduling rockfish/lingcod trips and live bait potluck trips throughout the weekend with an open albacore trip on the 4-pack Wet Spot on Sunday. Their next open albacore trip on the New Salmon Queen is Tuesday, September 22nd.
John Akina at Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Deli reported things were a bit slow on Wednesday with only 2 fish brought into the shop. There weren’t many fishermen out in the middle of the week. One commercial angler was targeting white sea bass at the Alameda Rockwall on Tuesday, and he was reported to have landed 8 of these toads  all on live sardines.
Joel Sinkay of Leonards Bait in Port Sonoma reported bullheads or mudsuckers have been the bait of choice with bank anglers working the shorelines for schoolie stripers. Debbe Vinje landed a 7-pound striper from the bait shop docks on Wednesday on a mudsucker. There was a large sturgeon lost at the banks in Sonoma Creek on a mudsucker by a Leonards regular.
The troll bite at the top of the tide from the Brickyard to the Marin Rod and Gun Club is producing all kinds of stripers from 16 to 23-inches on white/chartreuse hair raisers, quite possible Loch Lomond Worm-Tailed jigs.
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We are sneaking up for a week of late season silver and steelie action on the Kenai peninsula. The “excuse” is to close up our vacation home for the season but the reality is that the late season action is great and with the local duck season open we can get a jump on the season here.
We have three weeks still available in 2010, two in June and the week of July 4th. For more information click here.  Reports here will resume on September 26th. In the time being please contact our sponsors for reports and updates.

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Halibut action appears to be slow with the larger tides. There were no boats out of Emeryville or Berkeley on Tuesday 9-16 fishing the bay, and all of the bay sources point to the great striper fishing in San Pablo Bay. With the larger tides we expect party boats to be either running to the Islands for rockfish and lings or to be concentrating mostly on bay bass the next few days. Private boaters should follow their lead.
On Wednesday 9-16 Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait in San Rafael reported stripers in the 6 to 12-pound range are biting bullheads and mudsuckers to a lesser extent along the China Camp shoreline from the banks or in shallow water inside of the Pumphouse on the anchor. Sturgeon fishing has been non-existent, primarily because there are few anglers targeting them. Halibut fishing has been fair with the 32.2-pounder still leading the Lord of the Sea Summer Striper/Halibut Derby which ends October 25th.
Mike at Mike’s Bait in Oakland said they are selling lots of bullheads for shore anglers working the San Pablo Bay banks. The sculpins are heading out as soon as they come into the shop. There have been a few white sea bass taken on live mackerel in the central bay this week, and Mike might start carrying live mackerel in his tanks starting this weekend.
Warren at Bay Tackle in El Cerrito said they are also selling out of bullheads with about 2/3rds of their customers using these baits for the good striper action out along the Carquinez Straits, Pinole Shores and China Camp. He went out with owner George Lu at the Fleet over the weekend for limits of stripers to 12-pounds, but he said it was a strange bite with the fish just picking up and dropping the bullheads. They were hooking the bait through the tail, in order to easily release the fish. Warren added that about 1/3rd of the anglers are plugging RatLTrap-type of lures from the shores. He added that the Alameda Rockwall has been productive for stripers and halibut for boaters on the anchor. He also said there have been numerous white sea bass in the bay chasing the mackerel.
Chris Seabourne at C Biscuits in Vallejo said the striper bite in the Napa River has been outstanding with bullheads or grass shrimp. The 37 Bridge, the Meadows, the Dumps and South Slough have been the hot spots. The majority of the fish are in the 20 to 30-inch range. A few sturgeon have been taken incidentally by striper fishermen.

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It’s September and the halibut counts are holding up surprisingly well. On Thursday 9-10 James on the Cal Dawn worked the Berkeley flats, Angel Island and Alcatraz of 31 halibut for 14 anglers to 26 pounds. The jackpot was a 35 pound white sea bass landed on the Berkeley flats in just 10 feet of water. You just never know when a good eating trophy like that will come along. James has room this Sunday and all next week.
Bob Wright, second captain of the Happy Hooker, is putting a trip together for Saturday, and he plans on working the shallow waters of the central bay for the halibut and white sea bass. Jim will be back from his Alaska cabin in another week. The live sardines are reported to be in the best shape of the year, and these larger baits have been the key to picking up the more sizable halibut and almost all of the white sea bass.
The Emeryville boats are also experiencing great halibut fishing with the New Huck Finn consistently boating nearly two fish a rod in the past three days: Thursday = 27 halibut to 12-pounds for 11 anglers; Wednesday  25 halibut to 14-pounds for 13 passengers; and Tuesday 19 halibut to 12-pounds, two stripers to 10-pounds and a 24-pound white sea bass.
Debbe Vinje of Leonard’s Bait in Port Sonoma also had a white sea bass report with one of the customers at Western Sport Shop in San Rafael pulling in a 52-inch/41-pound wsb on a live sardine in 17 feet of water on the Berkeley Flats while targeting halibut. In the local area, leopard and seven-gill sharks have been cruising San Pablo Bay, as well as a bunch of stripers in the 22 to 28 =96 inch range. The mouth of the Petaluma River along the China Camp shoreline has been the hot spot with live bullheads. There have been some large stripers taken out of the sloughs connecting the Napa River and Sonoma Creek on mudsuckers or grass shrimp. The top sloughs mentioned have been Napa and Hudemann Slough. Bullheads are the bait of choice in Sonoma Creek, but mudsuckers are preferred in the back sloughs.

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We are coming into that time of year when the halibut counts will start to wane. Counts are still holding up quite well considering all the pressure. September is a top striper month and over the next couple of weeks we will see the schools pushing into the bays after a long ocean patrol. On their migration back through the bays we will see a brief flurry of action on the rocks of the Central Bay but the North bay will be “the place” to be. The striped bass index is at yet another record low and we expect the striper counts to start looking much like our salmon runs beginning next year. The Govenator is determined to push through his version of the canal and if he is successful all of our fisheries are going to go down the toilet. Every fishery that is connected to the Delta is headed south and we all with the fish will suffer. Do you know when black bass fishing is so popular in the Midwest? Because they don’t have salmon, stripers, halibut and sturgeon but soon black bass and planted trout will be the “sportfishing” standard. The only way to turn this train wreck around is through the courts and the reason we kept asking our readers to support California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. It’s time to get off our collective butts and support the one group that has won the majority of pro-fish water related cases or take up black bass fishing.

Below, It talks about current water issues and fishing.

We here at USAFishing support fishery conservation, unfortunately we can’t say the same of most California anglers. We are at a crossroads and unless anglers support conservation groups (that our currently waging a losing battle against the multi- million $ lobby) we will lose every key fishery that is connected to the delta. If you think that these “water issues” won’t affect your favorite fishery you are likely wrong. The effects will be widespread and include the continued closure of California and Oregon saltwater salmon fisheries.

The state water projects are being consolidated and the governor is looking to toss the only Bay-Delta protections we have and ship water from Shasta and Oroville directly to LA swimming pools and subsidized cotton farmers in Westland’s. If these water projects go through you can kiss goodbye (as in forever) our salmon, and our striper and sturgeon fisheries will continue to decline. We don’t have an ocean salmon season this year or last because of too much water being pumped from the delta. If these water projects get passed we will have none in the future. At no time in the past has it been so critical that our readers understand these issues and support the work that the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance is doing.

Bottom line….. It’s time to get off your butt and support the CSPA or in a few short years there will be NO salmon, striper and sturgeon fisheries and they won’t ever recover. No group has done more over the past two decades to protect fisheries than CSPA. In the past two months USAFishing readers have raised nearly $10,000 for the CSPA but much much more is needed.

Become part of the solution and support the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance today!

Mike Aughney

Here is another report out of Emeryville:

Emeryville Sport Fishing had three boats out on Tuesday 6-23 with a combined total of 28 halibut to 30-pounds and 28 stripers to 11-pounds for their 38 anglers on the live bait potluck trips inside the bay. Their rockfish trip to the Farallons produced 19 limits of rockfish and 5 lings to 12-pounds in decent weather as the wind shave laid down with the fog pushing back inshore. Mondays trip to the Islands brought in 22 limits of rockfish and a pair of lings to 14-pounds to go with a bonus 5-pound halibut on a drift back in the bay. Three trips were fishing live bait in the bay for a combined 16 halibut to 20-pounds and 27 stripers to 14-pounds for 41 anglers.

Warren at Bay Tackle said the striper bite has been good off of the piers at Fort Point and Fort Mason with Fish Traps and hair raisers. There was a 30-pound striper taken off of Thornton Beach. He confirmed the slower halibut bite with the big tides, and he mentioned the boat pressure may have put the fish down in Southampton, even in the deep water spots. There have been several halibut taken off of the pier on live shiners which Bay Tackle is now stocking.

The halibut counts started to slow down on Saturday, and they really started to show the effects of the “monster tides” today, Sunday 6-21 with most boats struggling as much as they have had to in recent weeks.

Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker was out with a group of excellent sticks today, but the beach wasn’t an option due to the conditions outside the Gate. He said bait has flooded into the bay with the warmer water conditions. He metered surface temperatures as high as 65 degrees in the bay today. Combined with the large tides, the availability of bait fish may have slowed down the bite. He hit the Brothers at the top of the tide, but they were only able to raise a single bass out of the rocks. His best action was in the channel between Red Rock and Southampton, but they also picked up fish at Alcatraz and Angel Island. He threw some bait against the rocks at Angel Island, but they weren’t able to get the fish to respond. They did land several nice stripers to 20-pounds, plus a few halibut pushing 20-pounds. Prior to today, they had 18 halibut and 13 stripers on Saturday for 29 anglers, 28 halibut to 26-pounds and 8 bass to 18-pounds, 180 rockfish and a ling cod for 32 anglers on Friday; and 29 halibut and 7-bass to 18-pounds for 29 fishermen on Thursday with several small halibut released. He has open loads on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and he plans on throwing bait along the beaches if the weather conditions allows, as bait is not a concern at this time for the first time all season.

Emeryville Sport Fishing had all eight of their boats in the bay with the party boats: C Gull II, TigerFish, SuperFish, New Huck Finn, Captain Hook, New Salmon Queen, and six-pack Talisman and four-pack Wet Spot reporting a combined 84 halibut to 22-pounds to accompany 121 stripers to 15-pounds and a 10-pound leopard shark for 161 anglers a fish and a quarter per rod in the big tides. Their combined six party boats today reached nearly two fish per rod despite the large tides with a total of 85 halibut to 30-pounds and 81 stripers to 25-pounds for their total of 89 anglers. They are scheduling live bait/potluck and rockfish/ling cod trips throughout the week.

John Akina of Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Deli said the striper count was the opposite of yesterday with 60% of the fish reported being line sides today. There were a total of 23 fish to the shop today as of early this afternoon. He said the water was muddy this afternoon after getting stirred up by the winds which kept more than a few boats off the water. Those boats that went out were scattered throughout the bay.

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait in San Rafael declared amazement of the number of halibut landed today with the minus 1.5 tide. The combination of wind and big tides is turning the water off colors, but the party boats and the skiffs all reported a least a fish a rod. Jim Cox on the Touch of Gray had five clients out today for 4 halibut and 3 bass. Most of the fish have been in the Paradise or Southhampton areas with Loch Lomond shiners being the bait of choice, of course. The tides will bottom out on Monday and Tuesday at a 1.9 minus. Fraser expects fishing to pick up again on Thursday as the tides back off once again. Sturgeon fishing has been nonexistent with the wind making it impossible to sit on anchor.

Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Fishing put his clients on to a combination of halibut, stripers and leopard sharks over the weekend with Mike Sujo of Hayward picking up top striper honors with his first striper ever, a 16-pound/37.5-inch beauty he kind of set the bar high for himself. Yost likes the series of tides from July 1st through the 19th to maximize the halibut bite.

Upcoming Events: USA Fishing proudly supports the many fishery and wildlife organizations that benefit anglers and hunters throughout Northern California. Does your organization have an upcoming event? Contact us at fishsite@aol.com and we will gladly post the information on our reports page.

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Here is a rock cod trip report from the Lincoln News Messenger:
This was from July 15th ish:———-

Berkeley is what, an hour and a half drive? When the alarm started going off at 3:15 a.m., the groans were obvious. But, when you want to fish for and hopefully catch halibut or striped bass, it means you’ve got to get to the bay waters early.

James Smith, skipper of the 50-foot California Dawn, said boarding time was about 5:30 with a 6 a.m. departure time. When I arrived at 5:20, there were already a handful of anxious anglers aboard.

Smith comes from a full line of fishermen. His dad, Jim Smith, skippers the well-known Happy Hooker, also berthed at the Berkeley docks. His brother Steve runs a large fishing operation in Alaska.

And when it comes to fishing, while dad is highly successful, those who have gone out with both consider James the more successful. Of course there’s the friendly competition between father and son.

With the halibut bite reportedly only so-so while the striper bite is red hot in the bay, the California Dawn is, surprisingly, the only boat going out this morning.

When the boat pulls out at 6 a.m., there are 17 anglers aboard. First stop: the bait receivers for a few scoops of fresh, live anchovies, and then it’s out to the open waters of San Francisco Bay. The motors hum. Last winter the boat was down for a while so Smith could have brand new twin diesels installed.

Smith deadheads directly to Alcatraz Island where we drift a couple of times along the rock wall. No fish. We move to Fort Point, just at the southern tip of the Golden Gate and drift south, past the pier and all along Crissy Field. No fish.

Back to Alcatraz and fish the northern end. There, a few stripers took the bait. The bite was slow, so Smith again moved, this time to whatÕs known as the Rockpile, a hole between Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Bounce bottom too aggressively with your eight-ounce weight and the next thing you know, your weight stays there permanently.

There, it was stripers, stripers, and more stripers. The bite was hot, fast and furious. Most were successfully netted. A few fish ran under the boat and were able to cut the line on the underside of the boat.

By noon, there were full limits of stripers aboard and in the box for every person on the boat. One or two of the smaller bass were of just legal size while others ranged up to 15 pounds. The two I caught looked like they came from the same nest, both identical in length and size, about 10 pounds apiece.

Now itÕs time to put some halibut on board. We head for Angel Island where drift after drift is made. A couple of huge bat rays were hooked and broken off. One or two actual keeper halibut were netted along with a few shakers.

Time to move again. This time Smith goes around Angel Island and we make the long drift from the eastern side of Angel Island, across the flats towards Richmond.

More good-sized stripers are hooked, but with full limits already aboard, they were immediately released. A few very small sand and dog sharks were brought aboard and were released. A huge number of undersized halibut were taking the bait and were being released back into the bay.

Another handful of 5-8 pound keeper halibut were caught and added to the box.

At 4 p.m., Smith finally calls it a day and it’s a half-hour run back to the docks.

Smith will occasionally do a rock cod trip, but with the boat docked in Berkeley, he specializes in halibut and striped bass in the spring though summer months in San Francisco Bay, moving his boat in the winter to Martinez to concentrate on sturgeon in San Pablo Bay.

I’ve had a number of readers ask me who I would recommend for halibut, striper or sturgeon fishing, and I always recommend James. Every person I’ve referred has written me back with downright glowing reports.

Try it. Guaranteed you won’t be disappointed. You can call James Smith at 510-417-5557 or at 510-773-5511.