'The rainbow trout bite is the most consistent right now," said Green. "The number of fish caught will vary each day, but most anglers are seeing between two to ten hookups a day."

Green recommended that anglers flat line troll with Lucky Craft Pointer 78's in shad patterns. After that the next choice would be nightcrawlers or shad colored JayFair trolling flies.

The bass bite has entered into winter patterns, as evidenced by Green's last trip to Sonoma. "I caught 20 fish on a Monday trip shaking 6-inch Robo worms around the trees," Green said. "I had an 18 pound sack which included a 7.2-pound largemouth."

Dave Nieto of Santa Rosa fished on Wednesday November 24, and landed six bass on Speed Traps in Warm Springs with his biggest fish being a four-pound largemouth.

The Russian River flows are low and the steelhead have yet to show in force, but a few are being taken. Bill King of Santa Rosa recently caught and released a 12-pound steelhead. The majority of action is going to anglers fishing roe or a marabou jig under bobbers around Steelhead Beach, Vacation Beach or Johnson's Beach.

"We caught 24 limits on our morning trip and 14 limits on our afternoon trip," said Randy Thornton of Telstar Charters. "It was blowing 35 knots when we left the harbor and the wind kept up the whole day."

However, the hardy anglers had no problem filling their limits. They put their pots in off 10 Mile Beach, 7 miles north of Fort Bragg, in 50 to 90 feet of water.

"The afternoon trip was best - we left at 1:30 p.m. and arrived back in the harbor at 4:15 p.m. with our limits," noted Thornton. "Out of the 38 people on both trips, only 3 were sick."

"The crabs taste better when they're caught in rough water," Thornton quipped.

A private boater reported catching lots of sanddabs off the Whistle Buoy on Friday, November 26, according to Thornton. He fooled the fish with squid in 150 feet of water.

Thornton, an experienced abalone diver, also reported getting his limit on four dives off Russian Gulch over the past month. Abalone season closed on November 30.

Rick Thornton of Anchor Charters cancelled his crab trips on the opening weekend because of rough weather, but will be available for crab trips throughout the season.

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"There is a good showing of winter steelhead and coho salmon now on the Umpqua River," revealed guide Scott Wolfe of The Big-K Guest Ranch. Wolfe is catching the Umpqua steelhead while side drifting roe and puff balls. Back trolling and plugs and casting spinners are the top two methods for enticing the silvers.

Fishing guide Todd Hannah of The Oregon Angler Guide Service has also been targeting steelhead from the Elkton area down river to Tidewater. "We've been doing very well while drifting puff balls and or roe," he tipped.

Hannah has also been catching sturgeon just below the Highway 101 Bridge and at Buoy #25. Most of the sturgeon are oversized, with some keepers mixed in. The best bait is sand shrimp.

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Gary Miralles of Shasta Tackle Company continues to work the top 25 feet of water for rainbow trout averaging 2 pounds each. Miralles is trolling areas between Digger Bay and Toupee Island, the Dam and from Bay Bridge to Jones Valley for limits of rainbow trout and a few king salmon.

"You'll have to go a bit deeper for the salmon, about 60 feet deep," he offered. "Try trolling Koke-A-Nuts, Cripplures or Hum Dingers teamed with a Sling Blade for the top action."

If you plan on targeting black bass at Shasta, Tony Messer of Phil's Propellers suggested fishing main body points at 10-35 feet deep with either a brown worm or reaction baits fished at medium speed.

Jim Cantu and Tad Gumbman won the Shasta Cascades Special Olympics Tournament with 30.6 pounds for 10 fish over two days of fishing. The two also caught the two largest fish - two spotted bass weighing 7.2 and 6.5 pounds.

Shasta Lake is holding 2,126,000 acre feet of water, 47 percent of capacity, and the water level is 965 feet in elevation.

Over at Whiskeytown Reservoir, Miralles put two clients into kokanee salmon running 12 to 14 inches on a recent trolling adventure to the lake. The group trolled the lures 150 feet behind the boat from the Dam to the temperature curtain area.

"We caught fish on green Cripplures, pink and glow Koke-A-Nuts and red Scorpion Spinners with Sling Blades at 10-40 feet deep," said Miralles.

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"Our trips are averaging 4 to 5 Dungeness crab per angler, plus a load of sanddabs," reported Todd Arcoleo of Chris' Fishing Trips. "We are fishing about 30 minutes from the harbor at the Soldier's Club and other local beaches in Monterey Bay."

According to Arcoleo, Monterey anglers are using strips of squid to entice the sanddabs. "We're catching an occasional 5-6 pound petrale sole, but we haven't taken any halibut lately," he said.

Chris' is running trips once a day on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Anglers fishing out of Randy's Fishing Trips hit a bit of rough weather that deterred the boats from finishing off the crab and sanddab combos over the November 27-28 weekend.

"The Chubasco ran a charter with 12 passengers and reported good catches of sanddabs before the weather turned bad," noted Pete Bruno at Randy's. "The Sur Randy picked up 33 Dungeness crab for 6 anglers before they had to turn back because of rough water conditions."

The two groups fished from the outside of Lovers Point towards the Monterey Canyon in up to 220 feet of water. The sanddabs were taken on shrimp fly rigs baited with strips of squid.

Randy's is running sanddab and crab trips once a day on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

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"The trout fishing at Baum Lake has stalled - fish do not seem to be feeding though there are good hatches of mahogany duns, blue-wing olives and midges," said Steve Vaughn at Vaughn's Sporting Goods. "Emergers should also be working. Nymph fishermen aren't doing much either, though the best bet would be with pheasant tails with a flash back, gold-ribbed hare's ear and copper johns. Wooly buggers along the weed beds should also pick up fish."

Kastmasters are a good bet for lure fishermen, while bait fishermen using crawlers and/or Power Bait should have the right bait to pick up a hungry fish, according to Vaughn. The trout are mostly rainbows in the 10 to 16 inch range, with some browns mixed in.

Iron Canyon Reservoir is also worth a try for rainbows and browns in the 10 to 16 inch range. Fish Power Bait, nightcrawlers and Kastmasters from the bank.

Fishing for smallmouth bass and crappie is slow at Lake Britton, but the water temperature is currently too cold for productive fishing.

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"Brown trout are being taken by anglers jigging at the towers by Prattville," said Pleau. "Orange or white Gitzits have been the best offering for browns in the two and a half to four and a half pound range."

The same areas can also be trolled with crawlers or Rapalas in the 25 to 30 foot range.

There has been some surface activity of late for anglers by the jetties around Cardiac Cove, Pleau recommended anglers try crickets, Power Bait or inflated crawlers for the rainbows and browns.

Water levels are still good, but the surface temperatures are hovering in the low to mid 40's.

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"Most of the fish are running 2 to 3 pounds, but one local, John, weighed in 9 pound hatchery steelhead this week," said McGrath. "He fooled the fish while using a Glo Bug with a dropper fly below the Thermalito Afterbay outlet."

Zipper Egg Worms are also producing good numbers of steelhead, according to McGrath.

Keith Kaneko of Adventures on the Fly Guide Service reported top-notch fly fishing in the high flow from the outlet to Gridley. "We're catching and releasing brighter fish in the lower section of the drift," he stated. "The fish average 2-1/2 to 4 pounds, with an occasional 6 to 7 pounder in the mix."

His latest guided adventure yielded outstanding action on egg and may fly patterns. "We caught and released around 10 fish in the high flow," Kaneko stated.

Combined releases below the Thermalito Afterbay outlet are now 2000 cfs.

"Steelhead fishing is very good in the Shanghai Bend area of the Feather River," confirmed Craig Arnold at Star Bait and Tackle in Marysville. "Mike and Jennifer Sanchez and John Enos of Big John's Guide Service caught three hatchery steelhead in the 3 pound class yesterday while bouncing roe near the Shanghai Bend area."

Dedicated anglers continue to nail a few late-run king salmon in the Shanghai Bend section. Mike Wallace nailed a 26-1/2 pound chinook on a Kwikfish during a recent back trolling adventure on the Feather, added Arnold.

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"The seven anglers fishing with Diana and me in our two boats caught 5 keeper sturgeon and one shaker on Monday," said Barry Canevaro of the Fish Hookers Sportfishing. "The fish ranged from 49 to 63 inches long." The sturgeon are hitting salmon roe, eel and shrimp baits off Pittsburg.

Striped bass fishing is also going strong. "On Saturday, November 27, the 3 anglers fishing with me caught six stripers ranging from 10 to 17 pounds," said Canevaro. "We fooled the fish with shad and mudsuckers in Montezuma Slough."

"I'm hearing more about stripers than everything else, but largemouth, sturgeon and even crappie are also good bets now," indicated Gary Estes of Extreme Angler. According to Estes, the better trolling waters have been between Broad Slough and Mildred Island for anglers using a 3/4 oz. or 1 oz. Rat-L-Trap. Jerk baits and Super Spooks will also produce fish.

"The stripers range anywhere from 18 inches up to 25 pounds," he added. "Stick to fishing Franks Tract for numbers and target Discovery Bay for the larger fish."

Anglers targeting black bass are finding better-sized bass falling for drop-shot rigs in 5 to 12 feet of water and reaction crank baits fished over rocks," added Estes. "Try fishing towards the back of dead end sloughs, but not all of the way back," he tipped.

Another good bet this time of year is sturgeon fishing around Collinsville. "Sturgeon activity has really come on lately in Montezuma Slough and in front of the PG & E plant on the San Joaquin River," noted Estes.

Some anglers are also doing very well fishing for crappie around docks in Discovery Bay. "Fish small jigs under a bobber for the best results," he offered.

Don Paganelli of Paganelli's Bass Fishing Experience has found steady success targeting stripers with live bait in the South Delta. "We had a much better bite earlier in the week and things will rebound once we're out of this full moon phase," he noted.

For a complete Delta Report, click here.

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"We are getting limits of fish each time we go out," said Yandell. "Despite the cold air temperatures, fish are still biting well."

Yandell reported that the kokanee are responding to his Super Hoochies and Fat Bugs trolled in the 20 to 32 foot range Meanwhile, the trout are in the top 15 to 20 foot zone and are responding to blades and crawlers and will also hit the kokanee lures.

Shaver Lake is down 18 foot from full, but both ramps are in good shape.

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On the day of this report, both Caples and Red Lakes were partially iced over and anglers were catching a few trout from the bank, although the bite was by no means red hot. "It's a transition time, so be careful if you go out," he tipped. "Expect the bite to really pick up after more cool weather hardens the ice."

In the mean time, anglers are catching good numbers of DFG planters and trophy-sized trout at Indian Creek Reservoir. "It's the most active fishing lake around, but I would rate the bite as fair," said Kirby.

Out of the dozen or so anglers fishing the lake daily, the top baits are Power Bait or inflated worms. Some float tubers and fly anglers are also pulling Wooly Buggers for the trout. "Stick to the east side of the lake and fish from the boat ramp to the Dam for the best results," added Kirby.

For Wiza's Sierra's report, CLICK HERE.

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"Water releases at Pleasant Valley Reservoir outlet are holding at 110 cfs and the weather has moderated greatly since October," said Lowe. "The fly fishing has been nothing short of excellent in the wild trout section and along the drift boat areas of the river."

The noon baetis mayfly (blue winged olive or BWO) emergence has peaked and is in its last significant hatch cycles, but was superb during its peak this season. The wild trout are keying in on the #20 bwo's and you can enjoy an hour or more of aggressive surface action especially on the overcast mid-days.

"The hatch will begin about noon and last until 1-1:30pm.," he advised. " I suggest you stick to indicator nymphing with #20 or smaller midge larva or emerger imitations the remainder of the time."

Dry/dropper bead head combos are deadly with the flows this low. Crystal Tiger and Olive Zebra Midges are a sure bet with a decent presentation right now.

"The drift boat action has become fantastic the last couple of weeks, with some 70 and 80 plus fish days being logged," noted Loe. "The big fish are starting to show on a regular basis, including some nice-sized browns being fooled on dries and streamers."

The dip and strip method using Loebergs, Punk Perch, and Spruce-a-bu's #8-12 have been doing a number on the rainbows who seem to be on a feeding rampage at times.

Pleasant Valley Reservoir is producing solid fishing with the inlet and river sections kicking out good numbers of wild browns and DFG rainbows. Tubers are doing well trolling perch fry imitations and crystal buggers #8-12.

"The river section offers a variety of moving water challenges, including my favorite area located in the transition water from the "rez" to the riffle water at the northwest end of the reservoir," he stated. A dry dropper combo with a Crystal Tiger Midge's #16-18 is deadly here.

In the Owens River Gorge, the surface brown trout action is starting to fall off in this area as the water cools and the hatch is coming off in the afternoon only.

"Have a selection of bead head or weighted nymphs #16-22 and a few stimulators to use as indicators," he stated. "We have the best results casting upstream after scouting out a juicy looking run. The fish are plentiful here, but will damn near jump out of their skins if you make a noisy approach."

For Tom Loe's Sierras Report, click here.

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"The bite has definitely improved for bankies this past week," revealed Ed Jones of Ed's Bait & Tackle. "Two week ago, shore fishermen were lucky to catch their limit, whereas today, they are averaging 8 to 10 fish each weighing up to 3-1/2 pounds."

For the best results fishing from shore, Jones suggested fishing off Sand Point, Old Ski Beach or Barlow Beach with inflated worms, Power Bait or small trout lures. "The fish are holding at about 10 feet deep," he added.

Anglers fishing from a boat are doing much better, though, averaging up to 20 fish a trip, added Jones. "Trolling along the shoreline has been very effective for catching good numbers of trout now," he noted.

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"The wind blew this weekend and we had to cancel our crab and sanddab trips outside of the Golden Gate," said Chris Nelson of Berkeley Marina Sports Center. "However, on Friday, November 26, the New Goldeneye fished just south of the Farallon Islands for 240 Dungeness crab (limits for 40 anglers) and 1360 sanddabs (over 30 each)."

If sanddab and crab fishing is not your style, the sports center is also running sturgeon and leopard shark trips on the bay. For example, a recent trip to San Pablo Bay by Captain Chris Duba of Silver Fox Sportfishing produced a 67 inch, 65 pound keeper sturgeon. The fish fell for ghost shrimp.

"The New Easy Rider also made it out to the North Bay, but they didn't catch any sturgeon," Nelson said. "However, they did boat three leopard sharks to 35 pounds while fishing pile worms, shrimp and roe near China Camp."