Boaters are nailing largemouths in 6 to 20 feet of water in the Cherry, Yorty and Warm Springs Creek arms of the reservoir, reported Mike Erion at Outdoor Pro Shop. Fish ranging from 2 to 7 pounds are being taken on jigs and Brush Hogs. A few smallmouths have also been reported in the bags.

“On my latest trip, I caught and released 35 largemouths to 6-1/2 pounds while fishing jigs at Sonoma,” he noted. “My fishing buddy caught another 3 fish.”

Landlocked steelhead? “Fish are being caught here and there by anglers trolling Needlefish and other lures at 20 feet deep,” he noted.

Erion hasn’t heard any reports of crappie or catfish success on Sonoma recently.

The steelhead season is pretty much over on the Russian River. The next major bites to look for are the spring American shad and smallmouth bass bites.

“The salmon season is closed and there is nothing we can do about it, so we’ve turned our attention to crabbing and abalone diving,” related Captain Randy Thornton of Telstar Charters. “I installed a dive platform on my boat and we ran our first diving trip just the other day. I took out 6 divers and they ended up getting full limits of 3 abalone each. Some of them were very large, measuring 10 inches in diameter.”

“We didn’t have to travel very far to get the abalone. We were only about 2.5 miles to the north in an area that is about 20 feet deep. We didn’t do any crabbing, but in the future I’m planning to team abalone diving with crabbing,” said Thornton.

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According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, spring kings are now moving up the Umpqua’s mainstem and fish in excess of 30 pounds have been landed. The stretch of river between Scottsburg and Elkton is where the best spring salmon fishing usually takes place. Anglers are urged to remember that the mainstem of the Umpqua is now closed to the harvest of wild steelhead.

The North Umpqua is in good shape and anglers fishing below Colliding Rivers have been hooking steelhead. Nearly 7,000 steelhead have passed over Winchester Dam this season. Only adipose fin-clipped steelhead can be harvested on the North Umpqua. The first spring chinook crossed Winchester Dam recently.

Hatchery steelhead have started to move into the South Umpqua and some nice sized fish are being caught. In addition to several good drift boat floats between Canyonville and Roseburg, there are good bank angling opportunities at Templeton Beach, the Myrtle Creek Bridge, Stanton Park, and behind Seven Feathers Casino.

Remember the South Umpqua is open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead only. The South Umpqua is open for steelhead through April 30.

Scott Wolfe of the Big K Guest Ranch is currently targeting both steelhead and salmon on the Umpqua. When the salmon fishing begins to slow, Wolfe will be providing bass fishing trips on the river for both fly and conventional tackle anglers.

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“Bass fishing here at Lake Shasta has been absolutely fantastic,” related Linda Morgan at Phil’s Propellers. “The bass are preparing to spawn. The males are up in the shallows and the females are moving up right now. Just about everything is working with the exception of topwater lures.”

“The best baits to use seem to be Senkos, hula grubs, tubes and plastic worms rigged on darter heads. We’ve seen a few bass up to 3.25 pounds, but most of them are running around 1.5 pounds. For a shot at one of the larger females you should focus on working deeper in 15 to 30 feet of water,” added Morgan.

Gary Miralles of the Shasta Tackle Company has been enjoying success while targeting land locked king salmon, but has been struggling to consistently hook trout.

“When we got on the water this morning the action was pretty good and we got 5 strikes right away,” disclosed Miralles on April 10. “After that the north wind came up and things really slowed down. So far we’ve got 1 trout and 2 salmon to 20 inches in the box while working Dry Creek.” There are a lot of fish in this area, but they don’t want to hit.”

He believes that the north wind has a lot to do with their reluctance to strike. “When we do get hit, the strikes have come on a variety of different lures including Matrix Paddle Tails, blue and chrome Cripplures, and Pee Wee hoochies,” said Miralles. “We are teaming all these lures with Sling Blade Dodgers.”

Moochers are drifting small anchovy fillets and night crawler in Dry Creek for kings in the 1 to 2.5 pound class. Bait anglers fishing minnows and night crawlers near inflowing creeks are hooking a few rainbows, but overall the action has been inconsistent.

Lake Shasta is currently 60 feet from maximum pool

Steve Huber of Steve Huber's Guide Service plans to resume fishing at Whiskeytown Reservoir during the third week of April. “I went to Whiskeytown a couple weeks ago to target kokanee and the bite was very slow. The water was cold and I think that was a big part of the problem. The weather is really warming up now, so I think that bite will pick up soon,” said Huber.

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Five anglers made it out fishing aboard the Sur Randy Saturday, April 12, while 7 anglers fished aboard the boat on Sunday. The anglers nailed 40 to 50 sanddabs per rod while fishing with Sabiki jigs, tipped with squid strips, in 250 to 300 feet of water, reported Pete Bruno at Randy’s Fishing Trips.

Todd Arcoleo of Chris’ Fishing Trips reported outstanding action on sanddabs and mackerel on the weekend of April 12-13. “The anglers caught lots of sanddabs and mackerel, about 30 to 40 of each per rod, while fishing aboard the Checkmate both days,” he stated.

Surf fishing enthusiasts are still nailing barred perch and striped bass off the Monterey beaches while using Fish Traps, Pencil Poppers and plastic grubs. However, windy weather has kept anglers off the water many days, reported Jim Franco at J&D Auto Repair Gone Fishing.

Two anglers brought in two barracuda measuring 28 to 32 inches, along with releasing a dozen others, while fishing blue and silver swim baits last week. However, fishermen haven’t reported catching any barracuda since, according to Ed Burrell at Capitola Boat & Bait.

“There isn’t much going on at the Capitola Wharf,” said Burrell, “other than some black and walleye perch being caught. There is hardly any bait in the bay, though there is plenty of bait in the Monterey Marine Canyon.”

The 14 fishermen on board the Velocity on their last trip caught 250 sanddabs and 35 petrale sole up to four pounds, according to Ken Stagnaro of Stagnaro’s Fishing Trips in Santa Cruz.

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“Remember, fishing is restricted to barbless hooks, artificials only and a zero limit until April 26, at which time fishermen will be allowed to keep 2 fish over 18 inches from the Lake Britton Dam downstream to the Pit 3 Powerhouse,” said Steve Vaughn at Vaughn’s Sporting Goods. “However, the gear restrictions are year-round in this area.”

There are good hatches of caddis and mayflies that the river’s wild rainbow trout are responding to. Stone flies in a sparse pattern are working otherwise.

“Water levels are back to normal flows,” said Vaughn. “The river below Rock Creek was slightly colored during a fishing trip there, but I could see the bottom of the river and rocks were clearly seen. “

Baum Lake is clearing up, but fishermen are still having a tough time catching fish, due to the lack of trout plants. “The latest reports show that fly fishermen are catching a few fish, but patience is necessary,” he tipped. “Bait and lure fishermen are still having the best luck with nightcrawlers and Kastmasters.”

Lake Britton crappie and smallmouth bass action is expected to improve soon. “The water temperatures have risen, but the water is still quite colored, with visibility approximately 2 inches in most places,” said Vaughn.

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“Fishing is pretty darn good right now,” reported Doug Neal of Almanor Fishing Adventures. “There have been caddis hatches taking place along the east shore and that has really brought the trout up near the surface.”

“I’ve been getting easy limits while trolling. If I had a complaint, it would be that we are not seeing many big fish. Most of the fish being caught are 18 to 19 inches long and there have been a few 20’s. I know there are larger fish around, but getting them to hit has been difficult,” added Neal.

“The smaller fish are pretty aggressive. When the caddis get active, you can see rises all over the surface on the east side. For me the top trolling lures have been Sep’s Grubs, Kastmasters, and black/silver Rapalas,” continued Neal.

Almanor’s smallmouth bass have moved up and are now holding along rocky shorelines. Some fish are actively spawning while others are in a pre-spawn mode.

To tempt the bass, throw grubs rigged on darter heads, tubes, Senkos, in line spinners and small 3 to 4 inch rig baits.

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“Overall the bass fishing at Folsom Lake has been good,” reported Don Paganelli of Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience. “The reaction bite hasn’t been that great, but you can do pretty well working a Carolina-rigged Robo Worm. On my last trip out there were started in the South Fork before moving to the North Fork. On the day we got at least a dozen fish.”

Paganelli and one client caught more largemouths than hooked during previous trips this spring. The bass, both largemouth and spots, seem to be moving toward the backs of coves. Paganelli found many of the fish holding in 5 to 10 feet of water.

On the trolling front, John Wadden at Will Fish Tackle in Auburn reported good king salmon action for trollers working the main body and the mouth of the South Fork. “The guys I’ve been talking to are getting their salmon while trolling white Needlefish in water from 30 to 60 feet deep,” disclosed Wadden.

As of press time Folsom Lake was holding 471,567 acre feet of water.

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“I’d rate the striper fishing as very good to excellent,” exclaimed Captain Barry Canevaro of Fish Hookers Sportfishing on April 14. “So far this morning I’ve got 4 fish to 9 pounds in the boat. Yesterday we caught a total of 29 fish, but a lot of them were small. Over the past week we’ve boated a lot of bass and some of them were pretty big. On Saturday, we caught and released an 18 pounder and last week we had a 22 which was also released.”

“There are fish all along the West Bank, but I’ve been concentrating on fishing the Old Sacramento River most days. The bite has been pretty aggressive recently and it doesn’t seem like any one color lure is out producing another. We are getting all of our hookups on either shallow running Bombers or Yo-Zuris,” disclosed Canevaro.

Rene Villanueva of Steelie Dan’s Guide Service has also been enjoying fast action while trolling for stripers.

“The fishing has been great for me,” related Villanueva. “I’ve been getting a lot of stripers up to about 8 pounds. The West Bank has been good, but there are a lot of anglers in that area and I think one of the keys for the best action is too get away from the crowds. There are fish in the deep water channel and up above the Isleton Bridge all the way up to Walnut Grove.”

“If you go up to Walnut Grove you’ll probably have to fish with deep runners, but in the other areas shallow runners will work just fine. We’ve been using the shallow runners and getting easy limits. Wind makes the bite tough for some reason, so get out when it isn’t blowing if you can. I’ve been running both Bombers and Yo-Zuris in clown, rainbow and blue back.”

Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Charters has been getting one keeper sturgeon per day while fishing a variety of different locations.

“The bite is improving, but they are still not biting aggressively. We are averaging one legal sturgeon to the boat over the past 6 trips. Our most productive baits are roe, roe and eel and roe and shrimp. We’ve been fishing all over between the Mothball Fleet and Sherman Island. The out going tide has been the most productive recently,” reported Yost.

For a complete Delta Report, click here.

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Monte Smith of Gold Country Sportfishing had a day that brought in three limits of fish. “We finally got into them this week,” said Smith. “We bagged nine kokanee, four trout and two kings. The trout are still pretty shallow as we worked Sep’s sideplaners with dodgers and nightcrawlers to get into them. “

Kokanee are running in the 35-45 foot depths. They hooked into the kokes with Uncle Larry’s hotbelly and blue tiger spinners led by a Sep’s gold starlight dodger - all scented with Pautzke’s krill scent. Better producing areas were Jenkins Hill and Middle Bay.

Bruce Hamby, owner of Sierra Sportfishing, found an excellent king salmon bite. “King salmon fishing was very good this week. Most of our fish are averaging 1-2½ pounds, with quite a few in the monster category. Bill Passalaqua of Modesto managed to bring in a hefty three pound king and was later followed up with another salmon that tipped the scales at six pounds. Dan Bacher, Fish Sniffer Editor, boated a monster 8-1/2 pound king.”

The best bite came in Fleming Bay, 70-90 feet deep with Vance's shad pattern Thin Fin and a chartreuse and red Ex-Cel. Rolled shad injected with Pro-Cure oil has produced the larger fish, Hamby noted.

Manny Basi of the Bait Barn reported that the Don Pedro bass bite has toughened up the last week, with the jig bite being the better producer. ¼ ounce dart heads paired with Robo worms or shakey head setups are the best bet. Look for rocky areas 25-35 feet deep.

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“It’s the typical spring pattern, with the mackinaw suspending 40-80 feet deep over deeper water - with sandy ledges serving as the primary structure,” said Mathis. “Rolled herring paired with a herring dodger, as well as my Double-flutter spoons, are taking the majority of the fish. Most mackinaw are in the 4-5 pound class, with an occasional kicker up to twelve pounds.”

Roseville’s Scotty Marton and his son Luke found a great brown trout bite at Ice House. “Fishing with my Dad and son Luke, we hooked into twenty-two fish.  Luke took the lead in reeling in all of the fish and released them to be caught another day,” said Marton. “He worked long-lined Rapalas throughout the lake for a solid bite.”

Jim Cozzens of Sly Park Lake Resort reported that bass anglers have reported an upswing in action as the bass begin to move into the pre-spawn stage. “Bass anglers have been working shorelines for their catches, while brown trout have been taken on trolled nightcrawlers in the narrows area.  The big catch of the week was by the owner of the resort – Jeff Cole – who bagged a thirteen pound mackinaw, working a Kastmaster tossed from the shore,” said Cozzens.

Loon Lake is still frozen over, although it shows signs of breaking up soon.  Access to Stumpy Meadows will be tough for anything other than a four-wheel drive.

For Wiza's Sierra articles, CLICK HERE.

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“The fishing has been really good. In fact I would rate the fishing as being outstanding on the Lower Owens,” reported Dan Farris at Brock’s Sporting Goods. “The river has been rising a little everyday and the flows are now up to 200 cubic feet per second, but so far the increased flow hasn’t hurt the bite.”

“Anglers are going out on the river between the hours of 11 o’clock and 2 o’clock and getting 40 to 50 hits. During that time period there are a lot of caddis hatching. Dry caddis patterns are working very well as are nymphs. It’s tough to go wrong while fishing with small dark colored midges,” added Farris.

“At Pleasant Valley Reservoir the fishing has been pretty good at the upper end of the lake near the inlet. Fly anglers are using both streamers and nymphs. Spin anglers are doing pretty well while soaking baits and casting lures,” continued Farris.

For Tom Loe's Sierra Report, click here.

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“The fly fishing has been really good,” reported Rich Henley at Crosby Lodge on April 10. “I just weighed in a 10.88 pound trout. We’ve also had some other big fish. Preston Adamson landed a 12.7 pounder that measured 32.5 inches. Another guy brought in a 10.4 pounder.”

“Pelican Point is the hot spot right now, but I almost think that’s just because everyone is fishing in that area. If anglers would give other areas a shot, I believe that they would find solid action at other spots too. Early and late in the day seems to be the best time for hooking a big fish, but that isn’t a hard and fast rule, since the 10 plus pounder I just weighed was caught right in the middle of the day,” quipped Henley.

“Dark flies have been the ticket recently. There have not been many reports coming in from boaters, since there haven’t been many boaters out on the water. One day it’s windy and the next day it’s calm. All in all I think this pattern has been keeping boaters away from the lake,” continued Henley.

“Fly fishing has definitely picked up recently. Here at the store we’ve weighed in fish that went 7.15, 8 and 12 pounds recently,” reported Jason Molino at Pyramid Lake Store.  

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The New Easy Rider has started halibut and bass (potluck) fishing with live bait out of the Berkeley Marina, according to Captain Joe Gallia. His trip to the Berkeley Flats on Saturday, April 12 yielded 14 halibut to 13 pounds for 7 anglers. The anglers also released 9 shaker halibut, most in the 20 to 21 inch range.

Captain James Smith of the California Dawn has also been experiencing superb action while halibut trolling within the bay. “On April 8, we had 15 keeper halibut and a striper for 17 anglers. The next day I took out 10 anglers and they ended up with 11 halibut to 20 pounds,” said Smith.

“I’ve been concentrating on trolling the Berkeley Flats, so far. We have been up against some pretty large tides this week, but we’ve still done well. When these big tides back off I think we are really going to see the fishing pick up. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have live bait around May 1. Until then we’ll be trolling,” added Smith.

“Halibut fishing has been really good so far this season,” exclaimed Rob Taylor at the Emeryville Sportfishing Center on April 13. “At this point we don’t have access to live bait so all of our boats are trolling for their fish.”

On Friday, the New Huck Finn took out 18 anglers and they scored 27 halibut to 14 pounds, plus a 9 pound striper. On Saturday the New Huck Finn, New Salmon Queen and Tigerfish all went out halibut trolling and they all did well. The 14 anglers aboard one of the boats brought in 31 halibut to 25 pounds.”