On his latest trip to Berryessa, Larry Hemphill, fishing guide, and his clients caught and released around 25 bass. “I took 6 kids and 4 adults on a houseboat trip in groups throughout the day,” said Hemphill. “Before I arrived, the father and his children experienced a good top water bite with Zara Spooks early in the morning in their boat.”

When Hemphill and crew got on the lake, they caught and released several more bass on top water lures. However, they landed the rest of the fish while dropt with shotting with at 20 to 30 feet deep with 4 to 6 inch Robo Worms and Flasstrix Minnows in the Big Island and Rancho Monticello Area.

“The majority of the fish were smallmouth bass in the 1-3/4 to 2 pound range – we didn’t bag any big fish,” he noted. “We also caught three largemouth, several spotted bass and two smallmouth/spot hybrids.”

The kokanee, king salmon and trout bite at Berryessa is “slow but steady,” opined Cal Kellogg, Fish Sniffer Associate Editor, who fished in the recent CIFFI Lake Berryessa Derby. Kellogg and his fishing partner, Rene Villanueva of Steelie Dan’s Guide Service, caught a total of 9 fish, including two kokanee, 3 kings and three trout and a 2 lb. smallmouth.

“We caught the kings on rolled shad at the mouth of the Narrows in the 30 feet of water, while the trout hit chrome/blue Cripplures in the same area from the surface to 30 feet,” said Kellogg. “The kokanee hit pink Uncle Larry’s and Sling Blade watermelon dodgers between 40 and 55 feet.”

Villanueva took big king salmon honors in the event, winning $305 for his 46.40 cm. fish. He also finished fifth place in the adult trout division by catching two fish measuring 74.10 cm. Kellogg took fourth place in the adult kokanee division with two fish totaling 87 cm.

“The water up in our area has been a little cool, so we are not getting many school fish, but the action on bottomfish such as coppers, browns and vermilions has been pretty good,” reported Captain Randy Thornton of Telstar Charters. “At this time anglers that come out on the boat and concentrate on working the bottom with jigs are getting limits.”

“On Friday June 20, I took out 12 anglers and they scored from ¾ to full limits of rockfish including a 7 pound vermilion. We got the fish while working 100 feet of water up to the north of Fort Bragg. We have not been getting big numbers of lings, but those that we do get have been pretty nice fish. I think our top ling so far for the season weighed in at about 14 pounds,” said Thornton.

“Last week I was able to find a group of school fish and we loaded up on blues and blacks that averaged 2 to 3 pounds, but the next time I hit that spot they were gone. Right now we are happy with the quality bottom fish we are getting. Once the water warms, I’m certain that the school fish action will improve,” added Thornton.

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“Monday the weather broke for a full day of really good bottom fishing out of Port Orford,” disclosed Mark Lottis of Five Star Charters. “Both boats ended up with full limits of lings and big blacks in the kelp on the light gear.”

“Jeff went to the river on Tuesday for two adults and a couple of jacks, which made for some good fishing. Since then a big blow has kept us off the ocean, so we have been fishing the river for a fish or so per morning. We’re going to get some rain and cloudy weather mid to late in the week that will help the fishing in both the ocean and river. We are looking forward to Sunday since that is when the ocean silver salmon season opens. We typically have some really good fishing right off the bat and we’re planning some combo trips,” continued Lottis.

According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, angling pressure has dropped off considerably on the lower Rogue. Spring chinook are still on the move, but anglers need to fish the first few hours of the morning or late evening. Steelhead are also spread throughout the lower river and anglers have been picking up fish mainly while trying to catch springers.

On the middle Rogue, the flow has dropped significantly over the past week. The flow at Grants Pass is 4200 cubic feet per second. With the improvement in conditions, angling for spring chinook should improve as well.

The flow out of William Jess Dam on the upper Rogue was 3,200 cubic feet per second and the outflow temperature was 52 degrees at press time. 4,358 spring chinook and 130 summer steelhead have been counted at Gold Ray Dam to date. Angling for spring chinook has been good.

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“It has been a little tougher with the full moon and no breeze, but if you hit the water early, limits are still the rule by 7 o’clock. After that things tend to slow down quite a bit, especially if the surface is calm,” disclosed Tim Noxon of Fish Traveler Guide Service. “We’ve been getting out fish while trolling near Pelican Point with both Sep’s Grubs and Needlefish pulled 5 feet under the surface. There is also a good concentration of fish at Miner Point. They are a little more spread out and can be taken from the surface to 30 feet deep.”

“The trout we’ve been getting average over 3 pounds and we’ve seen some up to 4.5 pounds. The trout seem to be feeding heavily. Everyone I clean is full of shrimp, snails and small rocks,” added Noxon.

Tom Muller of Eagle Lake Charters is also reporting slower action. “Trolling has slowed down some, but bobber fishing is going strong. The bobber guys are fishing near the Youth Camp. They are adjusting the bobbers so that the worm is suspended 10 to 15 feet beneath the surface,” said Muller.

“Despite the full moon I’m still getting fish while trolling, but the bite has been pretty soft and it is pretty easy to loose the trout you hook as a result. I’ve been trolling plain worms, worms rigged on Uncle Larry’s Spinners and orange grubs rigged on Uncle Larry’s Spinners with good results. The ledges around both Pelican and Miner’s Points have been good areas for trolling.

On July 5, Sep Hendrickson of Sep’s Outdoors working in cooperation with Project Eagle Lake Trout will be hosting an afternoon of fun and seminars. The event will be held at 2 o’clock at the Eagle Lake Marina.

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On June 22, the Caroline came back with 18 limits, while the Checkmate had 20 limits of rockfish. The Star of Monterey returned with 30 limits of rockfish the same day, according to Todd Arcoleo of Chris’ Fishing Trips.

On June 23, the 15 anglers aboard the Caroline were back to the dock with limits of rockfish by noon. “They caught their fish on jigs, bars and shrimp flies off Carmel,” said Arcoleo.

Anglers boarding the Sur Randy and Chubasco out of Randy’s Fishing Trips also caught limits of rockfish and some lingcod over the weekend.

The Kahuna has been going to Point Sur for limits of rockfish. The latest fishing adventure by the Kahuna returned with 250 rockfish, full limits, for 25 passengers, reported Carol Jones at Tom’s Sportfishing in Moss Landing.

Santa Cruz anglers are also joining in the rockfish bonanza. “On Sunday, the Velocity had limits of rockfish for 27 anglers,” said Ken Stagnaro of Stagnaro’s Fishing Trips. “They fished on the south side of the bay for a variety of reds, yellows and blues.”

The halibut fishing is picking up on Monterey Bay. “I fished near the harbor and ended up with one keeper halibut while using a live anchovy on Sunday,” said Todd Fraser of Bayside Marine. “There were a few more halibut caught near the Lighthouse by fishermen trolling Blue Kajikis. The water was nice all day on the inside. There were some decent scores of rockfish near the Lighthouse and the Mile Buoy.”

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Baum Lake trout fishing is much improved with some great hatches of callibaetis, PMD's, caddis. “Lots of fish seem to be working the surface,” disclosed Steve Vaughn at Vaughn’s Sporting Goods. “Bait fishermen seem to prefer crawlers or Power Bait, while lure fishermen are using Panther martins and roostertails.

The Cassel area is also showing much improvement in hatches, with PMD's, caddis and callibaetis appearing. “Flyfishermen taking quite a few fish on dries,” said Vaughn. “Bait fishermen are using crawlers and salmon eggs and lure fishermen are buying any lure with a trout pattern for good results.”

Lake Britton crappie are again hitting, though reports have varied from "great" to "we couldn't find them,” said Vaughn. Water is getting some color from the Pit River, so lake could be muddy for a few days.

“The wild trout section of Hat Creek is, good hatches of PMD's, caddis, callibaetis and spinners during mid-day,” said Vaughn. “Nymph fishermen doing best with hare's ear and copper john's in red or green.”

On the Pit River, a little color has appeared, but it has not affected either the fish or the fishermen. Fairly large nymphs fished on the bottom are still a best bet for the streams 10 to 20 inch wild rainbows.

“The Fall River is finally producing some decent hatches of PMD's and rusty spinners, with a lot of fishermen hooking rainbows on dry flies,“ said “The full moon was on June 18, so the hex hatch could start anytime.”

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“Davis was stocked with 900 rainbows that were 6 lbs. each, three thousand fish that weighed 2 lbs. each and eleven brood fish with the largest being a female weighing 17 lbs,” said Jerry Dollard of Dollards Sierra Market. “When and if this big fish is caught, it will be a new lake record.”

Fly fishing for rainbow trout is “as good as it gets” at Davis, due to the damsel fly hatch that is in progress now, said Dollard. Anglers using damsel fly patterns are nailing trout on the west shore from Jenkins north to Freeman.

“We’ve had many reports of trout being caught on a variety of things this week at Frenchman Lake,” said Shirley Wiggin of Wiggin’s Trading Post in Chilcoot. “Jenea Logan caught a 19 inch rainbow with a purple wooly bugger while trolling the lake’s east side at 18 to 25 feet deep.”

Bob Parry of Chilcoot says trolling is good with nightcrawlers and flashers at Big Cove. “Beadhead flashback pheasant tails and black midges are worth trying also,” she added.

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Anglers are drifting anchovies at 25 to 60 feet deep near the dam and in the cooler water up the lake’s forks, according to Rice. Trollers are using an array of Kastmasters, Needlefish, Koke-A-Nuts, Double Dancers, Cripplures, Sockeye Slammers and other minnow imitation lures behind dodgers and flashers. The fish average 1-1/2 to 2 pounds, but an occasional lager salmon is being caught.

The bass fishing is great at Oroville, but don’t expect to catch any monsters. “Most of the fish are in the 12 to 15 inch slot, with very few under 12 inches,” noted Alex Parker at Oroville Outdoors.

“Three local anglers reported catching and releasing 80 fish in a day,” said Parker. “All of the fish were spotted bass except for several largemouths. They caught their better fish while tossing out Ricos and Mother’s Finest Oxblood Worms at 5 to 25 feet deep.”

They hooked fish in the Middle Fork, South Fork and “The Slot” between the North Fork and Main Body. The fish also hit ¼ ounce brown jigs, tipped with brown pork tails and orange pumpkin grub trailers.

One local won the latest Tuesday night “Turkey Shoot” at Spillway Ramp by catching a 4-1/2 lb. largemouth. Lake Oroville is 748 feet above sea level, 152 feet from maximum poll, and the surface water temperature is 70 degrees.

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“People are still catching stripers on a variety of different types of bait,” disclosed John Asher at Rio Vista Bait. “Bloodworms have been working well as have grass shrimp and anchovies. In recent days we had an angler bring in a 26 incher that was caught on grass shrimp. Another guy came in with a 22 incher that he caught while fishing with anchovies at Sandy Beach.”

According to Asher, there are still quite a few sturgeon in evidence in the main Sacramento and local sloughs, but he related that angler interest in sturgeon fishing is low and that few anglers are trying for them.

Allison Shawnego at Hap’s Bait also reported decent striper fishing. “Most of the local spots are still booting out stripers for anglers soaking anchovies, sardines, pile worms, shad and mudsuckers. I heard that a 35 pound bass was caught over on the San Joaquin the other day, but I didn’t actually see the fish,” said Shawnego.

Shawnego reported that there are sturgeon holding up in Prospect Slough.

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“Trout action is excellent, as trollers working water 20-25 feet deep with Wedding Rings, Excel’s and nightcrawler/flasher combos are getting into the fish. Trout have been concentrated in the Barrett Cove and Bagby areas,” stated Rowell.

McClure bass and crappie are doing pretty well, too. Early morning leads the way for the best bite, with crankbait action producing fish up until late morning. As the day progresses, bass action moves to a deeper bite with Brush Hogs and Robo Worms producing well. Barrett Cove, Piney Creek and Horseshoe Bend are the best areas. Crappie are taking small minnows or red and white crappie jigs, 30-35 feet deep.

“McSwain is still kicking out mixed bags of rainbow and brook trout limits,” said Rowell. “Trollers will find fish 15-20 feet deep, taking Wedding Rings and flasher/crawler combos. Bankies are also getting into the fish – the bite is early, with limits possible. Rainbow Power Bait at the Brushpile and Handicap Dock areas is the best producer.”

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“I was top-lining a J-11 black and gold Rapala when the fish hit about 5 minutes into my trip,” said Mettler. “I was by myself and it took 25 minutes to land. It was the biggest mackinaw I have ever caught; I think I would have to go to Flaming Gorge to catch a bigger mack.”

The excited angler brought the fish into Plasse’s Resort first and then weighed it on a certified sale at a fruit stand when he got home to Lodi, where it weighed 25.22 pounds. Mettler plans to get a fiberglass reproduction of the 37-1/2 inch fish made.

On the previous day, Mettler tried trolling at Caples Lake. “I caught a couple of rainbows and a 2 lb. mackinaw, but they didn’t open the boat ramp until 8 a.m., so I decided to go to Silver the next day to get on the water early,” he said. “I’m sure glad I did.”

The East Carson River was yielding about 2 to 3 fish per rod at press time, but is expected to produce better fishing the week before the July Fourth weekend, when Alpine County will stock 1,000 pounds of rainbows ranging from 2 to 10 pounds in the stream. The West Fork of the Carson will also be stocked with 1,000 pounds of big rainbows, according to Todd Sodaro at the Carson River Resort.

Big trout honors go to Heidi Tyra, who fooled a 4 b. 1 oz. rainbow with a salmon eggs on the Eas Fork, and her sister Maddy, who landed a 3 lb. 6 oz. rainbow, also by fishing Pautzke salmon eggs.

“The top baits on East Fork are Pautzke green label salmon eggs, baby crawlers and Berkley Power Bait,” said Sodaro. “The flows are clear and running at 600 to 650 cfs, perfect fishing conditions.”

The DFG recently stocked 300 cutthroat trout from Heenan Lake in Indian Creek Reservoir. For the free fishing day, 1,000 pounds of trout were also stocked in the lake. “Cousin Jim” landed a 3-1/2 lb. German brown at the lake while fishing nightcrawlers for bait, noted Sodaro.

A good bet for brook and Lahontan cutthroat trout is Red Lake, where the DFG stocked 150 big cutthroats from Heenan. Anglers are catching the trout on nightcrawlers and Rooster Tails.

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Trout fishing in the Eastern Sierra Nevada is hot, hot, hot as anglers catch an exciting mixture of rainbows and browns, while wetting lines in both lakes and streams.

According to the staff at Ernie’s Sporting Goods, Gull Lake in the June Lakes Loop has been kicking out quality brown trout in the 2 to 5 pound class. The most effective offering has been either floating or countdown Rapalas, yet some of the browns find night crawlers appealing too.

June Lake is producing limits and near limits of trout for trollers and bait anglers alike. Rapalas and other minnow plugs are the ticket for trollers while standard offerings like Power Bait and inflated worms are tempting fish for bank anglers.

Silver Lake is yielding handsome Alpers trout for anglers fishing near the lake’s boat docks. Minnow plugs, streamer flies and standard baits are all producing fish.

Rush Creek is a good bet for anglers drifting baby night crawlers, casting Panther Martin spinners or working nymphs.

“The East Walker has been a little fickle lately, some days it’s nymphing, some days it’s dries, some days it’s a little tough all the way around,” related Jim Reid at Ken’s Sporting Goods. “On the nymphing days it’s been caddis nymphs and midges, z-wing caddis,  buckskin caddis, LaFontaines, Fox’s have all been doing well, as well as silver streaks, Mercer’s midgelings, rainbow warriors and wd-40’s.

On the dry days, it’s been crystal flash caddis, elk hair caddis, E/C caddis and parachute adams, as well as a few big uglies like madam X’s and rubber leg stimulators.”

“Bridgeport Reservoir is fishing very well,” said Reid. “The bait fishermen are hammering them over in the Rainbow Point area, as well as right out in the middle. Some of the fish seem to be moving towards the marina, so it’s picking up a little over there. The trollers are still doing well too, you just need to get below the algae and there’s plenty of fish there.

As far as the fly fishermen go, the midging is picking up pretty good now, either out in front of the marina, or over on the other side near Buckeye Bay and Rainbow Point. Zebra midges, blood midges, pheasant tails and the like seem to be doing the trick there, according to Reid.

“The Virginias Lakes are fishing excellent these days as well, lots of fish in all 3 lakes up there. Casting lures seems to be one of the best techniques lately, buoyants and Panther Martins are both doing well. Fly anglers are using streamers like Stillwater nymphs and seal buggers with a soft hackle or AP emerger dropper. You can also score with Power Bait and crawlers,” continued Reid.

“Flows on the Lower Owens were ramped up to 400 cfs again so the fishing there has gotten tough,” related Dan Farris at Brock’s Sporting Goods. “Other than that all the waters in our area are fishing pretty well. Upper Rock Creek and Bishop Creek are producing a lot of action for dry fly anlgers.”

“In terms of lake fishing, both Sabrina and North Lake are really good options. Flies are working well as are various baits and lures,” added Farris.

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“The fish ranged in size from 14 to 22 inches,” said Doucette. “Most of the fish were caught in the main body of the lake just south of the Hendricks arm.”

Other anglers have reported catching nice trout in this same area fishing a couple of hundred feet off of and trolling parallel to shore, noted Doucette.

Lininger also bagged some yellow perch just north of the state park, throwing worms out from shore into deep water and letting them settle on the bottom. So the perch are starting to show up now.

“We haven’t received any reports of bass being taken, but they should start showing up in the creel,” added Doucette. “You may not keep any black bass until July 1, but you may keep one wiper 15 inches or larger.”  

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“The 11 anglers fishing with me on Sunday, June 22 landed limits of stripers to 20 pounds and 4 halibut to 10 pounds,” reported Erik Anfinson, captain of the Bass Tub. “The stripers averaged 10 to 15 pounds each. We caught them while drifting live anchovies at Mel’s Reef outside the harbor.”

Fishing was great on the previous day also. The 22 anglers nailed limits of stripers while fishing the same reef on both the outgoing and incoming tides, according to Anfinson.

“Striper and halibut fishing is terrific – off the charts,” disclosed Keith Fraser at Loch Lomond Live Bait and Tackle. “Boaters caught limits of stripers while drifting live shiners at Mel’s Reef and the Brothers over the weekend of June 21-22 and on Monday, June 23. The fish taken at the Brothers yesterday averaged 12 pounds each and went up to 20 pounds.”

Brian Saxton holds first place in the Loch Lomond Lord of the Sea Derby with a 33 lb. halibut. Kent Campbell is in second place with a 28 lb. 10 oz. halibut, while Dave Thipale hold third place with a 27 lb. 8 oz. halibut.