NORTH COAST RIVERS

North Coast streams and rivers are regulated by low flow closures. Always call ahead to determine the condition of the river you want to fish. If not mentioned, the river is closed or no reports. The DFG’s Low Flow Closure Hotline for north coast rivers is (707) 822-3164. For the Russian River and counties of Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin, call (707) 944-5533.  South Central Coast streams number is (831) 649-2886. Many streams close, and others change to artificial/barbless only on, March 31 and others on April 25. Trouble identifying salmon or steelhead? Go to: http://www.swr.noaa.gov/fmd/identify.htm.

CHETCO RIVER, Brookings, Ore.—WON Field Reporter and guide Curtis Palmer of River Secrets Guide Service gave his take on salmon fishing at the mouth of the Chetco River, and said that in years past, the bay has “become completely packed with bait fish, along with the boat basins and the salmon followed them on into the river to feed on the huge amounts of bait. In the past, this has given anglers non-stop action day after day. Now, on this last Friday the 13th, there were some very happy anglers in Brookings, because it happened again. Jim Bithell of Chart House Charter’s put his clients on 4 of their salmon for the day while trolling near the boat basin. Unfortunately, the majority of bait fish didn’t stay in the river and the salmon followed them back out to sea. Conversations are stirring around in the air and the question is: “Is this the year?”

ROGUE RIVER, Gold Beach, Ore.—The Rogue Bay has been windy this last week with the high day time temperatures in the valleys. Those same high temperatures that cause the wind on the beaches is also responsible for warming up the river water and that is what we need to keep the fall king salmon stacking up in the bay, according to Curtis Palmer of River Secrets. “There still are just a few boats trolling the mouth of the Rogue River compared to the hundred-plus boats of most years. There are good runs of salmon expected in Oregon’s rivers this year, and two days last week 10 boats or so caught a dozen salmon—a good average. The bay trolling should open up between now and the end of the month.

ROGUE RIVER, Shady Cove, Ore.—Salmon fishing remains open until July 31, but it has tapered off quite a bit recently, according to the Fishing’ Hole in Shady Cove, but some are still being caught in the deeper and cooler holes below the bridges below Shady Cove. The big deal is the cutthroat trout, rainbows and early steelhead. One to 2 steelies 17 to 24 inches are being caught every day by anglers using stone nymphs with small nymphs under the big stone. Anglers are getting 15 to 20 hookups on cutthroats from 8 inches to 20 inches every day. Flows are down to 2400 cfs now.

RUSSIAN RIVER—Anglers are relegated to early and late in the day when the water users aren’t out in full force, and smallmouth bass are about the only target.

UMPQUA RIVER, Winchester Bay, Ore. –High winds offshore kept angling pressure to a minimum at the mouth here. “I know that the Umpqua River can be one of the hottest Chinook fisheries on the Southern Oregon Coast, and there is a 10-day period in the middle of August almost every season when this river will spit out huge numbers of king’s every day,” said guide Curtis Palmer. “Not only that; The Umpqua River holds the state record for Chinook salmon at 83 pounds. Last year’s season was red hot the entire month of August and was good fishing for well into September. We are expecting another good year, but how good will it be?”

 

TRINITY/KLAMATH RIVERS

KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath Glen—Salmon fishing has slowed, but bright springers continue to come in from the ocean in spurts.  A better bet is to focus on steelhead.   Fishing for steelhead, both halfpounders, and adults to about 6 pounds, continued to improve for anglers using Blue Fox spinners, swinging streamer flies, and drifting  nightcrawlers, around Blue Creek and Johnson’s Riffle.

KLAMATH RIVER, Iron Gate Dam—Trout fishing has tapered off to “fair,” and the upper river is entering summer doldrums with temperatures climbing into the 90’s.

TRINITY RIVER–The release at Lewiston has dropped below 1,000 cfs and will be down to 450 by July 26.  Fires have created a lot of smoke and even some delays along Highway 299, but fishing for spring-run Chinook salmon was pretty good last week all the way from Grays Falls to Junction City.  Bright salmon were being caught on both roe and backtrolled plugs.

 

NORTHERN FOOTHILLS

AMERICAN RIVER—The Georgetown Ranger Station reported that some local anglers hiked down into the Middle Fork and caught mostly brown trout up to 18 inches and a few nice rainbows on spinners and worms out of the deeper pools.

BULLARDS BAR—The lake is at 88-percent capacity.  Emerald Cove Marina reported that fishing was very slow due to the oppressive heat and heavy recreational boat traffic this past week.

CAMP FAR WEST—North Shore Resort reported that catfishing was good in some of the coves in the river arms.  One boater picked up a bunch of whiskerfish to 3 pounds on chicken livers and anchovies during a mid-week day trip.  “Ron” of Folsom reported that the bass bite was good in the morning on drop-shot morning dawn and green pumpkin worms in 15 to 20 feet of water for fish to 1 3/4 pounds.

COLLINS LAKE—The lake is down 13 feet from full.  Night fishing has taken over as the most productive method for catching trout and catfish.  The dock was the hot spot for many anglers.  Boaters were having luck trolling and drifting bait for trout in the 5 mph zone and at the powerlines, but limits were rare with 2 to 4 fish the norm.  Bass to 4 pounds hit plastic worms in the submerged brush on the east side of the lake.  Catfish action was best at night for fish to 11 pounds from the docks, dam and campground.

ENGLEBRIGHT RESERVOIR—The lake is at 93-percent capacity.  Dillon Davis at Skippers Cove Marina reported that trout fishing was good for anglers running a couple big splitshot ahead of a threaded nightcrawler trolled in the top 10 feet 50 to 75 feet off the shore.  Boaters heading up to the river fork at the upper end of the lake were still catching lots of 9- to 10-inch rainbows on Power Bait and worms.  Lots of bass were seen cruising the marina—some kids were doing well with plastic worms and crankbaits.

FRENCH MEADOWS RESERVOIR—The lake is at 82-percent capacity. Will Fish Tackle in Auburn reported that trollers were picking up 14- to 15-inch rainbows running Sep’s copper/pink dodgers trailing Needlefish at 30 to 40 feet deep at the dam.  Toplined No. 7 vampire Rapalas fast trolled in the very early morning produced some nice browns at the dam, also.  The Foresthill Ranger Station reported that the “Robber Fire” had not affected the campgrounds at the lake—only some smoke to foul the air.

FULLER LAKE—The lake is scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week.

HELL HOLE RESERVOIR—The lake is at 91-percent capacity.  Will Fish Tackle in Auburn reported that trollers were still catching good numbers of kokanee from 12 to 16 inches long at the powerhouse and in the middle of the lake at 30 to 40 feet deep on chrome dodger/white hoochie combos.  Some macks were taken on J-Plugs trolled 70 feet deep in front of the dam.  A few rainbows were caught on Grass Valley Red Dog spoons by trollers working the dam area.

LAKE OROVILLE—The lake is at 85-percent capacity.  Guide Ron Gandolfi reported that bass fishing was excellent with lots of upper-slot to over-slot fish hitting lipless crankbaits on main points and ambush points along walls in the West Branch, North Fork, and the slot.  Drop-shot worms were catching lots of little fish on the banks.  Guide Brett Brady at Bare Bones Guide Service reported catching 20 coho 15 to 20 inches by noon on his trip this past week.  He was running white hoochies tipped with anchovy behind RMT dodgers, 50 to 90 feet deep, off long main body points.  Fish shallower early and drop down as the sun gets on the water—60 to 90 was the most consistent depth.

ROLLINS LAKE—Johnny Anaya at Long Ravine Resort reported that bass fishing was good in the ponds on the other side of the road from the lake.  One angler picked up two 3 pounders and a 5 pounder in one of the ponds this past weekend.  Trout fishing on the main lake was slow due to the extremely heavy recreational boat traffic this past week and weekend.

 

SCOTT’S FLAT LAKE—Jim Caldwell at Scott’s Flat Lake Resort reported that good numbers of 2- to 3-pound smallmouth bass were hitting plastic worms fished near the submerged willows in the Hensley area around the handicap dock.  Trollers were doing well running flasher/worm combos at 45 feet deep at the inlet for rainbow trout.

SUGAR PINE RESERVOIR—The Foresthill Ranger Station reported that the campgrounds were not affected by the “Robber Fire” that had burned over 1000 acres by the weekend near here.  Smoke was the only hazard, especially for those with respiratory problems.  The lake was planted for the July 4 holiday and fishing should still be pretty good.

STUMPY MEADOWS RESERVOIR—The Georgetown Ranger Station reported that trout action had slowed down here due to heavy fishing pressure and higher water temps.

THERMOLITO AFTERBAY—The lake was at 133.9-foot elevation at press time—84-percent capacity.  Guide Ron Gandolfi reported that fishing here was good one day and poor the next.  At this elevation, the tules have a lot of water on them and the fish tend to move back into the cover.  Gandolfi hooked and lost two bass in the 5- to 6-pound range on Senkos.  Try frogs in the late afternoon when the day is hottest.

 

NORTH COAST LAKES

CLEAR LAKE—The Redbud arm was the best beat in terms of water conditions, while minnows and crawdads got the most bites. Generally though, bass fishing is in its summer mode with a few fish to 7 pounds.

LAKE BERRYESSA—WON reader Andre Fontenot fished mid-week and said the fishing was still good, but hot weather was a problem. With warming waters the kokes are deeper and limits take a little longer. All of his fish were caught between 45 and 70 feet in the Ranch House and Big Island areas. WON Staffer Bill Karr fished the lake Thursday with Sep and Marilyn Hendrickson and Bill Gaines of COHA, and they found the fish had moved from 65 feet to 85 feet of water, holding at 45 to 60 feet. Kokes to 19 inches were caught

UPPER BLUE LAKE—The lake was planted last on July 2 but fish have gone deep now. Fish have been from 29 to 33 feet but as it heats up they will go even deeper. Anglers trolling have been taking near limits.

 

NORTHEASTERN AREA

LAKE ALMANOR—Anglers are finding a great salmon bite at Big Springs by mooching anchovy tails with a variety of stinky stuff added. Almanor Fishing Adventures anglers are limiting out.

BATTLE CREEK RESERVOIR—The fishing here remains excellent and fish are biting on multiple baits. Rim Rock Ranch in Old Station reported worms, floating baits and lures continue to take the most fish. DFG has this lake on the plant schedule again, so the fishing should remain outstanding for the foreseeable future. Fishing has been good both from shore and by boat. With warmer weather the early mornings and later evenings have been best.

BAUM LAKE—As the weather heats up you’ll find a better bite both early and late in the day.

CASSEL FOREBAY–Closed until further notice for repairs. All water has been drained into the natural creek channel that flows into Baum Lake in order to work on structure repairs in the canal.

EAGLE LAKE—The Eagle Nest area was great in 50 to 60 feet of water, fishing 25 to 30 feet down with a threaded nightcrawler, slip bobber and a 1/4-ounce weight since there is a current out there. Most importantly, you have to be prepared to start fishing at first legal light. Then you’ll be limited out by 6 a.m. with fish averaging 2 pounds. The trolling was off but picked up by the weekend.

FALL RIVER—Fishing had been fair to good, as the river was stocked above the falls. Below you’ll find some nice browns and wild fish.

MANZANITA LAKE–The bite here has picked up, but so has the kayaking, so quality time on the water has been a bit restricted at times. Evenings have started to show some good activity for nymphing fish so it comes down to figuring out which patterns are working that day. Callibaetis and pmds are catching fish, but are not necessarily the go-to pattern. Fish seem to be rising more on the south and east side of the lake just off of the weed beds. This lake has special restrictions so be sure and read them.

MCCLOUD RIVER—Water conditions are excellent and the fishing continues to be good with hatches later in the day.

PIT RIVER—Fishing has been very good lately with good hatches, but the wading here is tough.

SHASTA LAKE—With another hot week behind us, things should start to cool back down a bit, which will help the bite. Before the heat wave, rainbows were good in the morning and then anglers went deeper for salmon. This week, stay in the main body.

WHISKEYTOWN RESERVOIR—Trolling for 3 hours produced almost 3 limits of kokes from 11 to 13 inches for Mike Elster Guide Service on a pink Peewee Hoochie behind a Sling Blade, UV Apex’s and a pink Radical Glow tube between 35 and 50 feet also produced fish including 1 smallie picked up at 35 feet. It weighed 4 pounds. While not very large yet, by the end of the season the kokes will grow to about 15 inches and they are clean, fat and health even now.

UPPER HAT CREEK—Week days are experiencing much less pressure this year as fewer folks seem to be camping this year. Fishing remains very good as fish plants continue on schedule twice a week. Brook trout made up the majority of the plants at this time so worms, crickets and lures are taking the majority of fish. Quite a few trophy fish are still coming in, so put your time in on the creek for a chance at bragging rights for the biggest fish. Fly fishing on the upper creek remains steady with weighted nymphs and terrestrials working best.

 

SIERRA LAKES/RIVERS

BLUE LAKES—Both lakes were planted by the DFG two weeks ago so fishing should still be good, but Todd Sodaro at the Carson River Resort recommended bringing plenty of mosquito repellent!!

BOCA LAKE—The lake is at 75-percent capacity.  The recent DFG plant improved the shore fishing around the boat ramp and the nearby points.  Fish will begin moving toward the inlet as they disperse.

CAPLES LAKE—Trolling and bait fishing was productive for anglers at Wood’s Creek and off the dam and spillway.  Trolling off Emigrant Bay produced a few nice fish this past week, also.

CARSON RIVER (East, West)—With a big bicycle race in the area this past week, fishing pressure was down 90-percent.  Todd Sodaro at the Carson River Resort said that Alpine County would be making another 1800-pound plant of 2- to 4-pound average rainbows into the East and West Carson this week.  Anglers getting out were catching plenty of DFG planters and a few 20 to 22 inchers this past week on bait, lures, and flies.

DAVIS LAKE—The lake is at 76-percent capacity.  Ed Dillard at Dillard’s Guided Fishing reported that trolling as fair at best—boaters were picking up 3 to 6 fish per trip.  Trolling Needlefish at 20 to 25 feet deep worked best.  Dillard said the DFG made a small trout plant this past week.  Shore fishing was slow and there were few reports available about any fly fishing success.

DONNER LAKE—Brett Brady at Bare Bones Guide Service reported good trolling action for small kokanee—11 to 13 inchers with a couple to 14 inches.  The kokes were hitting Uncle Larry spinners behind watermelon Wild Thing dodgers run 50 to 85 feet deep at 1.5 to 1.8 mph.  Brady also picked up a couple of 2 1/2-pound macks at 90 to 95 feet deep on a 3-inch Apex behind a RMT dodger.  All the fish came out of the China Cove area.  Keith Zenger at Mountain Hardware and Sports recommended pink or orange hoochies behind similar colored dodgers at 55 to 60 feet deep from Jay’s Cove to the west.

FEATHER RIVER CANYON—Butt Valley Reservoir is at 85-percent capacity.  There were lots of float tubers and boaters fly fishing at the dam during the tail end of the hex hatch this past week.  The North Fork was fishing well for DFG planters running 14- to 15 inches, according to Mike Hanson at the Caribou Crossroads Resort.  One fly fisherman did well on native rainbows to 16 inches on the East Branch in the Rich Bar area.

FRENCHMAN LAKE—The lake is at 71-percent capacity and scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week.  According to Wiggins Trading Post, trolling was still good for boaters using flasher/worm combos and small spoons—Needlefish and Dick Nites—off the Frenchman ramp and Lunker Point.  Shore fishing was good at the dam in deep water.  The water was warming up and fish were getting deeper—20 to 25 feet.

GOLD LAKES BASIN—Gold Lake is scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week.

ICE HOUSE RESERVOIR—The lake is at 89-percent capacity.  Kyle Neeser at Crystal Basin Tackle and Guide Service reported that action was slow here due to the warm weather—summer doldrums!

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR—Todd Sodaro at the Carson River Resort reported very slow action here.  The best bet is to fish from sun-up until the sun hits the water in the morning or the last two hours of daylight in the evening while the trout are up shallower and more accessible.

JACKSON MEADOW RESERVOIR—The lake is scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week.  According to Mountain Hardware and Sports, fishing was slow but the DFG plant will undoubtedly improve the bite especially near the Pass Creek ramp where the plant will be made.  Use lures and bait right after the plant, but then rely on Power Bait and worms when the fish get dispersed.

JENKINSON LAKE (Sly Park)—Smallmouth bass fishing was improving in the Narrows.  Trout action was slow with some rainbows being taken at the second boat ramp in the Narrows from shore on Power Bait or worms.

LAKE TAHOE—Chuck Self at Chuck’s Charter Fishing reported excellent action for macks 5 to 9 pounds while fast trolling 125 to 140 feet deep with big stick baits.  He did best running between Crystal Bay and Tahoe City.  Mike Nielsen at Tahoe Top Liners reported good action for kokanee and macks, along with a few rainbows.  Nielsen said the 12- to 17-inch kokes were hitting flasher/spoon combos at 30 to 35 feet deep on the south end of the lake.  The rainbow trout were hitting the kokanee gear and running up to 3 pounds.  The 2- to 5-pound macks were hitting Storm ThunderSticks and Krocadile spoons trolled 85 to 100 feet deep in the morning and 130 to 170 feet deep in the afternoon.  John Shearer at Tahoe Sportfishing reported picking up 47 kokanee and 3 macks for 10 clients by 10 a.m. trolling dodger/hoochie or Apex combos at 40 to 70 feet deep off Ski Run and Camp Richardson.  Kokanee fishing is wide-open!!

LOON LAKE—The lake is at 82-percent capacity.  The fishing was slow due to the warm weather—summer doldrums here, too!!

PROSSER LAKE—The lake is at 69-percent capacity and scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week.  Trout fishing has been slow, so the plant will help a lot.  Smallmouth bass fishing has been good for boaters casting to the dam with crankbaits, jigs, tubes, and worms for fish running 3 to 5 pounds.  Shore fishermen were seeing less action for the bass.

PYRAMID LAKE—Joe Mendes at Eagle Eye Charters reported that perch fishing was still only fair with 6 perch on his last trip, but his clients caught-and-released 11 cutthroat trout to 22 inches.  With the hot temps seen this past week, the water temp is rising and the perch bite will improve considerably.  Mendes was fishing in the Needles and Hell’s Kitchen areas with crappie jigs on light spinning gear.

RED LAKE—With the warmer weather, the need to get to the cooler water running into the lake was more important.  Fish at the creek inlet by boat, float tube, or just hike in.

SILVER LAKE—The lake was planted by the DFG two weeks ago, but few reports were available to confirm any success.  There should be some planters being caught off the dam.

STAMPEDE RESERVOIR—The lake is at 81-percent capacity and scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week.  Kokanee fishing was good, according to Keith Zenger at Mountain Hardware and Sports.  Trolling pink or orange hoochies behind watermelon dodgers at 45 to 65 feet deep from the boat ramp toward the dam was producing limits of 13- to 14-inch kokes, including releasing lots of smaller fish.

TOPAZ LAKE—Trout trolling slowed due to the warmer water temp brought on by a week of scorching weather.  Topaz Landing Marina reported that trollers were only picking up 1 to 3 rainbows per trip.  One boater caught a 3-pound, 2-ounce trout while trolling a flasher/nightcrawler combo 20 feet deep on the south end of the lake.  Shore fishing is very slow with the lake now down to 50-percent capacity.

TRUCKEE RIVER—Flows were still 380 cfs from Tahoe City through Truckee, and 580 cfs below the Boca outlet.  Mostly nymph fishing during the day on the main river with sporadic dry hatches in the evenings on yellow sally and caddis patterns.  The Little Truckee was running 106 cfs and seeing much more consistent dry fly activity throughout the day.

UNION VALLEY RESERVOIR—The lake is at 89-percent capacity.  According to Kyle Neeser at Crystal Basin Tackle and Guide Service, the kokanee bite has slowed to a crawl–a good trip is 3 or 4 fish.  The fish were deep—45 to 60 feet—and finding the right combination of lure and dodger required trying everything in the boat.  No one combination was working better than another.  Ken Mathis at Ken’s Custom Tackle and Guide Service reported that Mackinaw trolling was slow also.  He metered several fish at 110 to 130 feet deep but had only hooked one fish that came unbuttoned shortly after the strike.

WEST WALKER RIVER—The Little Walker and West Walker are both scheduled for DFG trout plants this week.  The 4.4-pound rainbow taken by Matthew Vidito of Gilroy was still the adult division leader in the “How Big is Big” trout derby this past week.  The junior leader was Travis Brooks of Alta Loma with a 4.4-pound rainbow.  Sam Foster at the Toiyabe Motel reported that anglers were catching 20 to 40 rainbows per day on bait, lures, and flies, but you need to get out early in the morning or late in the evening even though the river flows were perfect.  It’s just too hot during the middle of the day for good fishing success.

 

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

AMERICAN RIVER—Shad fishing has pretty much ended on the American River, but striped bass are providing some good action between Howe and Watt Ave. on jumbo minnows, crawdads and even some topwater lures early and late.  Flows are up to 4,500 cfs, so fly fishing has been more of a challenge, and it’s necessary to use fast-sinking shooting heads to get streamers down deep enough.   Small steelhead have also continued to provide some nice action on small nymphs under indicators and drifting nightcrawlers or swinging spinners.

FOLSOM LAKE—Fishing for trout was good once again last week, and some anglers like guide John Enos have continued to get limits of fat rainbows to 19 inches by trolling the main body with FlatFish in hot steel color at about 55 feet and Speedy Shiners at 45 feet.  The lake is now dropping, and bass have mostly moved to deeper water where they are more comfortable.  Drop-shot  Robo-Worms and jig with crawdad patterns across main points.  Live bait, like crawdads and minnows are also very effective.

FEATHER RIVER—Steelheading fishing dropped off a bit in the Low Flow Section, but some small steelies were still being caught, mostly on nightcrawlers.  Remember there is no salmon fishing allowed in the Low Flow Section, and no fishing 250 feet above and below the Outlet.

RANCHO SECO LAKE–Bass fishing was slow except for very early and late, but fishing for redeared sunfish was pretty good by suspending worms under bobbers.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Sacramento—The Deep Water Channel was the scene of some pretty good fishing for striped bass from 3 to 5 pounds.  Fish between Marshall Road and the palm trees with bloodworms and mudsuckers.  A few stripers were being caught at Miller Park, too.  Of course, fishing for striped bass and catfish is only a diversion in anticipation of the salmon opener, which is expected to be a good one.  The heaviest concentration of anglers is expected to be at Discovery Park and Verona.  The season runs from on July 16 through Dec. 16 from 150 feet below the Lower Red Bluff  (Sycamore) boat ramp to the Carquinez Bridge.  Be sure to check your DFG regs for detailed regulations.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Colusa—The one salmon report received Monday morning before deadline from guide Dave Jacobs of Professional Guide Service was out of Hamilton City at 7:49 a.m., and he had just put his 5th king salmon in the box for 3 anglers. “The best fishing I’ve seen in decades, all the fish are 17 to 24 pounds!” Caught on Brad’s KillerFish with a sardine wrap. He said there were only 10 boats in the parking lot. The river is open from 150 feet below the Lower Red Bluff  (Sycamore) boat ramp to the Carquinez Bridge.  Be sure to check your DFG regs for detailed regulations.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Redding—Flows were high at 14000 cfs, but trout  fishing was excellent, especially for some very large trout which were taking everything from crickets to even caddis-imitating dry flies in the evening. The best fishing, especially for large fish was between Redding and Anderson.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Dunsmuir—Flows were still a bit high, but trout fishing continued to be very good with mostly planters in the Dunsmuir area, and wild fish as you work downstream.  On the McCloud, it’s fishing for wild fish below the dam, and fishing for planters above the lake.

YUBA RIVER—Shad fishing tapered off finally last week, but some were still being caught in the evenings.  They are mostly large females now, though.

 

NORCAL SALTWATER

BERKELEY—Halibut fishing turned on at Alcatraz Island for the California Dawn. Other Berkeley boats including the Happy Hooker found solid action on salmon and rockfish outside the Gate from the N Buoy to the Marin Coast.

BODEGA BAY—Salmon fishing kicked into gear, with numerous limits reported. The New Sea Angler found solid counts of a good grade of fish up the coast off of the Russian River.

EMERYVILLE—Emeryville Sportfishing listed numerous limits of salmon and rockfish while fishing from the N Buoy to the Marin coast. A Bay live-bait potluck trip aboard the New Huck Finn resulted in variety and good numbers of halibut.

DILLON BEACH— Anglers enjoyed a good salmon bite off of Bird Rock mid-week but the best bite moved up to the Salmon Creek/Carmet area late in the week. Rockfishing slowed along with halibut fishing. Some large surfperch came in from local beaches this past week. On Wednesday, Gerard Fitzgerald of Sacramento took Gage and Cameron Vogler of Dillon Beach and Braden Woodward of Two Rock fishing and they caught 8 salmon to 28 pounds, all of them while trolling off of Bird Rock in 70 feet of water using Krippled Anchovies.

EUREKA—Wind and seas during the week kept boats in the Bay, but before and after the wind event salmon fishing continued at the wild pace Eureka anglers have been enjoying all season. California halibut followed anchovies into Arcata Bay, opening up another option for fishing protected water.

FORT BRAGG—Salmon action improved during the week. Private boaters managed some limits and party boats scored at or above 1 fish per rod, partly due to less experienced anglers. The action was there, but many fish were lost. Trolling with hoochies, Apex Hotspots and spoons was the best bet. Hungry rockfish inhaled shrimp flies in 40 to 100 feet of water at McKerricher Reef where lingcod showed a preference for jigs.

HALF MOON BAY—Rockfish continued to bite at limit pace, with a pick at lingcod, from Martins Beach to Pescadero for Half Moon Bay boats. Salmon fishing was strong early in the week and the reduced minimum size limits helped. The rest of the week was spotty for salmon thanks to increasing wind and seas. Jetty fishing for rockfish and lingcod was good.

MARTINEZ—Sturgeon bite was good this past week, with 3 sturgeon from the pier for well-known local, “Budweiser Mike”. This reporter refrained from asking how he earned his nickname. He kept a 65 incher and released 2. Boaters caught sturgeon near Buoy 2. Striped bass fishing remained slow all week.

OAKLAND—Mike Huynh at Mike’s Bait reported slower fishing in the Bay for stripers and halibut. South Bay action is mostly shar– 7-gill, soupfin and leopard.

ROGUE RIVER, Gold Beach, Ore.—Pink Fin Perch were targeted successfully by anglers working the sand spit at the mouth of the river, which is reported to be much nicer to fish than in years past. High tide sees the best bite and savvy anglers work from two hours before the high until two hours after.

SAN FRANCISCO–Halibut took over the water surrounding Alcatraz Island, with charter boat, Flash getting into them heavily on Wednesday. A handful of striped bass foraged with the hungry flatties and came to net for happy anglers. Salmoneers found plenty of fish outside the Gate while rockfishers cruised up along the Marin coast to haul in easy limits.

SAN RAFAEL—Halibut, stripers, salmon and sturgeon were the usual targets. Sturgeon went on the bite during very high and low tides, while stripers became active during slower tides. Charter boat Blondie launched out of Loch Lomand and trolled from Point Diablo through the Raccoon Straights for salmon, without an incident. Capt. Jack Marshall metered sturgeon and foul-hooked one (released unharmed) near Paradise.