Aug. 20 fish report
| Thursday, Aug 19 2010 04:57 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Aug 19 2010 04:57 PM
Images
Deborah Steers of Bakersfield caught this 3-pound bass in the Kern River recently using a nightcrawler for bait.
Eddie Steers of Bakersfield caught this 4-pound largemouth bass Aug. 4 at Buena Vista Aquatic recreation Area's Lake Evans. He used a rubber worm for bait.
Kern County and southern San Joaquin Valley
BOB'S BAIT STRIPER DERBY: The month-long Bob's Bait Striper Derby kicked off Aug. 1 with a $100 cash prize going to the angler who weighs in the biggest striper at Bob's Bait in Bakersfield during August. The current leader is Alfredo Vasquez, Bakersfield, with a seven-pounder he caught from the aqueduct. Pre-registration required. For more information, call Bobís Bait at (661) 833-8657.
LAKE ISABELLA: The largemouth bass bite has slowed but a few fish are still showing on Senkos, brush hogs, and deep-diving cranks. Dropping water level has the fish suspended and tough. The catfish action also remains fair to good on frozen shad, clams, and Sonnyís dip bait with lots of fish from two pounds and up. The crappie action finally petered out with few reported. Trout action is fair at the auxiliary dam on Power Bait and nightcrawlers.
KERN RIVER: There has been continued very good action in the upper river and flows around 370 to 380 cfs this week. The upper stretch nearly to the Johnsondale Bridge was again stocked this week and the best bite has been on crickets, salmon eggs and spinners. Fly anglers are also seeing decent morning and evening dry fly action. The lower river is still pretty high, but careful anglers are getting trout, especially in the Hobo and Richbar areas.
AQUEDUCT NEAR TAFT: The catfish and striper action remains fair to good but there has been relatively light pressure with the heat this past week. Most of the stripers are in the three- to six-pound range and showing on blood worms, almost exclusively. Lots of cats showing on cut baits with a lot of four to six pounders.
HART PARK LAKE: Top bluegill action in region with a very good bite on bluegill with wax worms or crickets. Most hand-sized. The carp are good on homemade dough baits or Powder Bait. Bass very slow with a little action early and late in the day.
TRUXTUN LAKE: Still a good bluegill bite, and the carp action has been good on Powder Bait. Fair catfish bite on nightcrawlers and shad. Bass and crappie spotty, but some bass showing early in the day.
RIVER WALK PARK: The bluegill bite is good on wax worms, meal worms, and crickets, and the carp action is good on homemade dough baits and Powder Bait. There are a few bass showing on minnows, nightcralwers, and plastics early in the day, but this bite is mostly slow.
MING LAKE: Little change. The carp bite is very good on Powder Bait and other dough baits. There has also been a very good bite on bluegill, mostly on wax worms and meal worms, and the bass action is slow with a few on plastics or topwater early in the day.
BUENA VISTA LAKES: Continued good catfish action on frozen shad, dip baits, or green garlic nightcrawlers, with most of the cats running from two to five pounds and showing from the small lake. The lake is being planted with catfish every couple of weeks, and there is a five-fish limit on the cats here. A fair bite on largemouth bass this past week with a few fish on topwater and live bait. The bluegill action has been fair to good on wax worms.
WOOLLOMES LAKE: The bluegill bite is good on red worms, meal worms, or wax worms, and a few bass are showing on plastics or jerk baits early in the day. Pretty good carp action on dough baits.
SUCCESS LAKE: Pretty good bass action Senkos and plastics, and some bluegill and catfish also starting to show. Water level coming up.
KAWEAH LAKE: The largemouth bass bite has been fair to good with a lot of fish on plastics and some on topwater and reaction baits. The redear and bluegill are really starting to take off in the shallows. Some catfish beginning to show.
Other regional lakes
CACHUMA: Trout and crappie are both fair. Both the largemouth and smallmouth bass are just fair with some topwater action early and late in the day. Bluegill are fair to good in most coves on small baits. Few redear reported. While few anglers target them, the carp are good over much of the lake.
CASITAS: There continues to be a slow to fair trout bite for trollers working eight to 10 colors of leadcore and Needlefish or by bait anglers drifting in about 40 feet of water near the dam. Most of the trout are two to three pounds.
CASTAIC: There has been some surface activity in the early morning near the marina for stripers. Catfish action is good. The panfish bite has slowed down but some are still showing on wax worms, mealworms, small jigs, and pieces of nightcrawlers near the fishing pier.
LOPEZ: Fair bass action and a good bluegill bite in the mornings, especially off the F Dock on meal worms and red worms. The bass have been best on swim baits and cranks with the best action at the bridge. The crappie bite has slowed, and some catfish are showing.
NACIMIENTO: Both the smallmouth and largemouth bites have been fair. Some topwater early and late in the day and then better action in deep water after the dawn-dusk flurries on top. The white bass action is slow to fair on slow-trolled Roostertails and silver spoons. The crappie bite has slowed down with spotty action on live minnows or small jigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles. The catfish bite is improving, and anglers targeting carp are seeing excellent action.
SAN ANTONIO: The striped bass bite has come back on, as predicted, and there has been a pretty good morning bite for trollers and anglers working boils with surface poppers. Lots of 6- to 12-pounders and some fish over 20 pounds again this week. The catfish action is also improving and there has been a fair crappie bite. The bass action is fair, and the carp are wide open if you target them.
SANTA MARGARITA: There is a pretty good bite on bluegill and redear in most coves on bobber-suspended baits, but most everything else is tough with light fishing pressure. The catfish bite remains fair at best on cut baits with a few fish over 10 pounds being caught. The bass continue tough with a few showing on Senkos, jigs and Creature baits. Most are 2-3 pounders with some up to 5, and a few crappie are being caught in the back of the narrows on the small jigs.
PIRU: No report available.
PYRAMID: The striper action remains fair to good for anglers drifting with anchovies or sardines. Most of the fish are in deep water. Largemouth bass action is fair on 1- to 3-pound fish on nightcrawlers and plastics. Also quite a few smallmouth in this bite. Crappie spott. Catfish have improved, with some over 10 pounds.
Eastern Sierra
WEST WALKER RIVER REGION: The West Walker River is very good on bait, lures and flies from Pickle Meadows downstream through the canyon. The Little Walker River very fishable and has been good.
BRIDGEPORT REGION: Bridgeport is still fishing excellent, with the top areas Buckeye and Robinson channels, the East Walker channel, Rainbow Point and right out in the middle about halfway between the marina and Buckeye Bay. Most fish are one to two pounds with some up to six pounds. Virginia Lakes remain good for fly, lure, and bait anglers.
JUNE LAKE LOOP REGION: Good trout action on all four lakes, June, Gull, Silver and Grant, on the usual floating dough baits, inflated nightcrawlers, and the fly-bubble combination, especially at the stream mouths and outlets.
MAMMOTH AREA: The action for fly anglers has been good in the bays with a lot of fish to 22 inches on midges and perch imitations. Convict Lake is good for planted fish. Fair action in Twin Lakes out of Mammoth and plants have been weekly. Rock Creek drainage planted again this week and the action has been very good.
BISHOP AREA: All the forks of the Bishop Creek have been good for knowledgeable stream anglers, and all the forks of the creek were also planted again this week.
BIG PINE TO LONE PINE AREA: Generally fair to good action after DFG plants again this week on all the creeks.
Trout plants
KERN: KERN: Kern River from Powerhouse No. 3 to Riverside Park, Kernville.
TULARE: Balch Park eastern lake, Balch Park western lake, Hedrick Campground pond, Kern River from Brush Creek to Fairview Dam, Kern River from Fairview Dam to Falling Waters Lodge, North Fork of Middle Fork Tule River at Wishon Campground, South Fork of Middle Fork Tule River at Camp Nelson, South Fork of Middle Fork Tule River at Ceder Slopes.
Ocean report
TUNA TURNAROUND: The 11/2-day boats are starting to see a change in the ocean fishing that might mean the tuna season is finally turning around. Just in the past few days, the bluefin and yellowfin tuna are biting more than they have in the past couple of weeks.
YELLOWTAIL IMPROVING: There has been a surge of yellowtail all along the southern coast and at all the local islands over the past week and warming water conditions this week have popped the door open on those bites.
NEARSHORE UPDATE: Besides a few yellowtail, most of the half-day boats all along the coast are seeing June conditions in mid-August. There continues to be a huge abundance of market squid for bait that is simply unprecedented.
WHITE SEABASS STILL: This has become the best white seabass season in living memory for most anglers. They are still being caught in good numbers all along the coast and at all the offshore islands thanks to the cooler-than-normal water conditions that seem to have extended or prolonged the spawning season.
