The halibut fishery is starting to come around. The scores are not like years past but the chances of you taking halibut home to eat are pretty good.
? This week we started the day after Mother’s Day.
Monday:? I commercial fished SOLO and managed to get 6 halibut to the boat. The grade of fish was superb. With fish to 16 pounds and most others in the 10-12 pound range. Alameda Rock wall was the ticket and 20-22 foot of water seemed to have halibut in it.
Tuesday: Another commercial day that didn’t pan out so well. I wound up fishing other locations due to the lack of action at Alameda Rock Wall. I got called by a fellow angler to San Bruno Shoals. We put in 2 butts before the wind came up. It was hard fishing but gave me a great starting point for my Wednesday Charter trip.
Wednesday:? This fine day would start with a bang.? The charter specified NO Deck Hand. This is a major challenge normally. Imagine having to play basketball with a new team and you’re the only one who knows the rules.? These guys had enough fish savvy to get the job done. We only lost 2 of our 8 hook-ups. And as you can see we hooked up some pretty good fish.
? The day started at the end of the Alameda Air strip with lots of bait in 17 foot and a slowing flood, we boxed a 12 pound halibut for my 3 tack effort.
We then ran up to San Bruno shoals for a small time slug fest with another Six Pac boat and a few commercial guys. I love this, Confident, proud and producing. That’s what we do!
See you next good tide set. Until then we are back to work and fishing Wed, Thurs and Fridays again.

My mom has passed on to the great white north so I selfishly take each Mothers Day as an invitation to fish in her memory. This year I decided to tin can it at Del Valle as that is 20 mins from my house. $23 and a quagga inspection had me launching at 8:00 AM. I ran all the way to the dam in hopes of striper boils but none were evident. Halfheartedly trolled on top and was too lazy to deploy downriggers. Started pitching senkos and various plastics and the large and small ones were on it. No size and not many. A few pix.

Fwappermacro

Next report from Indiana!

Mike and I launched from Russos to 20+ MPH winds and full on Victory at Sea in Franks tract. We pounded out to Mandeville and found fishable water. A tournament guy tipped us off to crankbait bite and we had a steady pick of rags. Some spinnerbait fish and a couple of looks on the frog. Mike stuck a pig in Mildreds on a chrome blue rattle trap in lesss than 2 ft of water.

Bendo!

I lipped him up a 9#er despite it having 2 sets of trebles in hits maw. Mike is Dangerous Trebles after all.

pumped

sluggo

Bucket

We bounced around until 3 and boated maybe 20 fish. The ride back was brutal.

We weren’t expecting much. Even though some reports are boasting “FISH” , the scores of 2-3 fish don’t really give you a great feeling for a mass of fish in any one location. Traditional spots get pressure regardless of their fish holding nature. Nobody can really pinpoint a great bite unless you actually go out and look.
We have been fishing. Normally, we get out and find some fish in their normal locations. This year has been tough.
One of the most consistent boats that I see is Lovely Martha. Michael has been getting out often and seems to be making the best of it. His reports are easy to find and he seems like a real stand-up guy. He tells you like it is.
Monday I ran out of Richmond. I heard Michael’s score from a few of his groupies. I saw him over at South Hampton. Before I could get my gear out he was calling to say Hi. It seems as though over the weekend the bite was good at South Hampton. How Good? Scores of fish around and even some double digits from full boats.
Right now Michael’s is trolling. Definitely a solid tactic considering the price of shiners at the only gig in town or spend the time catching your own bait.
We managed to hook 2 -10 pounds on the SHS both 10 pounds on the last of the flood. We then ran over to Paradise for one more 10pounder. We finished the day with 3 butts.
Tuesday we took the same pattern and started at SHS for another 10 pound fish and got over to Paradise before the start of the ebb. We worked pretty hard for 6 more butts. We ran out of current, looked in the Berkeley flats and found some dirty water so we went home.
Wednesday I had to go sell fish so, I made it out late, giving SHS 2 solid tacks. Nothing! Over to P-dice. We trolled around for a solid 2 hours checking bait as often as possible without boring my new Deck Hand. A 20pounder hit the deck! Then 30 minutes later a 4 pounder and that was it for us we left a small fleet of commercial guys at paradise with some dirty water and a great memory for my next door neighbor.

You guys looking for an advantage: Best advice I can give is keep going until you stumble on something. My large dodgers in green (Seps) combined with smaller baits have done equally well. ?

Had the pleasure of camping with the Stellmans and Neo this weekend at Naci.

Dam fog

Perfect campsite, yaks galore, decent fishing, party barge narrows excursion, great food and copious drankin conspired to deliver a relaxing weekend.

The lovely crew

narrows

Rare Dahls porpoise sighting

Cliff diver Jerry

50 ft up and 50 years old

Balls of Steel

Jerry’s daughter Stephanie

chip off the old block

We fished a  bit off the yaks.

pedallos

Albinobass

White roostertails are money at Naci.

Spotted one

Inshore tuna on the redline

Stellmans personal cove

killer kampsite

This is a vacation moment

repeat offender

Brothers from another mother

Doctors of Distillery

Home base

Buzzards started circling expectantly when the blender came out

Turns out Jerry is extraordinarily light on his feet. Unfortunately for surrounding campers he simply cannot sing.

Rap Fan

Tribal

Spice Girls World Tour

Squirrels need stompin

Patriot

Good times.

Blurry Brothers

My friend Turhan who was my Delta sensei turned me onto the spotted bass bite  in April at Oroville 8 years ago. I have been back every year since then. I never met a lake I did not like but Oroville is special.

Bass Condos

I have had days at Oroville where I landed 70-80 bass in a day most right up tight to the bank in the top 6 ft of water. Light spinning gear is all you need here as a 3# spot will be a big fish. This year Randy and I hit it 4-19 and of course 4-20.

Weather was hot and clear and windless most of the time which slowed things down to the 30 fish a day category. We caught multiple species and colors.

morning dawn

Etouffe

We stayed mostly on the south fork. Feeder creeks were money.

Trees were money, rockwalls were quiet as I think we timed this about a week early.

Wildife was abundant. We saw osprey fights, bald eagles being strafed by crows, redtails, fox, deer, turkeys etc.

Baldy

attack crow

Grubs, small flukes and 2 inch power minnows worked. C-rig morning dawn worms worked. Too early for spinnerbaits or cranks. Wildflowers not quite kicking in. Lake level was up and not far from full.

After 2 days of whackin spots we ran to Clear Lake to meet Melon head Mike.

Launched from Red Bud Saturday at 9 and ran hotfoot to the state park. Baby killing bed fishing fools everywhere 50 yards apart.

Some sho nuff pigs on the beds but most were not quite locked on. I do not like bed fishing

but was fascinating watching the fish do the nasty.  Randy and Mike picked away at them with white beavers and horny toads.

Basically you would bump em in the head for 10 minutes until they got hot and flared on the bait. I forced myself on a couple.

Sometimes they would just pick it up and move it off the nest. Primal. Speaking of which we witnessed a brutal gang rape of a female duck by 4 males in concert. This display of feathered thuggery lasted a couple of minutes with as many as 4 males AT A TIME holding the female underwater. I think Mike got video.

https://vimeo.com/40915856

One of the loverly couples

easy

likes to share

We bounced around the lake but could not get anything going off the beds. Clear Lake continues to mystify me.

Off the water at 7 and a looooong ride home.

The talk:
Seems like everybody wants some butts to bite?
?I have been halibut fishing(Exploratory)Trips and the fish just aren’t there as of 4/20/12. I have beenseeing some reports. Oyster point says there getting a few fish. That’s where Igot my only fish.? So far this season!
? I hope I’m wrong butthe local halibut fishery has taken a pounding and may never recover.
Recent salmon fishing closers and total mismanagement ofwater stocks ?has ?taken a toll on our fishery. While halibut werea stable stock in 2008, The numbers of anglers chasing them doubled and local fish,resident fish, the ones that are here year-round were wiped out.? Here we are 2012. The Bay is clean water temperaturesfine there’s plenty of bait around and the halibut are no were to be found.PLEASE SOON!
HALIBUT:
I have been trolling for them with large bay herring.? On a strait bait rig. NO DODGER.? As this was my most effective rig lastyear.? Next time I’ll put the dodgers onand we will see. ?I hope some halibutshow up. …..For my customer’s sake.
SALMON:
?I can do it! With 18mile runs to the fish, weather is definitely an issue.? Most guys are chasing small krill fed fish, with a big fish here and there to 15 poundsand few fish at Duxbury.
STURGEON:
Off the HOOK!!!.
I live in Benicia. Ca. the fish are both up and down river.San Pablo has fish but at any minute you could be overcome by crabs. Leavingyou bait less. . “Good way to shine your hooks”
Upriver the Mothball fleet and beyond is holding a few slugsturgeon.? On Fri. 4/20 I had a Crew fromBrentwood Ca. ?that caught an 80 inchoversize fish? a 61 incher and a fewshakers.? Not a bad day.??????
On 4/21 I had a returning customer. Chris day and grandson,they managed 3 keeper sturgeons of 65inches, 57 inches and 56 inches.
The sturgeons were you find them. I personally have a route.I look at ozol on the way out, then Buoy 2, Horse-shoe, R&R and The Creek. It may take 2 hrs.’ to findsturgeon… but I like sitting on fish .? “Blind squirrels eventually starve to death.”
Synopsis:
Get ready salmon or
Add another sturgeon to your punch card. I’m ready!

My 1999 15 hp suzuki four stroke is not peeing.

I blow air back through tell tale great flow no obstructions.

Was going to tear down lower unit and replace impellar.

Think it could also be a thermostat issue.

Noticed this disturbing object as I was hooking up the trailer.

Tidal influencer

Dropped off some dollars and picked up a Larry at Glory Hole. An off duty guide advised us iphone pics and all of a hot bite east of the 49er bridge. Also saw pics of a 17# largemouth caught 4-6-12. headed down to the ramp

Lady hump

Launched to very nice conditions.

Melons and Black Death

5 lines out 2 double stacked riggers and a long line on top in the middle. We were hot shit. Action was non stop not

Zen master preparing for battle

After nothing in Carson we headed to the bridge and started to get popped.

1 4 mike

2 for mike

Slob

Larry remained unimpressed

Needlefish victim

We worked all depths down to 40 ft and switched up constantly. Weather got better and better

It was all yellow

Creek Blocker

Mike continued to humiliate us

bow

Larry ran the stringer and net divisions of the company

7 in cluding a small koke

Stayed late

Let them drink red

SKied

Mike is still cleaning trout I bet

Dog

Brace o fish

Pleasure fishing with you Larry. Dangerous, your a dog.

After contacting 5 different people with not takers I decided to roll solo. Had not fished Berry this year so  that was the destination. Weather report was rain, T-storms, hail and wind. Actual weather excellent! Hit my usual bakery stop in Winters that is open early and stocked up for the day. Stopped at the dam for a quick pic.

Glory hole not spillin, trout fishin was illin

Launched from Markley Cove and commenced to trolling.

Little misty in the AM

Assholes fished here

Pick up your trash jackass

Worked the dam for an hour for nada so headed up the narrows. Turkeys, bald eagles, deer and osprey kept me company. Pulled into a cove and threw a carolina rigged morning dawn worm and bass were easy.

hittin the spots

Trout remained elusive however. Hills were green and scenery very pleasant.

SB cove

Kick back

Had motor issues late in the day so limped it in on the troll.

Cumulus

Berry nice

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