Delta Tunnel opponents slam Gov. Newsom's revised budget plan to fast-track project

SACRAMENTO - Sacramento — Governor Gavin Newsom in May announced, as part of his May Budget Revise, a controversial proposal to fast-track and “streamline” the Delta Conveyance Project, AKA Delta Tunnel.

Newsom claimed the project would advance “much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the State Water Project,” while a coalition of Tribes, fishing groups, environmental justice organizations, Delta water districts and Delta counties and cities say the project would do irreparable harm to the San Francisco-Bay Delta ecosystem and Delta communities.

Echoing the Trump Administration’s plans to export more Delta water to agribusiness billionaires and Southern California water brokers, Newsom stated, “For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stalled in endless red tape, burdened with unnecessary delay.”

“We’re done with barriers — our state needs to complete this project as soon as possible so that we can better stores and manage water to prepare for a hotter, drier future. Let’s get this built,” said Newsom.

The Governor’s Office also claimed that “If the service area of the State Water Project were its own country, its economy would rank eighth largest in the world, generating $2.3 trillion in goods and services annually.”

Specifically, Newsom’s proposal would streamline the project by:

• “Simplifying permitting. The proposal would simplify permitting for the project by eliminating certain deadlines from existing State Water Project water rights permits — recognizing that the State Water Project should continue serving Californians’ water needs indefinitely. The proposal would also strengthen enforcement of the Water Board’s existing rules for permit protests.

• Confirming funding authority. The proposal confirms that the Department of Water Resources has the authority to issue bonds for the cost of the DCP, to be repaid by participating public water agencies.

•...

Anglers Target Quality Rainbows and Browns at Beautiful Spicer Reservoir

ARNOLD - Spicer Reservoir, located in the North Fork of the Stanislaus River watershed, offers shore and boat anglers a chance to battle gorgeous square-tailed rainbows and brown trout grown out from fingerlings or the progeny of wild trout spawning in Hobart Creek, Highland Creek and other lake tributaries.

The lake also features a sleeper population of brook and Lahontan cutthroat trout, according to CDFW creel surveys.

On Memorial Day weekend, Bill Reynolds of Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods reported that the road to Spicer Reservoir from Highway 4 had just opened.

“Anglers have been catching limits of rainbow trout, with some brown trout mixed in, from shore and boats throughout the lake,” he said. “Trollers are toplining with an array of lures, while shore fishermen are throwing Power Bait, nightcrawlers and Rapalas.”

Spicer is one of my favorite reservoirs to fish for trout in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. On my most recent trip to Spicer the lake was stunningly beautiful. Fly fishermen in kayaks fished back and forth near the dam, with snow-covered peaks jutting up in the distance as fluffy white cumulus clouds moved slowly across the azure blue sky.

There were several groups of anglers fishing off the bank near the dam, but I didn’t see anybody hook anything while I was there for ten minutes, so I headed to the boat ramp area. Fly fishing enthusiasts fishing in small boats were working the waters of Hobart Creek where it enters the lake.

The first bank angler I saw fishing the lake near the boat ramp reported catching and releasing two rainbow trout around 16 inches while throwing a black and gold Panther Martin.

I tossed out a ¼ oz. gold Kastmaster into the reservoir without success. So...

Lake Almanor

Trout all over the lake as the water warms up

A little bit of everything as far as conditions go over the last week. We have seen sunny flat calm to big wind, clouds, rain, ect. ect. Inconsistent conditions have made for an inconsistent bite. The water level is on the rise currently sitting just below 4492 ft. or about 2 feet from full. Hamilton branch has seen dramatic improvements in water clarity flowing into the lake. Water temperatures are currently running in the mid to upper 50’s ticking up on the sunny days. Bug hatches are coming on strong all over the lake and fish tailing at the surface can be seen taking advantage of the fresh food supply. The trout are now widely spread throughout the entire lake. Action for trollers is happening at a variety of locations around the lake, from the dam to Dorado and even up by Big Springs, as the water color has improved so has the bite. Both sides of the peninsula have also been giving up fish as is the west shore from Rocky Point to Almanor West giving anglers plenty of locations to visit. Trout have been caught on a wide variety of offerings, with lots of options for anglers. Worms plastics and trolling flies along with fast trolled spoons have all produced fish this week. The surface to 30 feet seems to be holding the bulk of the active fish. The catch continues to be a mix Rainbows and Browns along with a few salmon. The Smallies are active as well in the shallows. Bait fishermen have been netting a few fish at various locations including Dorado, the dam and Red Bank. Fly anglers suspending nymphs under indicators are tempting the fish that are keyed in on the...

Collins Lake

Bass Still Biting, Trout Take a Dive

OREGON HOUSE – There’s Just a few more quiet days before summer comes crashing in! The lake is about 2 ft. below full with a surface temperature around 74°F and good clarity. There are good reports of bass and redear activity over the last 10 days, expect the bass to settle for spawning soon.

Trout are still biting but for the most part they have taken a dive down below 15ft. That’s how deep Cooper Meadows caught his 8.16lb lunker trout on a pink rubber worm over on the east side.

Angelina, 7 and Julian, 3, brought home dinner for the whole family with 8 rainbow trout caught on green PowerBait down below site #312. Lindsey and Bertoni brought in a double limit including a 7lb beast trolling near the dam.

Lilyanne Shaun and Conner loaded up the bragboard with rainbow trout and lightning trout, as did Joe Malotte and Carl Lincoln, who used PowerBait and nightcrawlers at only 10ft deep.

As the weather warms up we expect to see more catfish like the 10 pounder that Yashua caught on a worm. Greg Dawn caught a limit of trout and topped off his ice chest with a bass caught trolling worms and PowerBait with an old classic- anise oil.

Victor of Yuba City caught a 2.5 pound lightning trout, Waylon’s weighted in a 2.2 pounds and Nickey showed us what a 9 pound fish looks like.

Lilyanne caught her 2.5lb lightning trout on Pink Trick Worms. Ryan Alexander caught an 8 pound rainbow trout on a worm down by the dam. Mia caught her 3.2lb fish down in front for campsite #63.

Ricardo Cummins landed three lightning trout, including an 8 1/4lb beauty along with two rainbows to limit out for...

Eagle Lake

                       Trout Opener very good for everyone!

Tim Noxon of Fish Traveler Guide Service gave us this report for the first weekend of the season: The Eagle Lake fishing season kicked off on 5/25/25 and the fishing was good for most. We had limits everyday out. Your choice of trolling or flyfishing, it was very good using both techniques.

Trolling:

The best trolling areas were on the east side off of Eagles Nest. Red/gold Thomas Bouyants and other spoons were very good, as well as orange Jay Fair flies trolled from the surface down to 15 feet deep off the drop offs and in relatively shallow water. Later in the day drop down to about 20 feet deep. Trolling speed from 1.5 to 2.0 mph. Our biggest fish trolling was 3 lb 7oz. and had many of last year’s planters at 15 to 16 inches.

Fly fishing was very productive on the west side rock piles from Shrimp Island north to the Broccoli Tree. Using a nymph under indicators, our biggest fish fly fishing was right at 5 pounds, with the average fish being 3 to 4 pounds. Eagle Lake is higher than it has been for a few years. Pine Creek is still flowing, and has been since January. Jet boats and smaller boats are now launching at the Spalding Marina. It should be a very good year.

Eagle Lake is in very good shape. Water temperatue was 58 on Saturday and warmed to 61 by Monday. Water clarity is excellent.

We offer guided trips all season on Eagle Lake. You can reach us at 916-201-4648 to book a trip. If you have any questions about fishing or lodging at Eagle Lake, don't hesitate to give me a call or send a text, whether you are fishing with...

Lake Oroville

Golden Mussels Found During Boat Inspection at Thermalito Forebay, Bass Fishing Hot

OROVILLE - The Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) newly implemented invasive mussel inspection program for State Water Project (SWP) facilities in Oroville uncovered golden mussels attached to a pontoon boat late Wednesday afternoon in Butte County. Staff immediately contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for further inspection and decontamination. The vessel will not be allowed to launch at a DWR reservoir until CDFW confirms that it is free of mussels.

The pontoon had been out of the Delta waters for an unknown period and was purchased Wednesday morning in Stockton by Oroville-area residents who planned to launch the boat at Lake Oroville for the Memorial Day weekend. The boat was brought to DWR’s inspection site at the North Thermalito Forebay where golden mussels ranging in size from approximately 1/8 inch to 3/4 inch were discovered during the inspection.

“We are thankful that DWR’s new inspection program in Oroville caught these highly destructive mussels before they could be introduced to our largest water supply reservoir,” said John Yarbrough, DWR’s Deputy Director of the State Water Project. “Oroville’s reservoirs provide water to the Feather River Fish Hatchery and several municipal water agencies for residential, business, and agricultural use, produce hydroelectric power, and provide flood control. This discovery further highlights the importance of protecting these critical functions through watercraft inspections given the ease with which golden mussels are transported from the Delta.”

DWR’s mussel inspection program in Oroville is underway to protect State Water Project (SWP) infrastructure. Mandatory watercraft inspections are required prior to launching at the Oroville Facilities (Lake Oroville, Thermalito Forebay, Thermalito Afterbay). DWR’s free mussel inspections are only performed at the North Thermalito Forebay. Watercraft that pass the inspection will receive a seal...

Rio Vista/Delta

Experienced Trollers Land Striper Limits on San Joaquin River

RIO VISTA – The striper bite for trollers in the Delta has continued to be great, according to avid troller Mark Wilson. Mark tells me that he’s been catching limits to early limits of keeper stripers per trip averaging 8 pounds, releasing all but their limits. He’s been fishing both the San Joaquin River from the Antioch Bridge to the Old River Flats and the West Bank on the Sacramento River below the Rio Vista Bridge.

Mark went on to say that he’s been graphing both these rivers for his fish. On one of his trips, he and his friends found the fish on the San Joaquin River and they managed to catch 29 keepers to 9 pounds on both deep and shallow running Yozuri lures, releasing all but their limits.

Mark said that on another day he and his friends located stripers on the West Bank on the Sacramento River below Rio Vista and they caught 19 keepers to 8 pounds, releasing all but their limits. Mark said the West Bank bite was mainly on an outgoing tide in 12 to 15 feet of water using any deep diving Yozuri lure with a green color (see the attached photo).

Meanwhile, the sturgeon bite continues to be good, but I’m getting this information from private anglers since most of the 6-pack charter boat captains have moved their boats down to San Francisco Bay chasing halibut and stripers.

Most private anglers chasing sturgeon have been locating them in the Pittsburg area and the Middle Grounds. If the wind becomes an issue, anglers have been going into Montezuma and Suisun Sloughs for consistent action. Salmon roe continues to be the number one bait of choice.

• Ken Baccetti, President of the...

Bodega Bay/Tomales Bay

Shallow Rockfish Action Sizzles

BODEGA BAY – Rockfish and lingcod action has been solid in the shallow reefs on the days that the New Sea Angler has been out fishing along the Sonoma County coastline.

“The fishing has been excellent in shallow water, with some lingcod mixed in,” :reported Rick Powers of the New Sea Angler. “On my latest trip out, the 13 anglers 1caught limits of rockfish, and 4 lingcod to 11 pounds. There was some late afternoon wind.”

The previous trip by the New Sea Angler produced 28 lingcod to 16 pounds and 150 rockfish.

The recreational groundfish regulations in the San Francisco Management Area (from Point Arena to Pigeon Point) are available here: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=185056&inline

Meanwhile, anglers are getting ready for the short salmon opener. “As of Friday night Windy.com is calling for good weather for the salmon opener. They also called for horrible weather a day or two ago. If the good weather actually happens it will likely also be the salmon closure at least until September's season. The best bet for catching is the Half Moon Bay to Monterey area, as they usually have quite a few fish this time of year,” said Willie Vogler at Lawson’s Landing in Dillon Beach.

“Tomales and Bodega Bays have generally poor salmon action in early June, but have also had a few banner years with lots of fish in the early season,” he noted. “With as much wind and upwelling as we've had, I'd guess that this isn't going to be one of those good years. But, the forecast also shows nice weather for most of the week before the weekend, so there may actually be a chance for schools of bait and krill to form up and salmon to find them.”

“Back in April there...

Half Moon Bay

Shallow Water Rockfish Bite On Local Reefs

EL GRANADA - The recreational rockfishing season is in full swing! The season is the same as last year: May through September as well as November is coastal rockfishing from shore to no deeper than 120 feet. April, October and December are deep sea rockfishing, fishing depths outside 300 feet.

There's only one change in the regs from last year: there is no minimum size limit on cabezon or seatrout (kelp greenling). Local rockfishing trips on Mondays ARE departing at 10 am and returning by 3 pm.

We have a 2025 recreational salmon season! It will be short...but hopefully sweet! Open dates in California are June 7-8, July 5-6, July 31-August 3 and August 25-31...or until no more than 7,000 salmon are landed.

There is also a separate Fall fishery off the Bay Area coastline scheduled for Sept. 4-7, 29-30, October 1-5 and 27-31...or until no more than 7,500 salmon are landed during that time period. Limit will be 2 salmon per person with a 20 inch minimum size. Those dates are on our online booking system, so grab your spot(s) as soon as possible! They're going quick!

Folks are catching perch along the coastline, but there is still not much bait around the harbor at this time. Lots of folks are enjoying catching both rock and Dungeness crab off the fishing pier inside the harbor as well as on the jetty.

Recreational Dungeness crab season is open through the end of June in our area, but recreational crabbers are restricted to using hoop nets and crab snares only (no crab pots) through the close of the recreational crab season. If you're interested in monkeyface eel, there's loads of them available hidden in the jetty rocks for poke-pole anglers. It...

Check out the new Issue of The Fish Sniffer magazine for June 5, 2025

In this issue of The Fish Sniffer, we bring you the real state of early summer fishing in northern California. Lakes like Shasta, New Melones, and Berryessa are producing fast trout, kokanee, and bass action for both trollers and bank anglers. Pyramid Lake is really getting good for trollers with Lahontan Cutthroat caught up to 18 pounds, and the American and Feather rivers are featuring a fast shad bite throughout the systems.

The golden mussel problem is still impacting boaters all over the state and has caused major boat launch closures and strict new inspection and quarantine rules at Folsom, Camanche, Pardee, New Melones and Berryessa—shifting many lakes to rental or hand-launched craft only. The recreational salmon season will open in the ocean this week, and there will be a very limited river salmon season starting in July.

All you need to know about fresh and saltwater fishing in Northern California is now available in the new issue of The Fish Sniffer Magazine!