There are two free fishing days a year in California, days when you do not need a fishing license to fish.
The first day is coming up Sunday, July 4. This is great timing, as many of us may be at a lake or vacationing along the coast, and midsummer opens up many fishing opportunities in both sweet and salt water.
The second day will be Sept. 6, Labor Day.
In the salt water, crab season was set to close south of Mendocino County on Wednesday, June 30. Because of strong Northwest winds, many crab fishermen had already packed it in for the season, but catching Dungeness crabs continued to be productive for the few who continued to fish. Crab reports came in from Bodega Bay to Monterey Bay, and most were catching good-sized crabs, with a high percentage being on the soft side, due to spring molting. The season will reopen Nov. 6.
Along the beaches near Aptos, striped bass have been caught by both shore anglers and boaters. Most fishermen pursue striped bass from shore while casting surface poppers or rubber swim baits. The catch has fluctuated for stripers, but if you go a few times, you are going to see or catch a striper.
Halibut, rockfish and lingcod are becoming steady catches at local landings. Rockfish have been on a steady bite when the winds let anglers fish. The swells have been down, and the water is starting to warm up. These conditions also help draw the lingcod and halibut closer to shore.
Freshwater fishing has been good, with reservoirs at high levels and snowmelt on its way. Many reservoirs are at capacity, and as the old saying goes, where there is water, there are fish.
Bullard Bar is a hot pick with wide-open fishing for kokanee salmon. Don Pedro is producing kokanee salmon at a depth of 50 feet before the sun hits the water. Lake McClure is producing landlocked king salmon for those trolling shad for bait. The Sacramento River from Redding down to Red Bluff has been good for rainbow trout. Eagle Lake has been producing limits of Eagle Lake-strain trout in the early dawn hours of the day for anglers using worms.
These are all beautiful places to fish. I hope you can get out to enjoy the outdoors and the free fishing day this weekend.
Mike Baxter has fished in the Monterey Bay Area since he was a boy and has been a licensed charter boat captain for more than 15 years. Contact him at [email protected]. He also hosts a fishing show on radio station KSCO (1080) from 7:06 to 8 p.m. Thursdays April through September.
