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Delta
Bank Fishing
by Roland “Innovate”
Aspiras
What happened to the weather? We even saw rain this afternoon, and its been on and off through the evening.
Stripers are the main target by boat and bank anglers as of late in the metro Sac area, as some nice fish have been landed around Discovery Park. Most fish are sitting around the 22-23 inch range, with a few 10 lb fish in the mix. Top baits have been cut sardines, anchovies, blood worms and pile worms.
Trolling is still producing fish for those working Rio Vista - the west bank of the Sacramento River, Steamboat Slough, and Isleton on the Old Sac. Most fish are being caught shallow, with 5-8 feet being the best depth. There isn’t too much going on with bait fishing in the Rio area, as most people are concentrating their efforts closer to Sacramento.
There were rumors on various forums in the last week that Shad were being caught on the Old Sac, so I took a brief trip out fishing this morning and wound up getting frostbite! Man was it cold! I moved around a bit, going from Hood, the Clarksburg Flats, then to Freeport. I tried shallow, in the middle and deep. From a fast retrieve to a slow roll, and nothing. No Shad. If they are catching Shad out there, they really must be hitting the fish right in the head. I say that we give it another 2-3 weeks and the fishing should get good.
Sturgeon are still a good bet in the Old Sac, with Colusa, Knights Landing and Grimes kicking out some fish. Ghost Shrimp, Pile Worms and Eel have been the top baits being as of late. No reports from Hood or Courtland recently, but I’m sure if you put in some time, you’d be able to draw a hit from a dino. With the river being low, its important to plan your trip around the change of the tides.
Not too many reports from boaters as of late due to the (usual) spring wind, but I spoke with Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Fishing the other day and he noted two keepers, and yes, lots of wind. My coworkers and I will be fishing aboard the Lucky Strike next week in celebration of my boss’ last month in California. Hopefully we get into some fish!
No reports on catfish as of late, and I recently learned that the levees of Tyler Island Road are now closed to fishing. It’s a downright shame to see that area closed down – I remember many nights fishing there with my parents when I was a kid, catching nice channel catfish and waking up to smell of sunny side eggs in the mornings – now, a distant memory. Soon, all of the areas that I grew up fishing on the California Delta will be closed to bank fishing.
One of the major reasons why bank access is closed is due to the fact that people litter with reckless abandon. While trekking through the paths in Freeport this morning, I noticed large quantities of trash. From beer bottles, fast food containers, dirty diapers and even spray paint cans, it was just plain ridiculous. And speaking of the spray paint cans, someone decided it would be a great idea to write gang insignia all over the trees. I’ve said it many times before and I will say it again – please do your part and pick up after yourself so the next person can enjoy the spot you just fished.
Roland
“Innovate”
Aspiras
Email
lsleton
Area
by
Can Nguyen -- Bob's Bait Shop
There were some good days during the week but it was too windy in the two weekend days due to sudden dropped temperature from low 80 to mid 60. Temperatures were at low 60 in the last three days. It will be rain this evening until tomorrow. Hope the good weather will last throughout the weekend this week.
Fishing for striped bass was still great in
most part of the delta channels. From Antioch
Bridge up to Mokelumne Rivers in San Joaquin
river side to Cache Slough, Steam Boat Slough,
or Old Sacramento River, there were number
of good size striped bass reported on either
baits as ghost shrimp; grass shrimp; pile
worm; or bloodworm, or trolling by lures
as Bomber; Broken Back Rebel; or Yu-Zori.
Depending on the weather, certain colors
work better than others do. Using bright
color lures during the bright time and otherwise.
In general, there are two types of lures:
shallow diving lure and deep diving lures.
The shallow diving lures are using during
the low tide while the deep diving lures
are using during the high tide. For shallow
diving lures, let the lure out about 130
feet away from boat while only letting the
lure out about 100 feet away from boat for
deep diving lures. The boat speed is also
different. It’s about 4-5 mph for shallow
diving lures while it’s about 3-4 mph
for deep diving lures.
Sturgeon fishing was still hot in Sherman Island
up to Sacramento River or Cache slough.
Three best baits for sturgeon are grass shrimp, ghost shrimp, or lamprey eel. Since grass shrimp is small, it will take about 4 to 6 grass shrimp to cover the size 6/0 hook. It’s only take about one or two ghost shrimp to cover the size 6/0 hook. Lamprey eel can be cut in a size about 1-1/2 inch in length and then split it into two strips for two baits.
Sturgeon mostly bites during the tide changes ways from high either to low or from low to high with 1-hour window. When setting the hook, be sure you set lat least twice. Always check your reel drag to make sure it tie enough but not too tie so it can release the line when fish is strongly pulling away.
Catfish fishing was improved in Three Miles Slough, Georgiana Slough, Mokelumne Rivers, Cache Slough, Steam Boat Slough, or Miner Slough. The good baits for catfish are frozen ghost shrimp, chicken liver, anchovy, or crawdad tail meat.
Black bass, small mouth, and large mouth bass was hot now in Georgiana Slough, Mokelume Rivers, and Sacramento River. The best bait is live minnow. Best luck to you all and have a nice coming weekend.
Antioch-Oakley
Area
by Chris Lauritzen -- Lauritzen Yacht Harbor
For a change the weather reporters were correct it was a cold crummy Saturday. We had wind gusts up to 36 mph Saturday night with dust and dirt blowing everywhere. It was a truly unpleasant night.
The local guys who live in the Delta have an advantage over those of you who live in places like Concord or farther away in that if that tide is right they just pick up their boat and do a little fishing for an hour or two and go home. For the long distance guys it’s a different story.
That is the case with buddy Paul Wong. Paul lives in Antioch and is retired part of the time he is one of those double dippers the rest. Paul has been working a school of stripers the past two weeks that has stuck pretty close to the same spot during this period of time. The school seems to stretch from the rock barges on the San Joaquin River at buoy 25 around to the mouth Three Mile Slough on the San Joaquin side of things. All of the good fishing has been in shallow water 2 – 10 feet. All of the stripers have been caught on rattle traps. Most of the fish are males most of them are milking when they are brought onto the boat. The biggest fish so far has been in the 10 lb range.
The sturgeon bite has been pretty good on the Sacramento River in the area that I like to call Mello’s Cove (buoy 8 on the Sacramento Deep Water Shipping Channel). Mike Kennedy was once again fishing in that same spot on Friday with a buddy catching two keeper sturgeon and three throw back sturgeon and one legal striper. One of the sturgeon measured 51 inches, 52 lbs. not bad.
On Sunday our employee Marv Bartlett brother Scott and friend Mike Kennedy spot at Mello’s Cove and caught two under size sturgeon 36 & 46 inches long as well as several stripers. All of the stripers were males and as soon as they were put on the boat they started milking. Marv said the only thing the sturgeon would bite on was ghost shrimp. Scott had grass shrimp and Mike was fishing with pile worms. Marv was the only one who had a bite.
For those of you who need a little salt water kick there are still some halibut being caught in the Berkley Flats area up to 15 lbs according one of the charter boat captains.
Steve Kowalewski is a great Delta supporter when it comes to black bass and striper fishing but like everyone else he enjoys a little change. Steve launched from Alameda last Friday heading out the Estuary towards the Berkley Flat. As he writes there were several times when he should have turned around but didn’t. Once he was out there on station the wind and seas calmed to the point it was very fishable. Steve caught one keeper halibut and one undersize Steve thanks for the report.
Because of the cool nights water temperatures have dropped down several degrees currently the water temperature range at the Antioch Boat Ramp is in the 58.6 – 60.9 degrees. That’s down about 3 degrees from last week.
It’s time to think about the Memorial Day Weekend which is now just a month away. Historically many folks go away to the mountains for the long weekends to do a little camping. The Delta gets a huge influx of big boaters in the central Delta and water skiers in the south Delta.
I kind of think fuel prices and low water levels will keep a lot of people away from the lakes this year. Check your water levels before you head up to the mountains you may be better off staying in the Delta. Currently Shasta Dam is down by 61 feet at a current level of 1006 feet the top is 1067 feet.
Oroville Dam is down some 147 feet from the top to a current level of 753 feet the top is 900 feet. Last but not least is Folsom Dam in Sacramento where the lake level is down 49– feet at the beginning of the spring season. The point to all of this is as I said months back we are still in a drought by fall our dams will be bone dry. What does that do to our fish? See you on the water.
Chris Lauritzen
Lauritzen's
Yacht Harbor
Website