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"The bite has gone off the hook, everybody is getting them and coming in early!” The excitement doesn’t stop there as the sturgeon are thick in the Chain Island area too. Lopez added, this is as good as it gets here, it’s amazing once the bullheads are available the bite goes off the hook. It must be World Series week.

Threaded and tooth-picked live bullheads fished in 5 feet of water are deadly for stripers here. Fish the bullheads on a sliding sinker rig with as little weight as possible. Sometimes it's possible (on calm days during the top of the tide) to freeline the bullheads with no weight at all.

The bite here, for live bait anglers, can sometimes turn on all at once, no matter where you're fishing. But there are areas to look for when fishing live bullheads. I like to look for areas that offer both easy access for the stripers, as well as food and shelter for the baitfish. This might mean a few more snags and an occasional lost fish, but it could also be the difference between catching fish or not, when the fishing gets tough.

I look for weed beds, pilings or rock piles. These areas offer the protection and food for the baitfish. Most anglers concentrate on fishing in five feet of water or less on the sandbars and in the backs of the Bays during the last two hours of the incoming tide and the first two hours of the outgoing tide.

Don't give up if you miss these tides. Just move to ten to fifteen feet of water adjacent to the shallows, as the bass tend to move to these areas for protection from being trapped in the shallows. Don't be afraid to move around a bit if the bite slows.

Often, I'll troll broken-backed Rebels close to the weeds and pilings with good success. I know it's a little away from the "norm", as many regulars look at me like I'm crazy, but the looks change when we grab the net.

Plug casting is continuing to grow in popularity as more and more anglers who, regularly use their casting rods throwing baits for largemouth, try for stripers. There are some great stripers rewarding those who are casting plugs, too.

How does this sound? I have caught several stripers in the past couple of weeks. Imagine that in shallow water on the end of your favorite casting rod. Anglers are certainly seeing some increasing numbers in the Big Break and Sherman Lake areas. Rat-L-Traps are getting the most mention but, Lucky Craft also get some mention (although it might cost you when you break ‘em off). The Guys at the “Hook” (510.625.2441) has seen a consistent improvement in the action here over the past few weeks as there are more and more quality fish around for the plug casters.

I have had success to the west when the wind allows the venture, yet the quality is improving in Big Break too. More and more 17 to 20 pound fish are starting to show now in the New York Slough and Chain Island areas.

The are reports of success coming from a number of different areas, including the Sacramento side of Sherman Lake, Broad Slough and the Honker Bay area, to name a few. The wind here has also been the biggest deterrant for anglers, but when things calm down, there are big fish being caught.

The Hair Raiser or bucktail-type jig is a top choice for anglers here. The 1/2-ounce size works best, but sometimes in fast water I'll use 3/4-ounce. There are quite a few Hair Raiser-type jigs around that all work well.    

Enjoy!

Dan Mathisen
FishDelta.com - All Species, All Delta
The Ultimate Resource For California Delta Fishing

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