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CA DELTA REPORT
Updated - 3/8/2006

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Cold weather dampens action

Well it figures I get back it starts stormin agian and Sturgeon in the 60-pound range have shown in recent days of clear weather and good tides. China Camp and the Pumphouse continue to be the hottest spots for anglers using ghost shrimp or herring. Stripers are showing up, but not many. The weekend should yield some good angling as long as rains don't wash things out.

Chilly rains put a damper on the action in the Delta as well, but there are still fish to be had. Mario Chavez caught stripers to 15 pounds this past week Striped bass to 40 inches bite on Bluegill, Shad and anchovies off the bank.

Anglers returned to the Isleton area Wednesday, but conditions have yet to improve after rain and hail pounded the area last weekend. Sturgeon bite on ghost shrimp, but the water is too muddy for striped bass. The forecast calls for more rain this weekend, but lighter and mostly at night, so daylight angling should be a go.

 

 

Rio Vista - Isleton

Bob’s Bait Report www.themasterbaiter.com

The winter storm came after a tropical storm that brought too much water during the beginning of the week, and it was too cold and windy over the weekend.

For the month of February and March this year, fishing activities were much slower than usual due to the late and heavy rains. Add this to it being a very cold March, the muddy water, and too much weeds still flowing with the water current.

The weekend before last was good for both sturgeon and striped bass fishing. Then the storms came in and everything changed due to the weird weather. I spent half a day with my friend on Saturday fishing at the Isleton Bridge, but have did not have any luck. Only the Mokelumne River area was good for striped bass last weekend with some striped bass over 10 lbs. caught on bloodworms and ghost shrimp.

It is taking longer than usual for the water to clear up. The striped bass Spring Run began, but the cloudy water is the main reason for slowing striped bass harvest this time. The coming days should be good when the rain slows down and the water clears up. Best luck to you all and have a nice coming weekend.


Hook Line And Sinker Report
Robert from the Hook in Oakley reports.
Black Bass:
The bass seem to be starting to wake up from their winter slump with some BIG fish being brought in this past weekend. There was tournament out of Russo's in Bethel Island this past sunday that took 33LBS. FOR 5 TO WIN! Also, there was a 15LB BASS weighed in at the marina on Sat. Jigs have been the top producer of both numbers and the bigger fish right now with Black/Blue being the above and all choice of most anglers. There also been an increasing crankbait/rattletrap bite starting to pick up with any red or craw pattern being top choice.

Sturgeon:
The delta diamondbacks have been making a showing the past few weeks although the recent McAvoy's Super Bowl Derby did not show with only about 25 fish being weighed in. Most of the fish have been reported from San Pablo and South SF bays with the Honker/Grizzly Bay area producing the best action for our portion of the river. With grass shrimp being next to impossible to get right now, anglers are turning to alternatives in bait right now with roe, pile worms and eel being top choices. With the slower tides anglers fishing deeper water have been experiencing better action
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Sacramento Area Report - by Jack Chapman

No Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delta Bank Fishing

by Roland “Innovate” Aspiras


It happened again. More rain pounded the valley this weekend leaving me with very little to report this week.

The Old Sacramento River is once again swollen with trees, sticks and other various debris. Anglers are struggling to hold bottom, having to use at least 14 ounces of weight. And it isn’t enough ... even if you are able to hold bottom, after a short while debris will build up on your rig. Once enough garbage gets stuck on your line you’ll get bumped back to the bank in a matter of minutes.

I can only hope that a good break in the weather will occur so that the system can recede to fishable levels.

Rio Vista is a different story, as 8 ounces of weight will hold bottom fairly well unless you have a lot of water movement.

Brandon Salaam and his father were out yesterday at Sherman Island fishing the outgoing tide where they bagged a 55 inch sturgeon on Ghost Shrimp.

Keeping that size of Brandon’s Sturgeon in mind, the State Fish and Game Commission voted on Thursday to reduce the current maximum size limit of 72 inches to 56 inches. Marty Gingras, Senior Biologist of Fisheries for the Department of Fish and Game noted that a flier will be posted announcing the new regulations. So, until we see those fliers the current slot limit stands. I think this is a great move for the Sturgeon fishery simply because larger fish contribute widely to the reproduction of the species.

On a different note, I received word that Stripers were being caught on the Old Sacramento River below Discovery Park just before the storms rolled in. That left me thinking – usually this time of year the Port of Sacramento starts to turn on as well. However, we will the climate to stay dry and temps to rise before the fishing really gets underway.

Also keep in mind that Shad season is just around the corner. April is usually when the first batch of “Poor Man’s Tarpon” start appearing at Freeport. I cant wait!

To all, good luck on the banks. My best bet would be the Rio Vista area for now, at least until the Old Sac flushes out a bit. Give it a week. I’ll be down there.

Like always, make sure that you pick up after yourself so that the next person can enjoy the spot you just fished.


Fish Hookers Report

The sturgeon fishing in the Pittsburg area and Montezuma Slough has been very good this last week. Most of the days that we had groups out we caught at least one keeper size sturgeon each day and a couple of the days we had multiple keeper sturgeon in the box for our clients. This year there are quite a few shaker sturgeon that we are catching and releasing. It was only on the weekend with all the boat traffic that the catch got a little more difficult. The weather has been marvelous and the water is beginning to warm with the good sunny conditions. We should start seeing more stripers in the area with the warming of the water.

We are looking forward to the striper fishing to pick up in the area. All conditions are pointing to a good spring run of stripers. This will take place as the water clears and begins to warm. This should start to begin around the beginning of March depending on what weather occurs in between now and then.

In the mean time the sturgeon fishing looks like it will continue to produce some good catches in our area. We are marking some nice sturgeon in a few different areas. Salmon roe and the lamprey eel continue to be the good sturgeon baits.

If you want to catch some of these fish give us a call. The boats leave each day when booked from the City of Pittsburg Marina

Information: (916) 777-6498 (Isleton)


Flash Fishing Report www.flashfishing.net


A bit about Captain Steve, Captain Steve fished the San Francisco Bay since 1970, when his grandfather would take him out to the old Berkeley pier. He bought his first boat in 1980 and got his Captain's license in 1997. He enjoys small groups (no more than 6) and gives personal attention to all. Having 2 young daughters himself, he is especially patient with children on the boat. Bring your own equipment or use Steve's top of the line equipment. Steve has impressive state of the art commercial electronics on the boat to optimize your fishing experience! And yes, we went to the same High School, Welcome Capt. Steve!

Steve reports things are turning around in the West Delta, The bite did slow a little the last 3 days.
2/22 Photo
Roy Korb landed a 52" sturgeon in 19 feet of water between the fleet and bouy 9.
The fish took eel/pile on the outgo.
Roy is from Sacramento.

 

 

2/23 Photos 2
11 year old Bryce Anderson from Yuba City landed his first sturgeon.
The fish was 65" and 62 lbs. It jumped all the way out of the water during the battle.We fished in 15 feet of water between the fleet and bouy 9.The fish took eel/ghost shrimp combo on the outgo tide.

Capt. Steve
Flash
Sport Fishing

 

 

 

 

Lucky Strike Fishing Report www.luckystrikefishing.com

No report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FishDelta.com now brings you out of area reports as well!!!!!!!

Pens help boost the Trout scores

Angels Camp- It seems that that increasing numbers of larger may be directly related to the pen raising program. Melanie Lewis reports that, “Some of the large rainbows we have been seeing may be fish that were released from the holding pens donated by Kokanee Power last year. Each winter, the Department of Fish and Game delivers hundreds of rainbow and brown trout to the fish-raising pens. New Melones Lake Marina employees feed the fish daily, and Kokanee Power members keep the cages clean and free of algae. The fish grow quickly, and soon reach 2-3 pounds. They are released into the lake in the spring, where they continue to grow. You can see this year’s trout in the pens if you go down to the marina. They will be released when the surface water temp warms up, sometime in April. Thank you, Kokanee Power, for spearheading this great program and improving the fishing at Melones! And thank you, New Melones Lake Marina, for donating space for the cages, and for feeding the fish!

Trout is solid, when the weather cooperates. Most anglers caught 1-3 quality fish in the 2-5 pound range, with bank anglers catching the biggest fish. Most trollers are catching fish in the top 20-40 feet of water- shallower in overcast or rainy conditions. It is important when trout are near the surface to have at least 80-120 feet of line out while trolling, or use a side planer. Upriver between the two bridges has been good, as has the mouth of Angels Cove. Shad-patterned lures such as a Cop Car Needlefish or a silver/black Rapala Countdown have been the best producers. Red or Firetiger Needlefish or Apex are also producing nice fish. Use a shad scent on your lure, or try the new Pautski’s Krill scent. Sep’s Sidekick dodgers are working well, but it’s not time to tie on big flashers or dodgers yet. Eric Sharkey of Brentwood wins The Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest with a 4.6-pounder caught while trolling upriver.

Get out the swim baits and let it storm, other wise drop-shot rigs, tubes, Senkos and Roboworm Shakin’ Worms, and some jigs and rip baits as lures that are working on Melones right now. Drop-shot rigs are catching the biggest numbers of fish, while larger fish, while harder to find, are hitting swim baits, rip baits, and jigs. Fish are 20’-50’ feet deep.

New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,994,500 acre-feet of water, and is at 82% capacity. The lake is full and beautiful. The lake level rose slightly this week, and is at 1,052 ft. above sea level and only 36 ft. from full capacity. Surface water temperatures are approximately 53 degrees. Water is fairly clear to slightly muddy in the creek arms.

 


Lake Pardee

Water conditions: Water level rose considerably since last report and is presently 3 to 4 feet below spill. Continued rains have caused additional runoff resulting in Secchi readings at the 5 foot mark again this week. The temperature measured exactly the same for the second week, 48 degrees at the 20 foot mark and 52 degrees at surface. Needle buoys, islands and rocky outcroppings pose less of a threat to navigation since the water level has risen but still keep a watchful eye out for hazards.

Weather: Great for ducks, more rain this week with the possibility of some blue stuff this weekend. Still very cool here in the mornings, dress in layers.

Trolling- Very quiet this week, the rain has kept everyone away and the guys at the Marina are very lonely. The coves on the east side of the Lake from Mel’s to the River Mouth should still be the best bet, nothing has changed to move that concentration of fish out of that area. Trout should still be in the first 10 feet of water since water temps are constant. Flashers with night crawlers, lures tipped with a partial scented grub or night crawler behind dodgers or sidekicks. Others prefer flat lining behind a very slow troll out 75 to 100 feet behind the boat. Stick with red, pink, cop car and green for lures, dodgers and sidekicks.

Shore Anglers-The hike to the waters edge has greatly improved, there has been absolutely no pressure from hordes of bank anglers lined up along the shore and the last plant contained larger than usual fish. The Launch Ramp, Rainbow Point, the bridge at Sawyer Island, Stony Point Landing and behind the EBMUD boathouse are all good choices. The cold water temperatures in the Recreation area are encouraging the plants to linger longer. Favorite trout fast foods are chartreuse and rainbow processed bait and eggs on a sliding sinker set up, chrome and blue casting lures and last but not least wooly flies behind a clear plastic float.

Some recent success stories:

Another great Largemouth landed last weekend by Gabriel Cardenas, no details on the photo but he weighed in at 8.48 lbs…great fish!

As of 3/09/06 a total of 13,000 lbs of trout has been planted by Lake Pardee and the Department of fish and Game with more scheduled for the near future.

Good Luck---Tight Lines.

For information or reservations call (209) 772-1472



 



 

The Lake Camanche Fishing Report - Lake on the Rise Trout are no Surprise

Wallace-The trout bite at Lake Camanche continues to be strong, but the patterns have changed due to the string of warm, clear, and calm days. Fish are holding in deeper water now. Trout guide Bruce Hamby, from Sierra Sportfishing, had a client out on Friday and caught a nice limit of trout fishing between 28-35 feet deep. They were using red/gold Ex-Cel lures and Triple Teazers in the bikini pattern. Andy Bledsoe, from Napa, caught 9 beautiful trout on Saturday while trolling a red Humdinger at 40 feet deep, out near the dam. Chester Maxwell, and his wife Sunny, rented a boat from North Shore on Thursday and caught 9 fish total, with Sunny catching a gorgeous 4.5 pound rainbow, and Chester netting a 3 pounder to go along with it. They were fishing near the dam with Power Bait.

Shore fishing at North Shore Day Use area and the South Shore Pond has been sporadic this week, with reports of great success, as well as a tough bite for some. James Murray, from Camanche, caught limits of trout at the Pond several mornings this week. He was using Power Worms. Ken & Joshua Matthews, and Don Elliott, all from Manteca, caught numerous fish over a 3 day period this week. Ken had 14 trout from 1 to 3 pounds, Josh had 5 trout, and Don had 11 trout from 1 to 3 pounds also. They were using Power Eggs, worms, and rainbow marshmallows. 8 boys from Elk Grove, including, Chuck Leek, caught 11 fish on in the Pond on Saturday, with a 4.3 pound rainbow for their big fish. They were using Power Bait and Power Eggs.

This week’s trout plant of 1,200 pounds will all go into the South Shore Pond

Lake Camanche Marina would like to thank Fairfield Suisun Bass Reapers for holding their bass tournament here at Lake Camanche. They had 8 boats go out on Saturday, with 4 limits being reported. We congratulate Curt Beckwith for his big fish of 3.38 pounds, and Scott Smith for his winning weight of 9.19 pounds. They report that most fish were caught from 15-20 feet, with plastic worms and lizards in green pumpkin, purple, and brown as some of the most common baits used.

Jim Pagluica (from Cameron Park) and his young boys Matthew and Michael had a great morning on Saturday. They were drifting minnows up the river and the boys boated a 3.7 pound spotted bass, as well as 2 other bass, and a nice 3.4 pound rainbow trout to go with it. Proud dad released all the fish, but had photos and video to record their memories. Thanks to all of them for sharing their experience with me here at the Marina.

We encourage all anglers to stop by either marina and share their experiences or comments, let us take your picture, or put your story in the weekly Fish Report. We encourage e-mail questions, or comments, and I will reply to all e-mails that I receive here at North Shore Marina


 


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