DELTA

Due to increased flows, the Sacramento River is running higher with releases out of the upper tributaries in anticipation of the heavy snowmelt in the coming months.  The good news is the water clarity’s getting better along with less heavy floating debris.  The sturgeon fishing is still rated very good with reports coming out of Suisun Bay, Suisun Cut and Montezuma Slough up into the Sherman Island area off Light 14.  Good numbers of striped bass have moved further upstream on the Sacramento River into the Freeport area near the bridge and into the upper stretches of the Sacramento River into the Feather River.

Recent reports indicate the striped bass bite has improved on both the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers.   Most of the fish taken recently have been in the 5 to 15 pound category with pile worms, blood worms, and cut sardines coated with garlic spray.  For sturgeon the hot bites include eel/nightcrawler combinations or pile worms.  Six-pack skippers report that the bite on sturgeon has been very good and they are really chomping.  Striped bass are also hitting live drifted minnows along with tossing swimsuits and spooning.

On the San Joaquin River the striped bass fishing slowed down during the last storm fronts to hit the area.  Most of the action is on the troll from the San Andreas Shoals up to the Antioch Bridge.  The best lure is the deep diving Yo-Zuri with a white worm trailer in water depths ranging from 12 to 16 feet.  Currently, the fish have been running from 5 to 14 pounds and most of them are males still in the milking stage.  The larger females should be making an appearance towards the middle of April.  This year due to the above average rainfall, the striped bass fishing should run into the month of June and July.  As soon as the weather warms and water temperatures increase most of the bait shops should be receiving some fresh thread fin shad.  The shad is the best by far when it comes to striped bass fishing.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY

The halibut fishing continues to improve, and the south bay seems to be the top location due the water clarity.  Legal size halibut are holding off the Alameda Rockwall and Oyster Point.  Several charter boats reported taking a total of seven legal halibut for their clients.  For example, the California Dawn out of Berkeley with a limited amount of live shiners hooked and landed 9 halibut and 8 striped bass for 9 anglers with another 38 short halibut.

CAMANCHE LAKE

Trout plants continue with 900 pounds of Mt. Lassen Hatchery rainbows released into the South Pond along with another 900 pounds at the South Shore Marina.  Quality rainbows weighing as much as 7.05 pounds continue to be caught by trolling spoons and such as the Crocodile outside the Narrows and off the shoreline at the South Cove. Camanche Lake is now at 74 percent capacity.

Here we are in the month of April with the best fishing about to bust loose in our area.  The weather conditions should improve along with warmer daylight temperature and your next fishing adventure should now be in the planning stages.  Take time to go out and enjoy the great outdoors.  Until next tide stay safe to fish another day.

JAY’S BEST BETS
Sacramento River - (sturgeon, striped bass);
San Joaquin River - (striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, perch)
Suisun Bay - (sturgeon, striped bass)
Suisun Cut - (sturgeon)
San Pablo Bay- (striped bass, sturgeon)
Amador Lake - (trout);
Freeport - (striped bass);
Camanche Lake - (trout)
San Francisco Bay (halibut)
Lake Pardee - (trout)
Ocean - (rockcod, ling cod, sand dabs, Dungeness crab)
Montezuma Slough - (sturgeon)
San Luis Reservoir - (striped bass)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

The man of the hour is the man
Who makes every minute count

….Anonymous

ROCKFISH SEASON OPENS WITH A BANG

Charter boat skippers and anglers fishing the coast from Point Sur up the coast to Bodega Bay found top notch fishing for rock cod and ling cod along the entire coast on opening day Saturday, April 1 of recreational ground fish season.  All party boat skippers reported catching full limits of rock cod and lingcod for their clients.  All of the fish were of quality size.  This included copper, vermilion and canary rockfish.  One party boat checked in with a bonus catch of 39 Dungeness crab and 65 rock crab.

The salmon fishing season opens on Saturday, April 6 north of Pigeon Point and April 13 in the Bodega Bay.  During the opening day of the rockcod fishing, salmon were hooked and released, including several fish weighing 25 pounds.  The water conditions are perfect with plenty of bait in the waters for the opening of the recreational fishing season.  This should be banner salmon fishing season.

Note:  The ocean salmon fishing season along the Sonoma County coast opens from the 13th of April too Saturday, April 20th with the remainder of the season to be determined by the Pacific Fisheries Marine Management Council during their meetings from April 9 thru 16 in Rohnert Park, Calif. The current limits for salmon allow you to take two salmon daily with a minimum 24 inch length.

CSBA WEST DELTA CHAPTER MEETING

Thursday, April 11th, 2019 - The West Delta Chapter of the California Striped Bass Association will be conducting their general membership meeting at the Bridge Head Marina Yacht Club facilities, 20 Fleming Lane, Antioch, Ca.  The meeting is open to the public and guests are welcome. The evening's guest speaker will be Chris Spencer representing Garmin Marine Electronics.  For those interested in having dinner please call Tom Voss at (925) 699-1699 for reservations.  The dinner menu will consist of: Baked ham with scalloped potatoes, veggie salad, roll and butter plus dessert.  Time: 5:30 to 6:30 pm.  No host bar.  6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Dinner and General Meeting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

NTAC TROUT ANGLERS CHALLENGE AT COLLINS LAKE
Saturday, April 13, 2019 - The Norcal Trout Anglers Challenge Tournament Tour will visit Collins Lake and if you love to fish for trout you’ll want to participate in this low cost event. Boaters and bank anglers are welcome. The event will feature cash prizes, gear raffles and a lot of family fun. For more information or to sign up call (916) 768-0938.

FUTURE PRO CLEAR LAKE BASS TOURNAMENT
April 20, 2019 - Be part of this west coast bass tournament by signing up for this Future Pro event.  For more information, call Vince harris at (916) 768-0938.

KOKANEE POWER LAKE SHASTA TEAM CLASSIC
May 4-5, 2019 - You are invited to fish the Kokanee Power Lake Shasta Team Classic where you have the chance of hooking up with big trout and landlocked salmon.  Participants can win some awesome prizes along with a free dinner.  For more information, call Gary Coe at (916) 985-4943.

FUTURE PRO CLEAR LAKE BASS TOURNAMENT
Saturday, April 20, 2019 - Plan on attending this event and be part of the west coast’s hottest bass fishing circuit by signing up for the Future Pro event.  For more information, call Vince Harris at (916) 768-0938.

2019 SALMON FISHING SEASON OPENER
Saturday, April 6, 2019 - The ocean salmon fishing season opens in local waters as opposed to running 18 miles south below Pigeon Point.

DISABLED VETERANS FISHING EVENT
Saturday, April 13, 2019 - The 8th Annual Purple Heart Disabled Anglers Fishing Event takes place at Brannan Island State Recreation Area. This is the largest event each year attracting Disabled Veterans and volunteers from around northern and central California. The organi-
zation is always seekingvolunteer boat captains, deckhands, setup and clean up crews, as well as food prep help. To volunteer for this event, contact Darren Butler at [email protected].

3RD ANNUAL FISHERMAN’S EXPO
Saturday, April 20, 2019 - Nick Smith and Matt Frazier are joining forces once again to host the 3rd Annual Informative Fisherman’s Expo at Modesto Toyota. Free to the public this family friendly event draws over 3,000 fans from all over Northern California. There will be a good number of vendors in attendance to show and highlight their latest products. There will be a casting contest and bring your kids to the fishing pond. This is a fun day for the whole family. Modesto Toyota is located at 4513 McHenry Ave. in Modesto, Ca. For more information, call (209) 529-2933.

DUNGENESS CRAB SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be closing down the commercial Dungeness crab pot pulling season 3 months early due to the annual migration of grey and humpback whales. This action is to avoid contact with the huge mammals. Last year there were 36 entanglements with the pot pulling lines
resulting in numerous injuries to the whales. An update on this issue will be forthcoming.

CDFW Reminds Public to Leave Young Wildlife Alone
Late spring and early summer is the peak time for California’s wildlife to have their young, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is issuing a reminder to well-intentioned people to not interact with young wildlife – even if they find an animal that appears to be abandoned. It may be hard to resist scooping up a young wild animal that looks vulnerable and alone but human intervention may cause more harm than good. Young animals removed from their natural environment typically do not survive or may not develop the appropriate survival skills needed to be released back into the wild. “It is a common mistake to believe a young animal has been abandoned when it is found alone, even if the mother has not been observed in the area for a long period of time,” said Nicole Carion, CDFW’s statewide wildlife rehabilitation coordinator. “Chances are the mother is off foraging, or is nearby, waiting for you to leave. ”Adult female deer often stash their fawns in tall grass or brush for many hours while they are out foraging for food. A female mountain lion may spend as much as 50 percent of her time away from her kittens. After leaving the nest, fledgling birds spend significant time on the ground while learning to fly with their parents somewhere nearby. If a young animal is in distress, or you are unsure, contact a  and speak to personnel to determine the best course of action.For an injured, orphaned or sick bear, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, wild pig or mountain lion, contact  directly, as most wildlife rehabilitators are only allowed to possess small mammals and birds. Although some wildlife rehabilitators are allowed to accept fawns, injured or sick adult deer should be reported directly to CDFW for public safety reasons. Anyone who removes a young animal from the wild is required to notify CDFW or take the animal to a state and federally permitted wildlife rehabilitator within 48 hours. These animals may need specialized care and feeding that is best done by trainedwildlife care specialists. It is important to note that wild animals -even young ones – can cause serious injury with their sharp claws, hooves and teeth, especially when injured and scared. They may also carry ticks, fleas and lice, and can transmit diseases to humans, including rabies and tularemia.

To learn more about how to live and recreate responsibly where wildlife is near, please visit CDFW’s Keep Me Wild website: www.keepmewild.org.