VOL . 42 • ISS . 2
Port of West Sacramento Map Facts
Barge Canal Access : Located at 100 Jefferson Boulevard in West Sacramento . The access features an all-weather vehicle parking area , a hand-carry boat ramp for non-motorized boats , an all-weather walking / biking trail and fishing access along south bank of the Barge Canal . For more information , call the City of West Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation , 916-617-4620 , or email them at parks @ cityofwestsacramento . org .
The Washington Outboard Club is a member-oriented fishing club that resides in the Port of West Sacramento . Membership is limited to 600 members . Each June , new members are brought into the club to maintain maximum membership at 600 . Membership in the WOC is open to boat owners age 18 and over with a boat not greater than 21 feet in length , and not greater than 3,500 pounds in weight . You MUST own a boat and a tow vehicle . Your name MUST be on the registration papers . Hours of access to the Port are 5 a . m . to 10 p . m .
TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP , you must complete the application ( www . washingtonoutboardclub . org ). During the coronavirus shelter in place period you may submit one by text , email or mail . Text or email applications to the club ’ s Secretary , Tom Lee , ( 916 ) 425-9205 tlee5960 @ sbcglobal . net . Mail in applications should be sent to W . O . C . P . O . Box 1226 , West Sacramento , CA 95691 . At this time , the waiting period for membership is one to three years .
Fishing information : Sacramento Pro Tackle ( 916 ) 925-0529 , Fisherman ’ s Warehouse ( 916 ) 362-1200
MAP FEATURE
Port of West Sacramento
80
Sacramento Deep Water Channel
To Rio Vista
Enterprise Blvd .
Industrial Blvd .
80
Harbor Blvd .
Port of Sacramento
Southport Parkway
50
Industrial Blvd .
Stone Blvd .
Barge Canal Recreation Access ( no vehicles allowed )
Linden Road
West Capitol Ave .
Barge Canal
Jefferson Blvd .
February 3 , 2023
River Rd .
West Sacramento
Jefferson Blvd .
Canal Locks ( closed )
Sacramento River
11
Sacramento Marina
Striped Bass – are caught by anglers year round , but the action is best from October through April . Bank anglers toss out mudsuckers , jumbo minnows and cut sardines and anchovies in the Barge Canal and Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel . Kayakers and other boaters troll with Yo-Zuri and P-Line Predator lures , tipped with white and chartreuse wormtails . Boaters also experience top-notch action at times while jigging with Blade-Runner spoons or casting Rat-L-Traps and Umbrella rigs . The key to striper success is finding concentrations of stripers feeding on schools of threadfin shad . Most of the fish are schoolies in the 3 to 10 lb . range , but fish to 40 pounds can be hooked . Catfish – are pursued year round , although the top fishing takes place during the spring , summer and early fall when water temperatures are warm . Use mackerel , chicken liver , anchovies , sardines and jumbo minnows for channel and white catfish . Largemouth Bass – Boaters and bank anglers hook largemouths while throwing out an array of lures from the shore and boat . Jigs , plastic worms , swimbaits , spinnerbaits and Umbrella rigs are among the most popular lures for the bass .
Car Top Ramp
Miller Park
To Rio Vista
To Verona all-weather walking / biking trail and fishing access along the south bank of the Barge Canal . The barge canal is lined with trees , so anglers fishing during the heat of the summer can take advantage of the shade . The area includes picnic and sitting fixtures , port and environmental resource interpretive panels and trash and recycling receptacles . In recent years , the port and ship channel has supported a popular fishery for striped bass . Striped bass are caught throughout the year , but the port really gets going from October through April when the stripers move into the port to feed on the big schools of shad that congregate here . Bank anglers catch the fish while fishing jumbo minnows on sliding sinkers on the bottom . Mudsuckers , butterflied shad , sardine fillets and pileworms are other very productive striper baits . For the float tuber or boater , a plethora of methods can be used to entice striped bass in the port . You can plug , spoon , troll or drift minnows when fishing for stripers in the port and Sacramento Deep Water Channel . Mark Wilson recommended trolling minnow imitation lures including P-Line Predators and Angry Eyes , Mann ’ s Stretch 15 Lures , Yo-Zuris , Bombers and Rebels , tipped with plastic worms , for the stripers . “ Ninety percent of the anglers troll deep , but you can catch fish with both shallow diving and deep diving lures ,” said Wilson . “ I like to troll at 16 to 20 feet deep at 3 mph or shallow
The Barge Canal Recreation Access provides solid bank fishing and non-motorized boat fishing opportunities in the Port of West Sacramento and Sacramento Deep Water Shipping Channel .
Photo by Dan Bacher at 7 to 8 feet at 4-1 / 2 to 5 mph .” Most of the keeper-sized stripers caught in the port are in the 18 to 28 inch range , but much bigger fish are landed here every year , including lunkers up to 40 pounds . Spooning with Blade Runner spoons and other lures is highly effective when the shad school up in the port . Rick Tietz of Blade Runner Tackle finds topnotch catch and release striper action while spooning with his lures in the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel and port . The trick here is to find stripers balled up on schools of shad . But striped bass aren ’ t the only fish you can catch in the deepwater channel and port . You can also pursue black bass , catfish and crappie while using an array of methods . Black bass anglers also enjoy fishing the barge canal and deep water channel . Anglers hook lots of fish in the 1 to 3 pound range , along with some larger fish , while fishing Carolina-rigged Senkos , jigs and other lures . Although spring is the best time for port black bass , these fish can be caught year round off the tules and brush around the barge canal . The port of Sacramento and Port of Sacramento first became known by anglers for the large channel catfish that were caught here in the late sixties and early seventies , but the average size of the fish has declined in recent years . The explosion of the catfish population was probably spurred by the influx of food and nutrients that took place when the port was finished in 1963 . Now most of the cats are fish in the 1 to 2-pound range , with an occasional larger white or channel catfish . Mackerel , chicken liver , nightcrawlers , minnows , sardines and prepared baits are your best bets for the whiskerfish . Just about any type of fish that swims in the Sacramento River and Delta can be caught at times in the port . Starry flounder have been caught by anglers bait fishing in the barge canal . Other fish caught there over the years include white sturgeon , king salmon and steelhead . The ship channel is not just a popular fishery , but is one of the few remaining habitats for Delta smelt , an endangered species that is on the verge of extinction . According to Tom Cannon in his California Fisheries Blog on the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance website , “ Delta smelt are attracted to the Sacramento Deepwater Ship Channel in winter and early spring to spawn in the relatively warm , low salinity , turbid , and more productive water . The adult smelt can also easily tidal-surf up the ship channel without having to content with strong downstream currents of the Sacramento River channel .” Information : https :// www . cityofwestsacramento . org / government / departments / parks-recreation / playgrounds-parks-trails / boating-fishing