Fish Sniffer Magazine Volume 42 Issue 14 | Page 11

Location : The San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers in the West Delta region and their myriad of sloughs are the two top rivers for striped bass and sturgeon in California . They also support good populations of sturgeon , catfish and smallmouth and largemouth bass . Salmon season is closed on all California rivers and ocean waters this year .

Camping and Lodging : Motels and r . v . camping facilities are available in the river towns of Isleton , Rio Vista , Antioch and Pittsburg . For more information , call California Delta Chambers & Visitor ’ s Bureau , 169 W . Brannan Road , Isleton , CA . 95641 , 916-777-4041 , www . californiadelta . org . For more information on Pirates ’ Lair in Isleton , call 916-777-6464 or www . korthspirateslair . com

Fishing information : Fisherman ’ s Warehouse , Sacramento , 916-362-1200 ; Rio Vista Bait , 707-374-5522 , Hap ’ s Bait , Rio Vista , 707 374-2372 ; Vieira ’ s Resort , Isleton , 855-843-4727

Delta Striped Bass , Sturgeon and Salmon Charters :

• Zack Medinas , Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures , 925-497-7171

• James Soo Hoo , Soo Hoo Sportfishing , 925-899-4045 .

• Chris Ditter , Headrush Sportfishing , 916-284-9236

• James Netzel , Tight Lines Guide Service , 888-975-0990

• Jerry Lampkin T . N . G . Motor Sports Guide Service , 530-320-0884

• Hayden Mullins , Dragon Sportfishing , 925-428-1103

• Brett Brady , Bare Bones Guide Service , 530-272-7137 , 530-263-4451

• Steve Mitchell , Hook ’ d Up Sportfishing , 707-655-6736

• Dave Hammond , Delta Pro Fishing , 916-479-3492 , ( 925 ) 497-7171

• Rob Reimers , Rustic Rob ’ s Guide Service , 530-632-0051

• Joey Gamez , Golden State Sportfishing , 209-855-1847

Birds Landing

Broad Slough

PITTSBURG

Flannery Road

Birds Landing Road

COLLINSVILLE

4

12

Montezuma

Sherman Lake

McCormack Road

Currie Road

Stewart

ANTIOCH

Anderson Road

Lane

Hills

Toland

Lane

SACRAMENTO

Azevedo Road

Road

RIO

Liberty Island Road

VISTA

DECKER ISLAND

SHERMAN ISLAND

Airport Road

Brannan Island State Recreation Area

160

4

SAN

RIVER

JOAQUIN

Big

Break

JERSEY ISLAND

BRANNAN ISLAND

TWITCHELL ISLAND

BRADFORD ISLAND

Jersey Is . Road

RYER ISLAND

3 Mile Sl .

RIVER

False River

160

7 Mile Sl .

BETHEL ISLAND

Dutch Slough

Fishermans Cut

Bethel Is . Road

ISLETON

GRAND ISLAND

12

ANDRUS ISLAND

WEBB TRACT

Franks Tract

Sand Mound Slough are also catching good numbers of stripers . Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sportfishing reported ending up with limits of stripers in the 4 to 8 lb . range on his latest trips on Sacramento and San Joaquin River sides of the Delta . “ The persistent grass in the water has been a problem , so you need to wait for the tide to slow down for the best fishing conditions ,” he advised . “ We have been drifting minnows , trolling Yo-Zuris and spooning , depending upon the conditions . On one recent trip , we spooned up a bunch of fish . On the end of the tides there is often a window when the fishing is on fire .” Information : ( 925 ) 899-4045 . Mark Wilson , striper fishing expert , reported “ really good ” striper fishing on two recent trolling adventures to the Sacramento River at Decker Island and the West Bank . “ We ’ ve been averaging 30 to 50 keepers per trip ,” said Wilson . “ On my latest trip , Claude Wands , Rob Reimers and I caught 49 stripers to 7 pounds . We kept our limits and released the rest . Most of the fish were in the 3-1 / 2 to 4 pound range .” The three anglers trolled with Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows in 12 to 15 feet of water at a speed of 4 to 5 miles per hour . They hooked most of the fish on the incoming tide .

“ There is a lot of grass in the water ,” he advised . “ Keep an eye on your rod and make sure keep the lure clear of grass or the fish won ’ t bite .” Ernie Marlan of Elk Grove also reported solid striper action on a recent trip while fishing with his son , Andrew , and Bret Brady of Bare Bones Guide Service . “ We caught and released 10 striped bass while throwing top water lures ( Zara Spooks ) and half ounce Rat-L-Traps on the San Joaquin River from the Antioch Bridge to Broad Slough ,” Marlan stated . “ The top three fish we landed weighed 8 , 10 and 11 pounds .”

Scientists from the San Francisco Estuary Institute hold up a white sturgeon caught and released while doing research on sturgeon in the West Delta with Captain Zack Medinas .

Photo courtesy of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures

“ We fished in 2-1 / 2 feet of water on the incoming tide from daybreak to 1 p . m . The fishing was decent given the small tide and the fact that it was a bluebird day without any wind .” he observed . Delta anglers are gearing up to fish the oldest bass derby on the West Coast , the Rio Vista Bass Derby , during the Rio Vista Bass Festival on October 13 , 14 and 15 . Anglers entering the adult division can choose from two fishing contests on the same ticket : striped bass and sturgeon . Target lengths will be drawn at the start of the derby early Friday morning for both species . Salmon will not be included in the 2023 Rio Vista Bass Derby , since the recreational California ocean salmon fishery is closed in all sectors this year . The Kids Derby will feature two categories : striped bass and catfish . There are separate prizes for their achievements . Catfish can be any size and the fish with the top weight and length will

Steven Burke of Lodi , a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners , holds up this 33-pound female striper before it was released back into the San Joaquin River during a trolling adventure with Captain James Netzel .

Photo by Dan Bacher

be declared the winner . Kids under age 16 are excluded from participating in the adult derby . Awards will be presented at 4:00 pm on Sunday , October 15 , at the foot of Main Street , downtown Rio Vista . All winners must be present to receive their prizes . Information : https :// www . facebook . com / riovistabassderby /