VOL . 44 • ISS . 2
Port of West Sacramento 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 .
Jefferson Blvd .
February 28 , 2025
Barge Canal
River Rd .
West Sacramento
Jefferson Blvd .
Canal Locks ( closed )
Sacramento River
13
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 up to 50-1 / 2 degrees . We caught and released a total of 13 fish , including 10 keepers and 3 shakers up to 5 pounds .” They ran three rods between the anglers , “ The water was milky further down , but it got clearer and clearer and the water temperature went up 1 / 10 a degree every half a mile down the channel . We were trolling with deep-running Yu-Zuri Crystal Minnows in chartreuse and red head / white body at 12 to 15 feet deep ,” stated Wilson . 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 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
The calm , protected waters of the Barge Canal and Port of West Sacramento provides excellent access for kayak anglers .
Photo by Dan Bacher 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 . 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 . I ’ ve attended three grand openings of popular fishing spots – and the opening of the port in 1963 was the first one I attended , followed many years later by the opening of Los Vaqueros Reservoir near Byron in September 2001 and Quarry Lakes Recreation Area on the border of Union City and Fremont in December 2001 . 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
Mark Wilson poses with a couple of stripers before releasing them during a trolling adventure in the Port this January .
Photo courtesy of Mark Wilson