Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3804 Feb 1-15 2019 | Page 16

14 MAP FEATURE Feb 1-15, 2019 There are plenty of spots to fish from shore at the Barge Canal Public Access in West Sacramento. VOL.38 • ISS. 4 Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. Port of West Sacramento Delivers Stripers, Catfish and Black Bass W hile the industrial-looking Port of West Sacramento and the Sacra- mento Deep Water Ship Channel might first seem like strange places to fish, they offer close-to-home fishing for striped bass, catfish and black bass year round. 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 Recre- ation Area on the border of Union City and Fremont in December 2001. The port has a long and fascinating history. In July 1946, the Port construction project was authorized by Congress and signed by President Harry S. Truman. In September 1960, the harbor and turning basin dredging was completed and ‘clean-up’ work on the channel was done in December. On June 29, 1963, with 5,000 spectators waiting to welcome her, the Taipei Victory arrived and the Port opened for business. A three-day event celebrated the Port’s dedication. Over 75,000 people attended the festiv- ities, including dignitaries, parades, navy ships and the Golden Bear cadet training ship. I was one of those 75,000 people who attended with my parents, Al and Cassie, and my brother, Tim, and sister, Terry. For many years, public angling access to the area was problematic. This all changed in November 2007 when the Barge Canal Recreational Access to the port area was opened. Located at 2100 Jefferson Meng Xyong of the FishAholics caught and released this 36 inch striped bass in the Sacramento River south of Rio Vista while using a Tackle Builders Atlas Umbrella Rig in March 2018 Photo by JAY THAO. Boulevard in West Sacramento, the facility allows driveway access at South River Road. The access features an all-weather vehicle parking area, an all-weather walking/ biking trail and fishing access along south bank of the Barge Canal. The barge canal is lined with trees, so anglers fishing during The Barge Canal Public Access offers a hand-carry boat ramp the heat of the summer where you can launch kayaks and other non-motorized small boats. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. can take advantage of the shade. The area includes picnic and sitting fixtures, port and other non-motorized boat. For safety environmental resource interpretive panels reasons, only small, hand-carried boats and trash and recycling receptacles. should be launched here. Shore anglers During my most recent visit to the port should park at this access and walk to their this January, about a dozen anglers were fishing spot; you can’t park on the levees bank fishing and four kayakers were out on anymore. the water pursuing stripers. Unfortunately, The Port of West Sacramento played host nobody hooked any fish in the cold water. to one of my strangest-ever fishing experi- For the boater, there is a hand-carry ences, in terms of the surroundings. boat ramp. Motorized boats aren’t On one spring trip in the late 1980’s, I allowed. To launch a motorized boat, fished for catfish from shore in the port. you still have to apply on a waiting Right across from where I fished loomed a list for the Washington Outboard giant black freighter from the Soviet Union Club. loading rice for the long trip across the However, the barge canal ramp Pacific. Where else in California could you is just fine if you have ever fished in sight of a Soviet ship? want fish While the Soviet Union is gone, the port from a and the Sacramento Deep Water Channel kayak, still remain. The two artificial water bodies float are a sleeper for striped bass, catfish and tube, black bass. canoe The port and deep water channel became or famous for the large channel catfish that were caught there 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,