The striped bass bite is picking up in many areas of the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River system. In spite of high flows from the storm fronts to hit California the fishing is beginning to pick up for bait dunkers and trollers. Field scouts report catching 2 fish limits in just several hours of fishing. The best bait is pile worms and cut sardines casting a short distance from the shoreline.
Most of the recent catches are averaging 21 to 23 inches in length, up to an occasional fish weighing 12 pounds. Most are males and they are beginning to milt. On the upper Sacramento River ther the hot spot has been Bryte Beach on the opposite side of Discovery Park. Also, there are good numbers of sturgeon being caught upstream in the Verona area on ghost shrimp. Striped bass are scattered throughout the system. Both the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers are stained and cloudy, but that is not keeping the fish from responding. Locating a school is the secret and the bite can last up to an hour or more.
On the San Joaquin River field scouts report some good action trolling off Bradford Island and Webb Tract in close to the shoreline with Yo-Zuris with a white worm trailer.Again, most of the fish are 20 to 23 inch length, up to an occasional 5 or 6 pounder in the mix. Several anglers report taking up to 4, 2 fish limits. Trolling is the way to go presently. As soon as the waters warm up threadfin shad will become available at the local bait shops. The fishing should remain stable in the Delta through the month of June.