Napa River fishing USA
March 18th, 2006 by Fishing admin
Local angler nabs 51-pound striper
* Napa River
Just when I told you that striper fishing would be tough until some clearer water flowed, Curtis Hayes landed a magnificent 51-pound monster striper Sunday on bait. So, better keep fishing; the weather report is for better weather this weekend.
Pro scouts report that the sturgeon bite continues to be good in the south river, the bay and at Port Sonoma.
The 23rd Annual Al’s Ark Striper Derby will be held March 25-26. Drop in to Sweeney’s Sports on Imola Ave. in Napa to register prior to the derby.
The entry fee is $30. In addition to $50 prizes for the biggest striper and biggest sturgeon weighed in each day, the rest of the money pool will also be paid out in prizes. Insomniacs can get a head start — the derby starts Friday at midnight.
All fish must be weighed in between 4:30 and 5 p.m. each day at the Cuttings Wharf Boat Ramp (end of Cuttings Wharf Road).
* Bodega Bay
Our government is trying to do everything possible to shut down little fishing villages like Bodega. They have canceled the month of April for salmon fishing on the coast. There is no guarantee that they will open it at some later date — or at all — for 2006.
Here’s the short version of why. A few years ago that same government let the water get too low in the Klamath; it got hot and triggered diseases that decimated the salmon population.
Over 100,000 fish were killed. The water was sold to farmers at a cut rate. Now, the pols and bureaucrats are trying to fix the problem by harming the men and women who operate the sport fishing industry.
All of this happened in spite of the fact that they are required to leave enough water for fish.
* Clear Lake
In addition to the muddy waters caused by heavy rains, the water is unusually cold. Chad Hole of Sweeney’s said it was 44 degrees there Sunday and the fish had lockjaw.
I’ve fished Clear Lake in the winter for five straight years and never saw the water temperatures that low, especially in March.
Anglers believe 51 to 54 degrees will produce good winter bass fishing. You might be able to get a bite when it’s 49 but don’t hold your breath — and 44 is stay-home temperature.
I expect the jumbo minnow bite to rebound nicely when the water clears a little and warms up. We’re going to try it on March 27. I’ll keep you posted.
* Smith River
The depth at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday was almost perfect. At the JED reporting station it was 9.9 feet and at DRF it was 16.3.
That’s good news for steelheading. A couple of us will be on the river Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Stay tuned.
* Conn Dam - Lake Hennessey
Like the Energizer Bunny, the DFG stocks catchable-sized trout here every other week. They will continue to do so until the hot weather in late summer. Now is the time to fool both these new fish and hope for a hold-over lunker.
* San Pablo Dam Reservoir
Look at this fishing report — “frozen hail on the ground.”
That about says it all. Got to believe that the bite will go wide open with some warmer and drier weather. Remember, they have had over 10,000 trout planted since their opening day preparations in mid-February.
Whopper board add-ons: Donovan Diaz fooled a 22.5-pound catfish on chicken liver. James Liu used the “other white meat” — pork liver — to win with a 24-pound cat.
* California Delta
I heard that it took 14 ounces of weight to hold the bottom in the Old Sac. Rio Vista was much better, needing 8 ounces to do the trick. Too much water and too much debris has made it tough to fish here.
Could it get any worse?
Yes. Our favorite pols and bureaucrats have lowered the top-of-the-slot limit for sturgeon to 56 inches (from 72), and this makes the new slot 46 to 56.
Why? They said we have had a sharp drop off in sturgeon populations recently. Probably not true. They used “junk science.”
They made a count in an area where sturgeon don’t go that time of year. Any sturgeon angler could have told them that the fish were in another spot — in abundance.