Sacramento River Fishing Report

Striper fishing is still tangled in the spawn… milting males are being caught, and the occasional dead floater is drifting by. The river jumped a couple of feet after a Shasta release, but flows are settling in and things are starting to clean up. Debris is still an issue though… you’ll want to keep your line clear and check for fouled lures often. Bites are light… lots of short strikes. Full baitfish are working better than trimmed ones. If you’re trolling, stay tight: 10 to 15 feet down at 1.8 to 2.2 mph, and make sure that rod tip is dancing… if it’s dead, you’re dragging junk. Rounded river rocks are holding more fish than jagged stuff. One local reportedly stacked 100 fish in two hours earlier this week… so the bite’s there if you hit it right.

The Sac River striper bite is really turning on. Fish are pushing up from the Delta and spreading throughout the system, with awesome action reported around Clarksburg. Anchovies are doing most of the damage, full chunks, especially early in the morning before the bite slows down mid-morning. Swimbaits and ribbon-tail worms are also getting bit. Shakers are still thick, but keepers, and even a few big ones, are starting to mix in. Bank anglers are scoring at spots like Bryte Beach and Garcia Bend, but high water has made access tricky in some areas. Water clarity is improving, and the next week could be prime, especially if the weather holds