California Delta Fishing Report

The early summer bite is shaping up differently across the Delta depending on which side you’re fishing. On the Sacramento side, striper schools are thinning as they drop toward cooler Bay water, but there’s still action if you cover ground. Anchored boats are picking off fish with cut sardines between Clarksburg and Sacramento, while deep trollers are scoring along the West Bank from Rio Vista to Collinsville with Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows.

Liberty Island is one of the better zones for both largemouth and stripers right now. Shallow water... two feet or less... is holding fish tight to cover, and chatterbaits are doing the work. Sturgeon are still hanging in Suisun Bay, but most folks have moved on. It’s catch-and-release only.

On the San Joaquin side, the largemouth bite’s consistent for 2 to 3 pounders. Topwater baits are working along rocks and weeds, working best with long pauses between movements. When it’s windy, crankbaits, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits in craw or bluegill patterns are producing. Soft plastics in natural tones are still working in calm tighter pockets.

Stripers are more scattered. The western Delta’s mostly quiet, but Three Mile Slough is still giving up smaller fish on shad-pattern spoons. For keepers, Mossdale is the best shot... daytime gets you shakers on frozen bait, but the 8 to 10 pm window is the key for 23 to 30 inch fish on jumbo minnows.

The Delta threw plenty of curveballs this week. Water temps hovered around 70 degrees with 3 to 8 feet of visibility, but consistent 15–20 mph winds made open areas tough to fish. The tides were mostly mid-day lows with short, late afternoon incoming cycles... leaving a tight bite window for both bass and stripers.

Striper action is fading as post-spawn fish trickle back toward the Bay. A few decent fish are still around, especially near deep edges and current breaks during the first hour of the incoming.

Largemouth reports were all over. Anglers covering water with chatterbaits and spinnerbaits in wind-blown cuts picked up decent numbers, but big fish were scarce unless you hit the right tide. Low tide frog bites are starting to fire in shallow grass, and drop shots are filling in when reaction baits stall. Most of the easy spawn fish are gone, but a few waves should trickle in with the next full moon.

Bass are active and catchable all over the Delta… but don’t expect a foolproof pattern right now. Fish are coming on chatterbaits, frogs, drop shot, Senkos, and topwater… it’s more about being in the right spot than what’s tied on. Water temps are 68–70°F with visibility ranging up to 8 feet depending on wind. High tide has fish tight to mats, grass, and tule edges... especially near current.

Topwater is picking up early, especially in calm pockets. Punching and slow plastics are drawing strikes from both spawners and post-spawn fry guarders. The bite is solid… you just have to keep moving until you find them.

Striper action is still consistent in the central Delta… live bait is doing most of the damage, especially for boats drifting through deeper channels and current seams. Bass anglers are also picking off the occasional striper while working reaction baits. Most are schoolies, but a few better fish are mixed in.