San Joaquin County Fishing Reports

The Delta has seen a solid push of stripers move through and up the Sacramento River over the last few weeks. Fish are still present in the West Delta (Pittsburg area), with live bait producing best. The Central Delta bite has been fair to good, but expect a lot of undersized fish... the bigger stripers are being caught ripping large jerkbaits during low-light hours. Over the next 2–3 weeks, look for Sacramento fish to begin migrating back down, which should light up the West Delta bite.

Largemouth action has been hit or miss. Fish are locked in full spawn mode and holding in less than 5 feet of water... but very finicky. Spawning beds are hard to spot given current water conditions, but the fish are there. Best approach is to stay shallow, working Senkos, Texas-rigged worms, and punch baits in and around vegetation. There's also been a decent frog bite in the mornings before 9 a.m., and that should only improve as water temps continue to climb.

The Delta is seeing water temps climb into the low-to-mid 60s, and with consistent warm weather in the forecast, they should keep pushing higher next week. The spring bite is close, but it hasn't fully unlocked yet.

Stripers are making their way in from the bay, with a good class of healthy fish in the 8-10 pound range. Most of the action is still west... Frank's Tract, the Sacramento Channel... as there hasn't been a forceful push into the central delta just yet. Lure casters and live bait guys alike are finding fish, with moving water being the common thread.

Largemouth are in prespawn, but the bite has been a grind, especially in the central delta. The good news is that the first large females are just now showing up on clean bottom this week. The biggest challenge right now is finding clean vegetation. A poorly flushed winter left sediment loaded throughout the system, coating veg and making fish tougher to pattern. When you find clean bottom, slow down. Finesse gear, dropshots, T-rigged worms, and Senkos in green pumpkin have been the go-to, with the outgoing tide being the best window.

This should be a great month of fishing at Camanche. Water temps are hovering around 60 degrees and bass have made their move shallow. In glassy spots you can actually see 2-3 pound fish cruising the shoreline, but the ones you see have been tougher to catch. The best action has been from blindly clasting Senkos, swimbaits, and baitfish-style soft plastics near rock and visible submerged structure. The warm weather projected for next week should only improve the shallow bite even more.

Trout action received a boost with a 2,000-pound plant this week. Limits are coming on PowerBait and floated nightcrawlers, although the morning bite on spinners and spoons has been productive as well.

As a note, private boats can launch between May 1 and October 1 this season. A 30-day quarantine is required, but no decontamination station is planned. Until May 1, only rental boats or vessels already stored in the marina prior to December 2024 are permitted on the water.