Yolo County Fishing Reports

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.

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.