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Action on Sonoma Creek, Napa and Petaluma

Fishing and hunting

Some of the best fishing action in Northern California is available very close to Sonoma this week. Striped bass are being caught by local anglers fishing from shore at the mouth of Sonoma Creek, in the Napa River, up and down the Petaluma River from Port Sonoma to the Sheraton Hotel in Petaluma, and in the sloughs that run between Napa and Sonoma in the area around Skaggs Island, said Valerie Lightborne, at Leonard’s Bait Shop at Port Sonoma.

The top baits are live bullheads and live grass shrimp, and anglers using the latter are also hooking some nice sturgeon in the Napa River.

The other North Bay hot spot is the Marin shoreline, especially near China Camp, where, according to Keith Fraser, of Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael, anglers are not only catching lots of stripers, some of them are good-sized. Keith said that one angler showed him a limit that included one fish that measured 32 inches long.

Weather may have kept Capt. Rick Powers, of Bodega Bay Sportfishing, tied to the docks earlier this week, but before the storm, his party boat, The New Sea Angler, was bringing home limits of rockcod, and large numbers of lingcod for all on board. He also had several successful trips for albacore tuna last week.  Call Rick at 875-3344 for information and reservations on his boat. Also mark your calendars for the Nov. 3, opening of sport dungeness crab season. Rick will be hosting combo trips for crab and rockfish starting then. 

The Index-Tribune’s Art Hau and Dean Schubert spent last Saturday catching and releasing lots of trout on the Truckee and Little Truckee. Art caught all rainbows to 19 inches using a dry and dropper fly-rig, with the best dropper being a caddis emerger. Dean stuck with nymphs the whole time and landed at least as many fish, plus a 23-inch German brown on the Little Truckee.

Local lakes are fishing just fair this week, although guide Sid Silberberg had some luck fishing for trout on Berryessa. Contact Sid at bestguide@hotmail.com, or call 650-583-3333. 
Clear Lake was fishing fair to good before the storm, but seems to have slowed this week.

Moving north, salmon are being caught on the Sacramento River, reports guide Kirk Portocarrero, who added that fly-fishing for trout is also good between Redding and Anderson. Contact Kirk at 800-670-4448.

Fly-fishers can find some good action on the Fall River, Pit River and Hat Creek this week, with fishing just fair on the upper Sac and McCloud rivers. Fly-fishers are catching lots of half-pounders (steelhead) along with some good-sized adults on the Klamath and Trinity rivers this week.