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S.F. Bay fishing improving

Fishing and hunting

Local anglers should be watching reports out of San Francisco Bay, where conditions are prime for good action for striped bass, halibut and salmon. September usually marks the beginning of better fishing for all three species inside the Bay.

Keith Fraser, of Loch Lomond Bait Shop, books party boats for Bay fishing that offer full- and half-day fishing opportunities. Call Keith at 415-456-0321.

Currently salmon fishing at Cal City (off Tiburon) is just fair, although some anglers have had good days. Striped bass are being caught by anglers drifting shiners or trolling along the Marin shoreline, and halibut has been slow so far.

Valerie Lightborne, at Leonard's Bait Shop at Port Sonoma, said fishing has been pretty good at the mouth of Sonoma Creek and in the Petaluma River, and in San Pablo Bay near the Pump House.  She said that there are a lot of leopard sharks being caught, along with some bat rays and some keeper stripers. The shop has lots of good live bait, including bullheads and grass shrimp. Call Valerie at 762-7818. The Napa River is producing some striped bass action as well. Check with Sweeney's Sports in Napa for the best spots.

While salmon are being caught off the Sonoma coast, the better salmon action seems to be out of the Golden Gate, but you can catch lots of big rockfish and lingcod fishing out of Bodega Bay, with Capt. Rick Powers, of Bodega Bay Sportfishing. Rick is still offering combo trips for salmon and rockfish; whichever is best on any specific day. Call him at 875-3344.

Trout fishing on the lower Sacramento River near Redding is still good, while Bob Grace, of the Ted Fay Fly Shop in Dunsmuir, reports that the upper Sac is fair to good. The McCloud River access has been closed this week due to fires nearby. The river area itself isn't burning, but the fire service is controlling access to the roads for staging equipment. Bob said that the fires in that part of the Cascades have lowered the air quality.

Steve MacRostie returned this week from fishing the Deschutes near Maupin, Ore. He reported that the weather was hot, but the fishing was not. It seems that the conditions have not improved since I fished there three weeks ago.

Local lakes have not been producing much fishing, although I got a report from guide Sid Silberburg, who had some luck Monday fishing Berryessa. If fishing for bass in local lakes is something you'd like to try, Sid can be reached at 650-583-3333 or email him at bestquide@hotmail.com.