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Fishing Report January 27, 2012

It's sturgeon time in the bay

Last weekend's rains pumped lots of fresh water into the North Bay, which automatically improves the sturgeon action at the usual locations including the Pump House, China Camp, the mouth of Sonoma Creek  and even the Napa River.
Valerie at at Leonard's Bait Shop at Port Sonoma said sturgeon fishing in the north bay east of the Pump House has been good this week for anglers using Joel's grass shrimp and eel for bait.  The Napa River is also producing good sturgeon action, and a few striped bass are being caught in the Petaluma River near Port Sonoma.
Kevin Wolf at Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael says the tides this weekend are fair for sturgeon action , but it is definitely worth going, because there are a lot of fish around, especially near the Pump House. He says mud and ghost shrimp are working the best.
If you've always wondered about fishing for these prehistoric monster fish, Keith Fraser is holding his annual seminar "Sturgeon Fishing in Bay Area Waters," on Saturday, February 4 at the Marin Rod and Gun Club.  Tickets are only $5 and the speakers include Keith and culinary expert Mike McNair.  The event starts at 7:15 p.m.  Call Keith at (415)456-0321.
Keith's shop at Loch Lomond will the the lone North Bay outlet for the Super Bowl Sturgeon Derby set for the weekend of Feb. 4 and 5.  There is more than $40,000 in prize money. Entry forms and details are available at Loch Lomond Bait shop, or call Keith for more information.
Capt. Rick Powers is still offering his combo Dungeness "crab and sand dab" trip out of Bodega Bay this week. Sand dabs are a relative of halibut and sole and they are delicious.  Rick says that there are no limits on them.  Crab catches are still high.  Rick's "Crab and Dab" combo trip is $100 for the day.  He is also planning some giant Humboldt squid and crab combo trips this month for the same price. Call him at 875-3344.
Department of Fish and Game planted rainbow trout in Santa Rosa's Lake Ralphine and Marin's Bon Tempe Lake and Napa's Lake Berryessa last week.  This week Marin's Lake Lagunitas gets another plant, as done Berryessa.  Next week Ralphine, Bon Tempe and Berryessa get planted again.
Rivers north of us were a little blown out last weekend, but most have already come down to fishable levels.
The Trinity, Klamath, and Rogue are all good bets.  Call Jim Andras, of Andras Outfitters, who is guiding clients for excellent fishing on the Rogue River and other northern California and southern Oregon waters..  Jim's phone number is  530 722 7992.
Congressman Mike Thompson, who represents our area, is also the best friend that anglers and hunters have in Washington. He has been a longtime advocate for restoring the fish and wildlife habitats in the Klamath River basin, and is sponsoring H.R. 3398, the Klamath Basin Economic Restoration Act. He is a fisherman and hunter and one of the truly "good guys" in Washington.
You can read more about this project at www.KlamathRestoration.gov, but the bottom line is that it shows the economic benefits, as well as fish and wildlife restoration benefits, of removing Klamath Dam. Check it out.