Meandering Angler: Self-isolate with a fishing rod

Sitting by a river waiting for a fish to bite is a good thing to do when you need to be alone.|

If you’re looking for something to do while you are self-isolating, you might consider fishing. Sitting on a bank, or walking along a stream, you’re not likely to run into a lot of people, and if there are others it is pretty easy to keep your distance.

Some of the best places near to Sonoma right now are along the Marin Shoreline at China Camp, Paradise Pier or McNear Park. Keith Fraser at Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael says that striped bass and some sturgeon are being caught by shore anglers in those locations.

If you have a boat, sturgeon fishing in the north bay near the Pump House has been really hot this week. Keith had a report last Friday from a guy who went there and caught and released five sturgeon, four regulation size and one oversized.

The 37th Annual Al’s Ark Napa River Striper Derby is this Saturday and Sunday, and you don’t have to fish in a group to participate. All you need to do is register at Sweeney’s Sports, 1537 Imola Ave. in Napa, or at the Napa Sea Ranch, 3333 Cuttings Wharf Road. Entry fees are $30 for adults and $15 for kids 15 and under.

You can also find good spots to fish in the Napa River from the bank for striped bass and sturgeon by checking with Sweeney’s or Napa Sea Ranch.

Another good bank fishing location is the mouth of Sonoma Creek near the Highway 37 Bridge on the Sears Point Road.

If you prefer freshwater fishing, Lake Ralphine near Spring Lake Park in Santa Rosa was planted with rainbow trout this week. There too, bank fishing is easy and pretty isolated.

You can also find good spots to fish at Lake Berryessa and Clear Lake. I saw a report that the bass are biting at Berryessa and the crappie action at Clear Lake has picked up.

Fly-fishers have some excellent choices right now including the Sacramento River between Redding and Anderson, the Trinity River, and the upper Klamath River. There is also good trout fishing on the upper Sacramento River near Dunsmuir.

Guides for those rivers are working and available. The best source is The Fly Shop in Redding, (530) 222-3555. They also have stream access maps for those who wish to fish from shore without a guide or boat.

In spite of the low water, I’ve also heard that some anglers are catching steelhead over at the Russian River. For the latest conditions call Kings Sport and Tackle in Guerneville at 869-2156.

Ocean salmon season off the Sonoma County Coast is tentatively scheduled to open April 11, with a daily bag limit of two fish and minimum of 24 inches. You can call Capt. Rick Powers at Bodega Bay Sportsfishing, 875-3344, to make reservations on his party boat, “The New Sea Angler,” for a salmon fishing trip.

That portion of the season will end April 30. Then the Pacific Fishery Management Council will make a decision on when and if the rest of the season will open.

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