Updated May 24 2022

California Delta:

DELTA, Sacramento Side — The winds continue to howl, but there have been some windows where fishermen have been able to access the north Delta. Striped bass are loading up on crawdads in the grassy flats in Liberty Island, and Z-Man’s Jackhammer chatterbaits are working for the linesides. Striped bass are on their way back to San Francisco Bay from the spawn in the upper river, and they are hungry. Pile worms or sardines coated with garlic spray are effective. Shad are found below the Freeport Bridge on shad darts or grubs. Striped bass trollers have been opting for the calmer waters of the San Joaquin. Once the weather cooperates, striped bass will be picked off by trollers working the West Bank from the Rio Vista Bridge towards Collinsville. Sturgeon are currently catching a break as nearly all of the six-packs have vacated the region after intense pressure throughout the winter and fall months. The popular Brannan Island State Park remains closed on a temporary basis as the State Parks are in search of a concessionaire for the site.

DELTA, San Joaquin side — Striped bass trollers and live bait drifters continue to work the San Joaquin side of the Delta from the mouth of the Mokelumne River at Pirate’s Lair towards Prisoner’s Point. The big tides created tougher conditions for trollers with the amount of debris in the water, but live bait action has been strong with extra-large minnows, but the schools are starting to dissipate and head for San Francisco Bay. Live bait supplies will be limited in the coming weeks. For largemouth bass, the up and down weather has pushed many outside of the weedlines into deeper water, but there are still fish on beds in protected coves and cuts. There is an emerging frog bite, but the most consistent action is with plastics on a slow presentation in deep water. Fresh shad is still very limited to a few Stockton-area bait shops.