Updated May 11, 2021

Delta

DELTA, Sacramento Side — High winds played havoc on striped bass trollers throughout the week, and the water is muddy on the West Bank from the heavy gusts. A few guides have cancelled their trips as a result of the wind, and the majority of striped bass trolling or casting guides will be vacating the Delta by June 1^st. The wind also made it impossible to anchor for sturgeon in Suisun Bay, and the only available water without getting blown off is in the sloughs of Montezuma or Suisun. The diamondbacks remain in the Delta, but the fishermen are absent, moving on to other species. Largemouth bass are taken in the north Delta sloughs by punching the weeds, flipping the tules, or even with frogs in open water. American shad are thick in the north Delta near Freeport with shad darts,or grubs along with Sabiki rigs with three hooks removed on a drop-shot rig. The larger females have arrived in addition to the males. The apex of the run is here. A few stripers are making their way back downstream towards the bay from the upper river. Bluegill remain abundant in the sloughs on red worms, jumbo red worms, or wax worms.

DELTA, San Joaquin side — The week started off well for striped bass trollers around the mouth of Three Mile Slough with linesides to 24 pounds caught and released, but as the week went on and the wind blew harder and harder, it became nearly impossible to work in open water. The Mokelumne River is one location where fishermen can get out of the wind, but there are few striped bass in the North Fork. The south Delta near Empire Cut, Connection Slough, Mildred, and the Old River Flats have been decent for stripers on the troll along with drifting live bait while Union Point is another solid location to drift bluegill. The south San Joaquin near Mossdale is low and muddy, and small striped bass on frozen bait are the rule here. A few sturgeon remain in the Sturgeon Bend area, and Fish and Wildlife continues to monitor the region for poaching with the low water conditions. Largemouth bass was challenging in the wind, and punching the weeds, frogs, or swimjigs are the top producers.