BY DAVE HURLEY
WON Staff Writer
BENICIA – There are a few locations where anglers congregate shoulder-to-shoulder to toss spinners in search of salmon, and for the first time since 2022, bankies will have the ability to wear out a shoulder and avoid flying hooks starting July 16 from the Carquinez Bridge east to the Woodson Bridge on the Sacramento River. Local tackle shops from Benicia through Colusa have suffered over the past few years with spinners, Flat Fish, and Wiggle Warts collecting dust on the pegs, but the dust is being cleared.
Benicia Bait and Tackle used to have a cart on 1st Street to service anglers with their custom Vee-Zee Spinners, and 1st Street and the Dillon Point State Park are some of the most popular bank locations. On the opposite side of the river, Humphrey’s Pier in Antioch is another popular location while the banks around Freeport, Walnut Grove, and Hood are other locations which will experience foot traffic for the first time. Shoulder-to-shoulder bank fishing does have its risks as more than a few casters have experienced a treble to the back of the head or in an ear.
It’s not just the banks that will benefit as resorts such as Vieira’s or Ko-Ket’s on the Old Sacramento River will once again have filled parking lots for those launching to troll Silvertron spinners or Wiggle Warts from the mouth towards Walnut Grove. Further upriver, Garcia Bend will once again come to life along with Discovery Park at the mouth of the American River.
Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoorsman in Stockton, said, “We are selling all sorts of river salmon gear: Silvertron spinners, Mepp’s Flying C’s, Flatfish, and heavy spoons for bank anglers. The Mokelumne is going to be particularly busy this year, and there is great interest in our area for the river salmon run.”
There was a season on the Mokelumne, American, and Feather Rivers in 2025, but the main river, the Sacramento, was off limits due to the extremely poor salmon returns to the upper river in 2022. This year’s returns on the Sacramento are also threatened by water releases out of Shasta Dam. In addition to the Sacramento River, inland anglers will enjoy a full season on the Feather, American and Mokelumne rivers. For the Central Valley, the general fall-run salmon fishing season will open on July 16 and close on Dec. 16, with some variation for upper and lower stretches of the rivers. For each tributary a daily bag limit of two fish and a possession limit of four fish of any size have been set.
The river regulations are as follows:
July 16 – December 16:
- Sacramento River from the Carquinez Bridge to Highway 113 near Knight’s Landing
- Sacramento River from Highway 113 to Woodson Bridge
August 1 – October 31 and November 1 – December 31
- Sacramento River from Woodson Bridge to the Deschutes Road Bridge
