Delta striped bass, sturgeon fishing sizzles as emergency regulations go into effect

PITTSBURG − Striped bass fishing has been outstanding on the west bank of the Sacramento River below Rio Vista for live bait drifters and spoon enthusiasts, while sturgeon fishing has been superb lately in the Pittsburg area.

“Today’s group had beautiful weather and absolutely wide-open fishing with over 50 keepers to the boat this morning,” reported Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sportfishing after his trip to the Delta on Dec. 2. “We ended up with six limits of stripers, including two limits of fish for the crew, The fish averaged 6 to 8 pounds each.”

On Sunday, Soo Hoo reported similar success, with a late departure and yet home in time to watch the San Francisco 49ers game. The four anglers and two crew kept six limits of stripers ranging from 4 to 8 pounds. They left the dock at 8 a.m. and were back by 11:30 a.m.

Soo Hoo has been experiencing top-notch fishing while drifting mudsuckers on the West Bank of the Sacramento River at 12 to 27 feet deep, as well as spooning with Blade Runner jigs.

Fishing for white sturgeon is “epic“ in the Piltsturg area, reported Steven Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sportfishing.

“Today we had 6 anglers whom were first timers catching sturgeon,” Mitchell said on Dec. 2. “To make a long story short, they had 17 fish to the boat with action throughout the day. They definitely learned a trick or two today. It was great fun with these guys that will never look at fishing the same as they used to. There were sore arms tonight for them all.”

All of the fish were under or over the emergency 42 to 48-inch slot limit that went into place on Nov. 17, so all of the fish were released, according to Mitchell.

“The fish were stacked up around the Pittsburg area at 82 feet deep,” said Mitchell. “We were fishing on a small tide with only 1-1/2 feet foot of movement. We’re not getting a whole bunch of fish in the 42 to 48-inch slot; the majority of fish are over or under the slot.”

He has been using salmon roe, lamprey eel and ghost shrimp for bait, but the fish are most keyed into the shrimp right now.

On a previous trip by Mitchell, five anglers were booked to fish on the boat, but four of the guys got in an accident on the way to the Pittsburg Harbor. Since one angler was already there, Mitchell and him went out fishing.

“He caught 11 fish, including two in the new slot, releasing one and keeping one measuring 44 inches long. The biggest fish that we released was around 8 feet,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell has also been fishing for stripers. On his most recent striped bass trip, 6 anglers fishing with Mitchell landed limits of stripers while fishing in Grizzly Bay.

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Meanwhile, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced on Nov. 17 that emergency regulations enacted by the California Fish and Game Commission in October to reduce the harvest of white sturgeon in state waters are now in effect, having been approved by the Office of Administrative Law.

The new regulations reduce the number of fish that can be kept to one per year, reduce the slot limit to 42-48 inches, cap the number of white sturgeon that can be possessed on a vessel at two per day and add seasonal closures to sturgeon fishing in key spawning areas.

“The new regulations were enacted by the Commission following a joint recommendation by CDFW and angling groups. The emergency action was taken in response to long-term declines in adult white sturgeon populations as well as impacts of a harmful algal bloom (HAB) in the summer of 2022,” according to the CDFW.

There are two sturgeon species in California: green sturgeon and white sturgeon. Green sturgeon are listed as a threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species Act. White sturgeon are listed in California as a Species of Special Concern.

“Sturgeon are one of the oldest fish in existence with fossil records dating back more than 200 million years. Individual white sturgeon can live about 100 years and don’t start spawning until approximately 14 to 19 years old. Scientists estimate that white sturgeon in the Central Valley only spawn successfully every six to seven years,” the CDFW stated.

“White sturgeon abundance has declined significantly from approximately 200,000 harvestable fish in 1997 to around 33,000 (recent five-year average). Sturgeon fisheries in California have closed multiple times in the past due to overharvest,” the Department noted.

“During the summer of 2022, a HAB in the San Francisco and San Pablo bays caused the death of tens of thousands of fish including at least 864 sturgeon. Most sturgeon experts believe there were likely thousands more sturgeon killed during the HAB, that sank to the bottom of bay waters and were not counted,” the CDFW said.

Harvest has been reduced to one white sturgeon for 2023 and 2024. Catch and release fishing for white sturgeon will still be allowed with a valid sturgeon report card after one sturgeon is kept except for closures outlined in California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Sections 5.80 and 27.95.

The slot limit has been reduced to 42-48 inches, and a limit of two fish per vessel per day was added.

Fishing for white sturgeon will also be closed seasonally upstream of the Highway 50 bridge on the Sacramento River and Interstate 5 bridge on the San Joaquin River from Jan. 1 to May 31, 2024. This upstream area will reopen to catch and release fishing on June 1, 2024, once spawning season is over.

Sturgeon Report Cards purchased in the 2023 calendar year remain valid for the remainder of the year. All reporting, tag and report card requirements remain in effect. Only one sturgeon harvest tag will be valid. Any remaining sturgeon harvest tags beyond one still in possession for the 2023 calendar year will be invalid for the remainder of 2023.

Anglers that have already harvested one or more fish in 2023 will still be allowed to catch and release sturgeon for the remainder of 2023 with a valid Sturgeon Report Card. The changes to sturgeon harvest regulations may cause a delay in the availability of 2024 sturgeon report cards and the single harvest tag.

Report cards for 2024 will be available for sale soon. Sturgeon Report Card requirements will remain in effect for 2024.

“CDFW is currently working on a white sturgeon regulation package to allow for limited harvest. The regulation package is scheduled to go through the Commission regulation setting process with a target effective date of January 2025,” the agency concluded.

For more information visit CDFW’s sturgeon web page. Questions can be sent to sturgeon@wildlife.ca.gov.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Delta striped bass, sturgeon fishing sizzles