The fall season is now here and along with improved fishing taking place out on the Delta waterways for both striped bass and salmon.  Field scouts report they are seeing greatly improved fishing for Chinook salmon on the Old Sacramento River from its mouth north of the Rio Vista Bridge upstream into the American River at Discovery Park. Most of the salmon are averaging about 18 pounds up to 25 pounds..  Several anglers reported hooking and landing their one-fish limits in less than 30 minutes.  Most of the salmon are caught while jigging and trolling homemade spoons, double-bladed Silvertron spinners and Brad’s Cut Plugs.  Shoreline anglers fishing off the shoreline casting Mepps Flying C spinners in the Freeport section of the river are having some success.  The salmon fishing season is now in full bloom and the fishing should be very productive in the next month.  The daily limit is one salmon per day with the exception of the Mokelumne River’s north and south forks where there is a two-fish daily limit.  Presently, about 50 percent of the anglers are catching their one-fish limit.

Further downstream at most of the river near Vieira’s Resort anglers are hooking and landing increasing numbers of bright salmon while trolling spinners and plugs.  Information:  (916) 925-0529, (916) 352-1200.

Anglers targeting striped bass are finding extremely good fishing on both the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers as of late with several field scouts reporting having hooked and released up to 75 stripers in one day while casting Fish Traps and S-Waver swimbaits. Trollers also having good success off the West Bank of the Sacramento River in 6 to 21 feet of water.  Some of the fish weighed up to 22 pounds.  Trollers are finding success with the deep and shallow running Yo-Zuri’s with a white worm trailer.  On the San Joaquin River the action has been great on the lower section off the river near the Antioch Bridge upstream off the flats near Eddo’s Harbor upstream into False River, the mouth of Three Mile Slough and the upper and lower Santa Clara Shoals.  Bait dunkers at anchor also finding success tossing cut baits and threadfin shad.  For sturgeon fish the area off Snag Island downstream into the Pittsburg and Suisun Bay Area with eel strips, salmon roe or the basic shrimp baits.  Whether it be salmon or striped bass now is the time to hit the water because the fishing can’t get any better.