Sacramento River Striped Bass
March, April and May means striped bass fishing in California’s Sacramento River. This striper fishery in California very well could be the best fishing on the West Coast. While stripers can be fished year-round, we target them during the prime spring months. Striped bass ranging in size from two- to 50-pounds are caught. Every day, someone, somewhere on the Sacramento River will likely catch a 25- to 35-pound striped bass, and that someone could be you.
We target striped bass from Knights Landing up to Butte City, which is 75 river miles of prime habitat. In Colusa, which is approximately dead center in this stretch of the Sacramento River, there are plenty of places to stay and eat, and there are even campgrounds which can make for a fun stay.
When fishing for striped bass we’ll use a lot of live bait, namely golden shiners. Golden shiners produce the most striped bass, and usually the largest striped bass. We’ll also cast a variety of crank baits, jigs and other proven gear that catches striped bass.
Anglers are allowed to keep two striped bass a day, and they must be at least 18” long. Large female stripers–anything over 10-pounds–are recommended to be released so they can spawn and keep this world-class striped bass fishery thriving for future generations to enjoy. If you’re after a trophy striped bass to put on the wall, we’ll take careful measurements and plenty of pictures to ensure your replica mount can be precisely matched.
Striped bass were brought to the West Coast in the late 1800s and planted in popular rivers. Today, striped bass numbers are thriving in California’s Sacramento River, making it one of the best striper fisheries on earth, and one of the top overall fisheries you’ll find on the entire West Coast. Big stripers, lots of them, and nice weather; it’s a combination for a memorable western fishing adventure everyone will love, no matter what your age or level of fishing experience.
