The Fish Sniffer

(Benicia) The stage is set for memorable fall action in Suisun Bay. Sturgeon are present in solid numbers. Shore pluggers are nailing big salmon and limits are possible for striper enthusiasts. Suisun Bay fishing should do nothing but get better over the next few weeks. 

“Salmon are being caught at both the state park and 1^st Street,” related Gene Wall of Benicia Bait and Tackle. “The state park has been best. One day last week there were over 25 salmon caught by park anglers. At 1st Street things have been slower, but there were still 15 fish caught in a single day recently. VeeZee Spinners and Flying C spinners have been the best lures. Most of the salmon are in the high teens and the largest one we’ve seen so far went 27.5 pounds.”

According to Wall, the striper action has been very productive for shore anglers soaking live bullheads, pile worms and blood worms. 

“Most of the bass are 10 pounds or under, but you’ve got a good shot at landing a limit,” related Wall. 

Boaters aren’t catching as many bass as shore anglers, but boaters are hooking larger fish, with some of them ranging up to 20 pounds. Bullheads are the top bait for the larger fish.

There are good numbers of sturgeon in Suisun Bay and they can often be observed jumping. Few anglers are trying for them at this time, which is probably a mistake. If you decide to try for a sturgeon, eel and salmon roe are the key baits.