Suisun Bay's Abundant Sturgeon Fishery    By: Dan Bacher October 19, 2007 More Articles by Dan

On those rare occasions in the world of fishing, the weather, action and quantity and quality of fish all combine to produce a superb angling experience that you will long remember.

Allen Bonslett, Publisher of the Fish Sniffer, forecasted one of these epic trips on the morning of September 19 when he told me, "I have a real good feeling about today," as we got in his Suburban to make the trip to fish with Captain Kevin Yost and deckhand for the day, Rich Tipton, former owner of Lucky Strike Sportfishing.

Just two hours later, at 7:40 am, I was battling a huge sturgeon that required all of the pressure I could exert on it to coax it towards the boat. The sturgeon is definitely the hardest-fighting, most exciting fish in California waters - and also one of the most unpredictable.

After I starting reeling the fish in, it pulled the old trick of running towards the boat and I had to frantically reel in the line to keep up with it. When the fish came up to the boat, it surged and took off on several long runs.

"Try to work the fish away from under the boat," cautioned Yost as I slowly worked the sturgeon towards the net. After several tries, I finally got the fish close enough to the boat for Tipton to secure the fish with the snare.

Tipton pulled the snare down the line and crimped it on the fish. I suddenly felt no pressure, and he quipped, "the fish just came off."

I didn't believe him - and he smiled and flopped the big fish in the boat. Yost measured the fish - it was 59 inches long and weighed 68 pounds.

"Do you want to keep it?" I said a quick, "Yes!" since I hadn't been sturgeon fishing in over two years and was looking forward to the taste of fresh sturgeon, one of my favorite fish to eat. After Allen Bonslett had taken several photos, I got a chance to relax.

We were fishing in 55 to 60 feet of water in Suisun Bay about a mile from the Pittsburg Harbor. Suisun Bay is the traditional "null zone" where fresh water from Central Valley rivers and the saltier water of San Pablo Bay mix. The mixing of the two water traps nutrients that sustain a rich food chain in the most significant estuary on the West Coast.

Sturgeon, striped bass, four separate runs of king salmon, striped bass, starry flounder and other anadromous species depend on the Western Delta and Suisun Bay for their survival, since it both serves as a migration corridor and a nursery for juvenile fish.

Bonslett battled the next big fish on the boat. It put up a spirited fight like a much bigger fish; it was one of the "used to be" keepers in the 45 inch range. It was a very fat fish, so it weighed well over 30 pounds, much more than many keepers 46 inches or over.

Meanwhile, Gary Chaffee of Fairfield set the hook on little shaker about 14 inches long that we all kidded him about.

Since I had already caught my limit for the day, I was amazed after I watched Bonslett and Chaffee reel in one sturgeon after another. Chaffee successfully battled a 50 incher, while Bonslett bagged a 46-1/2 incher that they both released. We had boat limits - three legal sized sturgeon - by 9:30 a.m.

After a temporary slowdown in the bite as the tide turned, the bite turned on again and Bonslett caught and released his second keeper fish, a fat, gorgeous looking 52 incher, along with a couple of more undersized fish. "It's the first time I've ever caught and released two keeper sturgeon in one day," said an elated Bonslett.

By the end of the day we had caught 4 keeper sturgeon ranging from 46-1/2 to 59 inches, one catfish, two shaker stripers and 11 shaker sturgeon, the majority in the 39 to 45 inch range with a few smaller ones. It was an epic day, a day that we will all long remember.

In spite of the fabulous action, we only saw one other boat fishing near us throughout our trip. The fishing was great, the weather excellent and Kevin's breakfast burritos were superb.

I observed a number of things that I believed contributed to our success.

First, Yost anchored up only after he saw a bunch of good-sized fish on the graph. This was after Yost briefly surveyed a spot outside of Pittsburg Harbor that produced good sturgeon action on a previous trip. However, he didn't fish there because the fish marks he saw on his graph didn't excite him.

Second, Yost and Tipton aren't afraid to fish deeper water. We fished at 55 to 60 feet all day. Our anchor slipped a couple of times, but every time it did, it seemed like we encountered a new batch of fish.

Third, Yost used very large chunks of bait. Too often anglers will use small chunks of bait to "save money."

Fourth, the roe was cured with a "secret sauce" that Tipton and Yost won't disclose.

Fifth, they were constantly watching the rods and put the rods, with the exception of Chaffee's personal rod, close together.

Sixth, they weren't afraid to set the hook or tell us to set the hook on any bite that looked like a hungry sturgeon and they could distinguish between the catfish and striped bites and the sturgeon pumps.

Seventh, after missing a bite they would hold the rod and wait until the fish came back rather than reeling it right in.

On the next trip that Yost made, Gary, Ron, and Steve Phillips and Rick Morgan experienced another top-notch day of sturgeon fishing. The first sturgeon was in the boat by 7:30 a.m. and a second by 8:00am, all coming on the end of the outgoing tide.

"We ended the day around 3:30 pm, with 14 sturgeon to the boat including 3 legal sturgeon measuring 55, 49, and 47 inches," said Yost.

They fished Suisun Bay from just above the Middle Grounds to just below Chain Island. The ends of the tides were the best times for hook-ups.

Sturgeon population estimates are a continual source of controversy. The Department of Fish and Game, when it reopened sturgeon fishing in 1954, estimated that the fish had rebounded to 10,000 legal-sized fish over 40 inches, based on the "best available data."

The fishery apparently reached its historic height of 144,000 legal sized fish from 46 to 72 inches in 1998-99, the result of great spawning conditions caused by high flows in 1982-83. However, the DFG claimed that the fishery declined to 40,000 legal-sized fish by 2001.

Then in 2005 the DFG released widely contested data that the fishery had declined to only 10,000 legal-sized fish. The sturgeon population for 2007 is expected to be approximately 25,000 legal size fish, according to the DFG's preliminary data.

In contrast to the "gloom and down" estimates of a downturn of sturgeon numbers by 2005, Yost and Tipton contend that the past two years have produced the most productive sturgeon fishing that they have ever seen on Suisun Bay and the Delta.

"We've been marking more sturgeon on the graph over the past few weeks that I've ever seen before in Suisun Bay," said Yost.

"Just look at the big number of sturgeon that we caught and released today - and there's only one other boat on the water," said Tipton. "Because of the Fish and Game reports about the decline of the sturgeon fishery, we're not seeing the number of fishermen that we used to see out here."    

Suisun Bay Facts  

Location: Suisun Bay, located between Pittsburg and the Benicia/Martinez area, is where the salty water from San Pablo Bay and the fresh water of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers mix. The water ranges from mostly fresh in times of heavy freshwater flows to salty and brackish during low water periods.  

Fishing Season: Fishing is open year round for all species except for king salmon. Salmon season on the Sacramento River from the Carquinez Bridge to 150 feet below the Lower Red Bluff (Sycamore) Boat Ramp is open from July 16 through Dec. 31. This includes Suisun Bay, Grizzly Bay and all tributary sloughs.  

Boat launching/marina facilities: Boat launching is available at the Pittsburg Marina, 51-E Marina Boulevard, Pittsburg, CA. 94565, 925-439-4958; McAvoy Yacht Harbor, 1001 McAvoy Road, Bay Point, California  94565, 925-458-2568; Martinez Marina, 7 North Court Street, Martinez, California 94553, 925-313.0942; and Benicia Marina, 266 East B Street, Benicia CA. 94510, 707-745-2628.

Camping: Three "Enroute" Campsites are available for an overnight stay on a first come, first-served basis, with no reservations possible, in the Benicia State Recreation Area. This camping is limited to motor homes or vehicles with trailers, which must be fully self-contained. Tents are not permitted. Contact: Benicia State Recreation Area, 707-648-1911, or www.parksca.gov

Charter Boats: Captain Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Charters, 707-301-8050, specializes in sturgeon charters out of the Pittsburg Marina. Captain Barry and Diana Canevaro of Fish Hookers Sportfishing offer sturgeon and striper trips out of Pittsburg aboard the Fish'n' Fool IV and Fish 'n' Fun, 916-777-6498. James Smith of the California Dawn, 510-773-5511, Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker, 510-223-5388, and Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sportfishing, 916-417-5670, offer striper and sturgeon adventures out of the Martinez Marina.

Fishing information: Dockside Market, Pittsburg, (925) 252-0151; McAvoy Bait, Baypoint, 925-458-1710; Martinez Bait and Tackle, 925-229-9420; Benicia Bait and Tackle, 707-745-4921.

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