While the striped bass is native to the Atlantic coast, the breed was introduced to the San Francisco Bay in 1879. The fingerling bass took the long train ride from the Navesink River in New Jersey and was released into the San Fransisco Bay near Martinez. In 1882, an additional 300 striped bass babies were released in lower Suisun Bay. By 1889, the fish had fully established themselves and stripers were being sold at San Fransisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Today, striper fishing in Delta, CA, is a popular pastime around the entire Bay area.
Striped Bass in San Francisco Bay
Striped bass is anadromous fish; that means they migrate between salt and freshwater. However, they spawn their eggs in freshwater. Around the San Fransisco Bay, the stripers swim up the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in the spring to spawn. They can swim upstream as far as 125 miles, reaching as far as the Feather River. For updates Follow our Facebook page.
Some striped bass live in the San Francisco Bay area year-round, migrating between the freshwater rivers and the salty bay. However, many striped basses swim to the Pacific Ocean after the spring spawn. Those that swim to the Pacific during the summer head both north and south, swimming well beyond Point Reyes to the north and to Monterey Bay in the south.
Catching Striped Bass Around the Bay
Some of the best fishing for stripers is south of Butte City along the Sacramento River, as well as between Colusa and Knights Landing. Likewise, the mildly salty waters of the delta region is a good place to find stripers. The fish linger in the delta while they adjust to the different salinity before they either go up the river to spawn or before they head out to the salty waters of the bay. In fact, striper fishing in Delta, CA, may be your best bet if you want to catch a striper.
