Fishing Report - Merrits Landing

[Deltalover]

One of the best places for Sturgeon bank fishing is called Merrits Landing, in the small town of Clarksburg. There is a boat launch, picnic tables and a few fire rings. There is plenty of parking and day use and boat launching are free! This is the sacremento river and the current is pretty strong! You will need to be abel to sling 5 to 7 oz of weight! Coming north on 5 you will take the freeport exit, make a right onto river road. The small town of freeport has 3 baitshops and best bet for grass shrimp, eel, ghost shrimp, pile worms ect! Continue on about half a mile to the green bridge and cross it and make a left along the river! You will drive about 10 miles and pass through the town of clarksburg. You will take the first left you come to. That is "Merrits Landing" and one of the best kept secrets for sturgeon as well as salmon, stripers and huge catfish! Right after the first rains, the locals say you have to be there at 5am or you wont find a spot because of the sturgeon fisherman. During the salmon run the other bank was wall to wall salmon fisherman. There is no overnight fishing, though the local sherriff has been known to let a few fish all night. The way to do it is stay at one of local motels, I think I paid 50 at motel 6 and it was good enough for me to get to river by 5am. There is also a really nice bed and breakfast in "freeport" With excelent food and dinners too! The host there is just awesome as well! You will need a rod and reel that can handel 25 lb test line, rod should have limber tip and lot of backbone, and should be at least 8 feet and 10 to 14 is even better. Tie on your bait with magic thread, and be prepared to wait but be aware of the slight pumping of the tip. Slam the hook home, reel in slack and slam the hook again. Sturgeon lips are tough! Hold on and play your fish. You can use 80 pound mono or wire for the leader and 0/8 or 0/9 hook. You need this cause the skin is tough like sandpaper. Cleaning that bad boy is another post!

[Lil Hooker]

Hey Phil what's up brother I know where your talking about you in for a trip out there and see waht we can get. Let me know if your interested.

[vini]

Yeah we need to hookitup with you guys up there we're coming up friday Deltalover incase you've got the time, thanks for all the info.

[Deltalover]

Thanks for the offer, but I am going to sit it out untill after the New Year! After that let me know! Merrits is a good place for sure!

[daystarchis]

Hey Bert..... You free Friday????

[shania]

Hey Phil,

Thats sounds like a place that I like to check-out :D . :0a23:

We will get together one day and hit that spot :0a32:

Take It Easy,
Bert :cool:

[shania]

Hey Robb :D What's UPPPPPPPPPPPP!

No! :sad:

I got to work! :cursing:

But what was up? :confused:

Bert :cool:

[vini]

We're gonna git WET lol guess it goes with the game :crying:

[vini]

There alot smarter then us Robb ;) there stayin indoors

[Mutt]

love merrtis aint fished it in a month or two of sundays though. have to one of these days. hehe yea they are being smart staying outta the rain :rolleyes:

[shania]

Hey Robb,

Guest what?----"Now" they make some changes at the job, and I find-out that I'm free on Friday! :rolleyes:

That pisses me off :cursing: - because I know that I missed out on something!

I'm going to try to give you a call from the job today - just to see what they made me miss out on - and I hope that it was not a fishing trip, because they would not like me after that! :cursing:

I don't like to miss out on fishing trips or hooking up with friends. :cursing:

Like I said - I'll try to give you a call today sometime.

Take It Easy Buddy,
Bert :cool:

[daystarchis]

;) No worries there Bert. Looks like it is a no go for us. Appears a big storm is heading our way and all the rivers up there are at flood stage :crying: There will be another time brother.

[Mutt]

all i know is i myself wouldnt be on the waters where i fish in the delta right now. one area i like to go to that a lot of people dont know about you cant even get into right now its all underwater so till spring time and the levels come down when i start fishing again for cats its all at the lakes for me.

[vini]

.TODAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. PATCHY LOCALLY DENSE FOG IN THE MORNING.
HIGHS IN THE MID 50S TO LOWER 60S. WEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH...BECOMING
SOUTH IN THE AFTERNOON.
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN DEVELOPING. LOWS IN
THE UPPER 40S. SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH.
.FRIDAY...WINDY...RAIN. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTH WINDS 20 TO
30 MPH INCREASING IN THE AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...WINDY...RAIN. RAIN MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. LOWS IN
THE LOWER TO MID 50S. SOUTH WINDS 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
AROUND 45 MPH DECREASING TO 10 TO 20 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.
.SATURDAY...WINDY...RAIN CHANGING TO SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE MID 50S.
SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF EVENING SHOWERS.
LOWS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: :sad:

[daystarchis]

John, How ya do? Didn't know if you went or not.

[Lil Hooker]

We didn't get anything but the guy next to us got 3 nice stripers the biggest was about 14"f the guy had a few fish in his trunk we asked him about them and he got pissed off and took off cursing us. River is raging trees, dryers all kinds of crap in the water we had to use 10oz of lead to hold the bottom. We went out again on sunday same guy was there he said he didn't get anything but he left once we got there so he might have had a trunk full who knows we didn't get any stripers did get some sqawfish about 2" was the biggest.

[vini]

Watched the news rtonight it looks crazy on those rivers glad you did'nt decide to wade out there :eek: yeah alot of people keep undersized fish call them meat hunters :cursing:

[Lil Hooker]

went out again yesterday the big skunk nada water getting a little better.

[vini]

went out again yesterday the big skunk nada water getting a little better.


keep going you catch something sooner or later thanks for the heads up

[Lil Hooker]

going back this weekend going to move west a few miles and give it a shot. they have to be somewhere

[vini]

There you go chase them down there in that water somewhere.

Are you fishing for catfish, striper or sturgeon?

[Lil Hooker]

Striper and sturgeon my go for some seven gill shark this weekend or some bat rays under the golden gate bridge not sure. If not I will head west from Rio Vista over to grizzly point. Have you guys tried San Luis lately this time of year is pretty good.

[vini]

Striper and sturgeon my go for some seven gill shark this weekend or some bat rays under the golden gate bridge not sure. If not I will head west from Rio Vista over to grizzly point. Have you guys tried San Luis lately this time of year is pretty good.


I may be going to
san Fran soon to do some work for my sister i'll be staying about 3 days they live in Daly City you want to get together and do some fishing somewhere I'll get in touch with you once i have a date setup lilhooker i'd love to go and fish around golden gate for some sharkys:D

[vini]

THIS WAS NOT ME WRITING THIS BUT WISH IT WAS




merrits part II sunday morning
« on: Feb 6th, 2006, 2:21pm »



sunday morning 4 am. went to sleep at 230 and at 4:00 my cousin woke me up cuz my reel was screaming. i got up in a hurry and set the hook once and it started running and then i tightened my drag and it still running and i was worried cuz my lines were less half way gone. tighted my drag a little more and still going fast. i asked my cousin to turn on the flash light to see how much line i have left and it was almost gone. i used my thumb to press the line and still going. finally it stoped so i reeled in real fast, going up and down my pole and it jumped (splash). i was so nervous, finally i got it close to my both and it was probably 20 ft and it jumped again. when it went down, it took off real fast so, i tightened my drag a little more and still going fast. pressed my thumb and still going.....my thumb was burning and i tightened my drag again and still going fast....no sign of slowing down...it pressed it again with my thumb and still going....my thumb was burning and i was afraid if i tightened more i would loose the fish. my line was almost gone and i told the guys in the bank that "i am getting spooled". i pressed my thumb hard and no sign of slowing down. so, i pressed my thumb and let it go and then pressed it again. i did that for about 5x like that but no luck it still going. AND THEN all of the sudden it got loose. so, i thought it stoped and coming towards me so i reeled in real fast but when i reeled in half way, i sensed it that it got away. i continued reeling in all the way. when i reeled it in all the way, i looked at my hook, the tip of the hook bent.

this is the weired part.
after i reeling in my line and looking at my hook. i looked at my left towards the bank and i saw people fishing on our side of the boat. what the heck...why are these people fishing on our side. next to i know, we were 30 yards away from where we were anchored. what happened? can anybody tell me how that happened? is the fish big enough to pull our boat, anchor?

[daystarchis]

Dang Vince, You logging on early these days. Great story to warm up the fishing blood;)

[Deltalover]

Good post Vini, it dont get much better then that! I have heard of many stories on the delta of sturgeon dragging boats up and down the river. Keep in mind that they can reach length of over 20 feet and weigh over a thousand pounds!

[vini]

Dang Vince, You logging on early these days. Great story to warm up the fishing blood;)


Having to go to Kerman 3 days a week and be there by 7 o'clock get up around 5 am:mad:

Deltalover i see why you love the delta wish i lived closer, almost moved to San Fran a few years ago but just could'nt see myself in all that traiffic(road rager):cool: