TOP PICKS

AMERICAN RIVER -- A few striped bass were caught up and down the river, but fishing has slowed. There were also reports of a few small steelhead caught in riffles between Howe Avenue and River Bend Park. Flows were down to 1,600 cfs.

BOCA LAKE - Lake has been stocked four times in the past month and fishing has been better on the west side of the lake. Brian Nylund at Mountain Hardware and Sports in Truckee said anglers fishing out of the inlet area have been doing pretty good where the water is not moving. In moving water, fishing is restricted to artificial lures, barbless hooks and limit is 2 fish under 14 inches. Up at the point and the dam area on the west side of the lake guys trolling up around the cliff face with Needlefish, Krocodiles and rainbow Runners, hooks tipped with a piece of nightcrawler, have been getting fish 40 to 60 feet deep.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Colusa -- Striper fishing was good, especially for fly fishers using big Clousers and fast-sinking shooting heads. There were several whoppers weighing between 20 and 34 pounds caught between Colusa and Knights Landing on flies. Fishing with minnows and plastic worms was good near Colusa.

CAMANCHE LAKE -- Bass and trout were still offering good action, but the highliner continued to be catfish, with one pair of Sacramento anglers catching 9 catfish from 4 to 9 pounds and losing 8 more while soaking chicken livers in rocky structures in 20 feet of water. The bites came Saturday night as the pair anchored overnight upriver. Bass action has been good for anglers drop-shotting in 25 to 30 feet of water near the dikes and on mid-lake humps. Trouters hit for trollers fishing the 40-foot zone with Ex-Cel spoons, Needlefish and Assassin lures.

SUISUN BAY -- According to Captain Kevin Yost of First Strike Sportfishing stripers have been showing up in Montezuma Slough, and good numbers of sturgeon were marked from Pittsburg up to Rio Vista. Some shaker action has been reported in the lower Suisun Bay, but the larger sturgeon are concentrating higher in the delta system.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

• FEATHER RIVER -- Some steelhead were caught in the Low Flow Section, and although most were only a couple of pounds, there were a few spotted by anglers that looked to be between 5 and 10 pounds. A few striped bass were caught below Shanghai Rapids on big streamer flies, topwater plugs and sardines.

• FOLSOM LAKE -- Bass fishing was good for anglers dragging Brush Hawgs over submerged rocky humps and along ledges next to drop-offs. Swimbaits and topwater lures were effective in the early hours. Minnows were good for scoring several bass in the 2-pound class. It was an early morning bite. This is the time of year when fishing for catfish is usually good, and the time of year when fishing for trout and landlocked salmon is bad.

• SACRAMENTO RIVER, Sacramento -- There was considerable fishing for striped bass last week, but about the only place where anglers seemed to find decent action was over the levee behind Raley Field. Make sure you park in a legal spot. Catfish were biting just about everywhere. The point by the Discovery Park Boat Ramp was one good spot. So was the stretch of river by Crawdads. Most catfish were between 14 and 16 inches, but there also a few weighing up to 10 pounds.

• SACRAMENTO RIVER, Red Bluff -- Trout fishing was fair down to Anderson on small nymphs under indicators. But, drifting crickets and Glo-Bugs, and back-trolling small Hot Shots has been producing more and larger fish.

DELTA REGION

• SACRAMENTO RIVER side -- Riverside Bait saw limits of keeper stripers to 10 pounds on trolled shallow divers like Yo-Zuri's. Sherman and Decker islands, trolling between Rio Vista and Isleton bridges, up in Cache Slough, down by Montezuma or off Sandy Beach all had mostly schoolie stripers.

• SAN JOAQUIN RIVER side -- Chris Chaing from the Outdoor Sportsman in Stockton said there had been little action on stripers here, as the majority of fish were still small. If you don't mind small stripers, you can find limits of them around Ladd's. For the chance at a few larger ones, try in Potato Slough.