Summary:  Much better this week than it has been for some time.   The weather has cooperated, and so have the fish.  Best bets continue to be freshwater or the Delta, but those who don't want to spend money on gas can work the bays for a variety of species, with light tackle being the way to go--except for sturgeon, of course!

STRIPED BASS:  Still some action in San Pablo Bay but it's not worth getting excited about.  Best choice is to hit the Delta.  If you don't want to drive too far, consider Grizzly Island Road, either at Montezuma Slough Bridge with baits, or all the way down to the salt gate, where pluggers are throwing white Hair Raisers and doing pretty well.  These are stripers who have traveled in from the Suisun.  Sizes are smallish, to 3-8#.

STURGEON:  Sturgeon ar in San Pablo Bay but it's still a tough call for shoreliners.  You can try China Camp to San Quentin Point, or Point Molate to Crockett.  Behind the restaurant at Emeryville Point is a choice.  Your chances are about the same in all these places on shrimp baits.  The fish are moving nearer to Martinez these days, so there and Port Costa are possibilities.  Or head up to the Delta.

PERCH: Black and pile perch are hitting pile worms and grass shrimp on the rocky shores from Emeryville to Richmond.  The fishing is not great but has improved.  Same thing over at both towers of the Golden Gate Bridge for walleyed, striped, and white perch.

MISCELLANEOUS SPECIES:  Starry flounder have hit the Bay system and can be found from San Francisco Bay all the way up to the Suisun.  Try blood worms and grass shrimp as top baits.  They aren't in huge numbers or large sizes yet.  Little sand sharks, kingfish, and some jacksmelt are still around.

FRESHWATER: Trout planted at  Contra Loma, Shadow Cliffs, Del Valle, Chabot, Bon Tempe, Lagunitas, and Phoenix.  Not much change except that it's better all around for trout.   Best baits near the shore continue to be PowerBait in chartreuse or rainbow color and nightcrawlers.  Trout fishing is considered good right now in all Bay Area lakes.  Marin lakes looking very nice and producing good fish, now that the planting has resumed.   Bass are being taken on plastic worms at Contra Loma.

DELTA RUMORS:  Salmon are back in the picture between Rio Vista and Isleton.  Wiggle Warts are the most effective lures, but Rat-L-Traps and Mepps or Blue Fox spinners will also work.  This is sort of a last hurrah for salmon as this school continues upriver.  Striped bass are hitting all types of baits in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.  In the north the hot spots are Antioch into the San Joaquin side of Sherman Island, the Sacramento side of Sherman Island from the boat launch through the power lines, and then some big guys up at Steamboat Slough.  Fresh shad is the ticket once again, followed by mudsuckers, bullheads, grass shrimp, pile worms, and sardines.  Just keep throwing bait out there until something happens.  In the south the main activity is the Whiskey Slough/Bacon Island area on much the same baits.  Some big stripers into the 15# range are cruising through the waters.  Sturgeon fishing is good at Cache Slough, Sherman Island (both sides, though the power lines are better), and even at Antioch. Shrimp baits are best.  Montezuma Slough,  by the bridge and the public pier, is seeing some sturgeon at night on the low end of the outgoing on shrimp baits and pile worms.  Black bass takes some work along the tules and structures on spinnerbaits.  Crappie, in some large sizes, are hitting minnow along the waters off of 8 Mile Road (accessed from I-5).  Catfish are slow biters--except at the end of Grizzly Island Road, where grass shrimp will get you a stringer of large yellow catfish during low tide.  And there are channel catfish, few and far between by very large, on sardines in the same area.