Summary: Was it Solomon who said "Nothing new under the sun?"  Well that's pretty much the story this week.  No point in updating a slow period.

STRIPED BASS: Same old story.  Pretty bleak in the bays right now.  You might try Emryville or KDIA in the late afternoon with grass shrimp.  That's the best I've heard so far.   And not too good in the sea, either, except late at night when the deeper incoming tide brings them closer to the realm of shoreliners.  Try black floaters.  Or hit the Delta before dawn.
 

STURGEON: The Delta or nowhere.  Sherman Island has given some fair interest lately.  Shrimp baits.
 
 

PERCH: Still going fairly well, but no one is taking much advantage of this.  Take pile worms and move around.  You will find them.  Pretty good despite the heat and minus tides.  The black perch are lingering below rocky shelves fairly close to the banks and can be enticed by pile worms and grass shrimp.  Or try the piers, especially those with wooden pilings and a good depth. The San Francisco waterfront is the most consistent area for black, white, and pile perch, with the occasional striped perch thrown in.   From the beaches it's a strange process, on and off with not much rhyme or reason, and the weeds are so thick that your bait will be smothered before a fish gets a chance to munch on it.
 
 

MISCELLANEOUS SPECIES: No change. There have been a good deal of halibut getting nailed from boats in the Bay past few days, but from the shore it's a joke.  Might be a better idea to jig swimbaits or spoons from the rocks behind the Gate or throw frozen anchovies from Fort Cronkhite and similar beaches.  There are some big ones where the sand meets the rocks. Bat rays are still available in San Pablo Bay and in the south by Candlestick; kingfish are in Richmond; jacksmelt in large numbers all the way down at Pillar Point; and rockfish are close in at the rocky beaches.  Cut anchovies are the top baits for these fish.  Start looking for salmon in Rodeo and Benicia before the crowds set in.   Be the rumor instead of chasing it!
 

FRESHWATER: A repeat of last week, except no trout plants. Catfish plants at Temescal, Contra Loma Del Valle, Chabot, and Shadow Cliffs.  Same old story. Hot weather kills the trout bite except for very early morning or at dusk--for that matter, that's the story for the other species, too, unless you fish within the fog zone.  August=doldrums in freshwater, save for catfish.
 

DELTA RUMORS: Go figure, Week 2 Searing days, frequently accompanied by furnace blast winds--and the fishing is better than it was during the traditional Spring Run.  Striped bass are at Sherman Island in large sizes.  Shad baits are the top offering but these pigs will smack just about anything they come across.  Best time is early morning or late in the evening.  Black bass are in the same area and like the typical lures, but many are taking baits like live minnows floated under the bobbers.  Catfish are everywhere and like fishy offerings, no surprise.  Salmon have tapered off slightly but can still be found from Isleton to Walnut Grove (better this past week), and a few in the Mokelumne River.  More are on their way.