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Topic: Sonoma Creek sturgeon Friday  (Read 2976 times)

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Madmax

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Pondsurf, a newbie, and I decided to fish Sonoma Creek after a buddy said he heard boats were getting multiple hookups there on ghost shrimp.  Launched under the highway 37 bridge on the North side and paddled out past the mouth.  My fishfinder is down and Pondsurf forgot to charge his batteries so we were fishing blind, but it was easy to find the channel with our paddles.  Pondsurf had a fish on within 5 minutes but it was a shaker at 40 inches.  Nothing happened for another 3 hours except the newbie missing  a probable take.  He was only 30 feet away because of a slipping anchor, and right at the best part of the tide which was making less noise streaming past the hull of our kayaks (sign that the tide is slowing and toward the bottom), was sunny, very quiet, both of us enjoying a nice cigar, last 2 ghost shrimp on the line- I said to him how great it would be to hook up right then.  Within 10 minutes my rod was going off and I was on a 100 yard sleigh ride!  Barely legal 46 incher and 20 lbs.  I now know that a minimum fish is about 20 lbs and a maximum legal fish is about 40 (see 2nd px, 55 7/8" caught on a boat 2 weeks ago 1 mile off China camp).  40 lbs of sturgeon yielded 17 lbs of fillet which all went to the smoker.  Ended up with 10 lbs of smoked sturgeon.  Bud's meats in Penngrove does an excellent job.  His pepper and garlic marinade is fabulous!  Goes really well with a chardonnay, havarti cheese, and crackers!!  Fly tying guys are going to love it tomorrow night.
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Hat Trick

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cool, tell me about the launch. i have fished there from shore, it seemed steep and muddy. was it difficult? could it be done at low tide?
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Bill

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Nice one!

This has been an amazing year for kayak sturgeon!


KZ

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Great job MadMax... I've never launched down there either but I know that area is great for sturgeon on the incoming tides... would you mind putting up a review of the launch area, obstacles, tide dependant issues, etc? 

Congratulations...

EK
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Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.


Mr.Matt

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Matt


Madmax

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We launched on the North side of the bridge, where everyone used to fish before they redesigned the area and built 3 parking areas.  Coming from 101, we passed the area on Highway 37 and turned left on to the Skaggs Island exit-just to use it as a turn around to go in the other direction.  We then turned into the parking lot just before the bridge, which is East of Sonoma Creek.  We parked in the parking lot  and easily wheeled the kayaks around a locked gate and down an old road which has an asphalt surface.  Right at the end of this road there is a dirt path going right and to a slough.  We launched at high tide after the lock on this slough, down a trail paralleling the slough.  Lots of pickleweed there, but the low tide exit involved mud.  It's not the silty type mess that's at China camp, and it didn't pose a problem exiting the kayaks, but you had to pull them up a mud bank a short distance.  Don't do it alone, one of us had to be helped out because he was up to his mid thigh in mud.  Bring carts. 

I have to admit I wasn't really that happy with this put in, but I haven't checked  the 2 other options which are the other side of the bridge out of  the parking lot off of East bound 37 (before the bridge), or the parking lot after the bridge also Eastbound on 37.  There are 2 parking lots on that side of the freeway, one before and one after the bridge.  The area we were at looked like it had access leading to the parking lot on the other side.  From the asphalt road mentioned above, there is a road going over there that goes UNDER the bridge.  I haven't checked that side out yet so I don't know how hard it would be to launch directly into the Sonoma River.  I know that this will involve dragging the yak or carting it over pickleweed, but this would probably be easy.  I've looked at the level of mud and steepness going over the bridge in a vehicle, and it doesn't look all that bad, but I definitely need to take a closer look at both of these other  2 put in options at low tide.

No other obstacles to speak of other then some very shallow areas even before you get out of the mouth.  Stay to the left hand side going out, and head just to the left of the first stake you see out there (Pondsurf hooked up here, channel is on the inside of this stake).  There is another one about 200 yards further out and left of the 1st stake, that's where I hooked up (just to the outside of this one, which is where the channel is).  I've always tried the outgoing tides in areas like this, and have seen fish at either the max ebb, near the bottom or at slack just before the flood.  I don't know how it would be during the flood, but it would sure make for an easier exit.  Mudslide putin?

The attached scan of the San Pablo chart shows the slough and bridge, but does not have the new parking areas on it.  I have a call into the San Pablo National Wildlife Refuge, (707)769-4200, for status on updated maps.  What I have from them is not detailed, and there are no updates online yet.
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Madmax

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Here is a google map of the area.  Shows everything
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guitarzan

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Good report, good fish. My keeper is still out there somewhere... Ben
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I sure do miss you guys.


KZ

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Thanks for the recon... good information to have.  I'm sure it will save a few headaches for whoever else trys to hit that area.

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Acts 10:13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.


Hat Trick

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i have fished from shore there, that mud is thick, with an undercut bank, but i am tempted.
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gotbaitgofish

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was there sunday turn around did not like the look of the mud plus i was along i know from buck landing its go 2 have help around when you need it
 try black pointbno love for me but Sonoma Creek a great place 2 fish sign me up for next time chris this is the place i was talking about i see u got one big guy :beer3
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Hat Trick

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hey troy, it is a fishy looking spot no doubt about it.  i want to fish it on fri or sat. low tide like 8am but 2 feet. high tide at 3 pm 4.4 feet. that means if we can get in we can get out.
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