The Petaluma River remains dangerously contaminated, with high levels of bacteria showing up in every single water test taken in the river.
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Are there sharks in the Petaluma River?
About Petaluma River The most popular species caught here are Striped bass, Leopard shark, and Bat eagle ray.
What fish are in the Petaluma River?
Both Chinook salmon and steelhead trout use the Petaluma River and its tributaries. General Mariano Vallejo built a summer home โ Rancho Petaluma Adobe near the tidal marsh in 1836 on his 66,000 acres of land; he lived in the town of Sonoma most of the year.
What is the best time to fish for stripers?
Many people consider the new and full moons to be the best time to fish for stripers because they create strong ocean currents, which bass thrive in. Generally speaking, three days before a new or full moon, and the three days after produce the best fishing, because there is more vertical water movement.
Can I fish at Petaluma River?
Fish: The mouth of the river is one of the better spots for fishing from both shoreline and boats. The best bet through the summer is to use bait, such as grass shrimp (or live shiner perch) for striped bass and fish at the top of the tide and the start of the outgoing tide.
Is the Petaluma River saltwater?
Our Petaluma River is a tidal slough with water salinity ranging from 0.5 to 2% making our Petaluma Marsh an oligohaline estuary.
What’s the best bait for striper fishing?
Bloodworms and Sandworms as Striped Bass Baits Bloodworms and sandworms are highly effective striper baits just about everywhere these fish are found, virtually any time of the year. Stripers love eating them, period.
What is the best bait for catching striped bass?
Live bait such as herring, menhaden, mackerel, eels, squid, clams, anchovies, bloodworms, shad, nightcrawlers and sandworms all make great bait for striped bass fishing. You can find these baits at just about any local fishing bait and tackle shop.
Where is the best striper fishing in California?
During the summer and fall, striped bass fishing is at its peak in San Francisco Bay. Trollers and live bait drifters make good catches with regularity in Raccoon Strait, at the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, at submerged rocky reefs in central San Francisco Bay, and off Alcatraz and Treasure Islands.
Is the Petaluma River a slough?
The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough for most of its length. The headwaters are in the area southwest of Cotati.
What is Petaluma California known for?
Known for its wines, Petaluma also boasts world-class beers and ales, award-winning olive oils, and artisan cheeses that are served in some of the finest restaurants nationwide.
How deep is the San Pablo Bay?
The deepest part of the bay is under and out of the Golden Gate Bridge, at 372 ft (113 m).
What is the meaning of Petaluma?
Though the origin of the name “Petaluma” has been debated, it’s now generally accepted to mean “flat back,” from the language of native Americans in the area more than 5,000 years ago, and interpreted to mean mesas or hills within the valley ‘Valley of the Little Hills,” or ‘City of Little Hills” is often used as a …
What color lures do stripers like?
A study performed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences showed that striped bass see yellow and chartreuse better than other colors as they are smack dab in the middle of the striped bass’s visual range.
What depth do striped bass eat?
On many of these fisheriesโespecially in the Southโstripers remain in the creeks throughout the winter and hold at depths of 15 to 20 feet. Catching striped bass doesn’t automatically slow down when the winter hits, these suspended fish will actively eat.
What pound test should I use for striped bass?
The Solution. Line matters and Captain Mike recommends sticking with 10-pound or 12-pound test. Plus, it makes catching striped bass a lot more fun.
What is a striped bass favorite food?
Striped bass eat a variety of foods, including fish such as alewives, flounder, sea herring, menhaden, mummichogs, sand lance, silver hake, tomcod, smelt, silversides, and eels, as well as lobsters, crabs, soft clams, small mussels, sea worms, and squid.
How do you rig for striper fishing?

How do you find striped bass in a river?
As striped bass move into rivers they stop at staging points along the way to rest. These locations are ideal for catching bass. Look for tapering points or humps that drop off into river channels. In shallower rivers, look for holes that are 10 to 15 feet deep.
What is the legal size for striper in California?
Watershed Overview Located in southern Sonoma County, and a portion of northeastern Marin County, the Petaluma River Watershed encompasses a 146 square mile, pear-shaped basin. The watershed is approximately 19 miles long and 13 miles wide with the City of Petaluma near its center.
Where are the Delta stripers now?
Most of the local stripers spend their summers in the ocean or in San Francisco Bay. They re-enter the Delta during September and October, and some of the first places they’re caught are in the lower reaches of the Delta around the Pittsburgh and Antioch area, including Sherman Lake and Montezuma Slough.
Can you float the Petaluma River?
Let your cares float away on the Petaluma River Or get eye-to-eye with an egret in a kayak or paddleboard. Let the experts at Clavey Paddlesports get you outfitted and on the water in no time.
What does Petaluma turn out to?
Petaluma is emerging as a destination for nightlife, festivals, shops of curated bespoke goods and a thriving brew pub scene.
What’s A River slough?
A slough is a swamp or shallow lake system, usually a backwater to a larger body of water. South Slough is a 4,771-acre National Estuarine Research Reserve located on Coos Bay Estuary in Oregon (Image credit: South Slough NERR). A slough is typically used to describe wetlands.
Is Petaluma a wealthy area?
The per capita income in Petaluma in 2018 was $46,303, which is upper middle income relative to California, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $185,212 for a family of four. However, Petaluma contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.