Napa River

Time to go south on the river to target sturgeon. The bite will improve with more rains. Ghost and grass Shrimp are the best baits — but hard to find.

Try frozen baits; ask the guys at Sweeney’s Sports on Imola Ave. in Napa (255-5544) for their recommendations.

Clear Lake

That last cold snap really narrowed the bass bite. John Nittolo and his son J.P. fished with Bob Myskey recently.

They worked hard for eight largemouths, although they had two 5-pounders.

Contrast that with our trip just five days earlier when we caught 28, with four over 5 pounds.

Stay ready for an improved crappie bite as the weather gets worse.

Call Bob Rider at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake (994-3473) for the latest scoop.

California Delta

There is a little “waiting game” played right now for the sturgeon bite to go off. We need some good, solid rain events to push through a bunch of muddy water into the Delta.

Don’t wait too long to book some trips — they fill up fast when the word goes out.

My favorite sturgeon hunter is captain Barry Canevaro (916-777-6498). He runs a “six pack,” holding just six anglers.

Book the whole boat with your best buddies for a neat experience. Barry has all of the amenities, including a warm cabin and a marine head.

Sacramento River

The truncated season for king salmon slammed shut this past weekend.

It was marked by some big bruisers in the 40- to 50-pound range.

Cross your fingers for a longer and wider salmon season here in ’09.

Bodega Bay

The giant Humboldt Squid bite stays hot. The New Sea Angler has sweetened the pot with their Sea Monster Derby that runs through the ’08-09 winter season.

Catch the biggest squid and win four spots on any of their ’09 open boat runs. USA Fishing will also award the winner with four tickets to the San Mateo or the Sacramento International Sportsman’s Expo later in January.

Go on to www.usafishing.com/bodega for one of the most useful sites I’ve ever seen.

It tells you in detail everything you need to know about experiencing a party boat fishing adventure.

Smith River

This is just one report, but it may bode well for the ’09 steelhead bite on the north coast rivers. Just as the level of the Smith was rising one morning, all guides reporting had limits by 11 a.m.

A couple of the reported fish were over 15 pounds.