My fondness for the kind of fishing I do most began when I was about eight or nine years old. My dad and his best friend, Al Maggini, took me with them to fish for rainbow trout on “Golden Bear Creek,” which was their name for the main headwaters branch of Sonoma Creek that winds its way through Glen Ellen and Kenwood before bending to the northeast into Adobe Canyon and up to the ridgeline somewhere in what is Sugarloaf Park today.
Whether one uses worms, salmon eggs, or artificial flies, fishing for trout on a stream is an active process. One doesn’t just sit there. To catch fish, an angler must move stealthily along the creekbank, casting to the right spot in each pool and riffle.
But I actually started fishing several years before that. My dad and I would drive down toward the U.S. Naval Station at Skaggs Island, where local ranchers had given him permission to drive through their gates so we could fish off the banks of Hudeman Slough.
Hudeman was part of a whole system of estuaries in the delta lands that run across Sonoma’s southern boundary that connected to the delta waters along the Napa River. All of it was part of the wetlands that connect to and extend north from San Francisco/San Pablo Bay.
Fishing off the bank for striped bass down there was a favorite pastime of local anglers. They’d stop by a local bait shop, purchase a box or frozen anchovies or sardines, and drive a few miles south to enjoy a relaxing day, rod in hand, sitting by the slough waiting for a big bass to bite.
Once in a while, one actually did, and we would bring home a big fish for dinner.
Most of the time, the fish that took our offerings of sliced sardines were smaller stripers that we tossed back. But for me, catching something was the best part of the trip, even if we had to throw it back.
Sonoma Creek and the sloughs that ran off it were home to many fish in those days, but gradually, access to fishing there became more restricted. But fishing from the bank is still a favorite pastime of many, and good places can be found. It is a great way to introduce your children and grandchildren to fishing
The closest spots to Sonoma are on the Napa River along Cuttings Wharf road (about a 20-minute drive). There is a boat ramp down there, plus several places where you can park and find a place from which you can cast your line. There are still plenty of stripers in the Napa River, and some of them are really big.
You can also access the bank at the mouth of Sonoma Creek off the Highway 37 Bridge.
There are some excellent and picturesque bank fishing locations along the Marin Shoreline about 35 minutes south of Sonoma. The first is China Camp State Park, off of Highway 101 and North San Pedro Road. It is a historic Chinese American shrimp-fishing village near San Rafael. A little farther along is Paradise Beach Park, which even has a pier from which you can fish.
From these two spots you can expect to catch striped bass, sturgeon and sometimes halibut.
You can get directions and the right bait by stopping by the Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael. Proprietor Bear Clifton can supply you with all you need for a successful day of fishing.