AR Striper fishing

[kelly]

Went out today for striper around the Sailor Bar area from around 6am till around 10am. Having never fished for striper before I used 5 different clouser patterns with no luck. Any suggestions on what to use or where to go? I realize I may be a little late in the game, but I'd rather try than not try at all. Plus, I should be able to fish during the week from now till the end of the year, so I'd like to get my skills ready for the Steelies. Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Darian]

The one suggestion I would make is to take a guided trip with Charlie Gonzalez (a local guide) or contact Andy Guibord (both of these guys work out of kiene's shop). Andy's not guiding but will frequently agree to go fishing with you after work. Charlie is a very good guide/host and from the photo's of the catches his clients make, the price of a trip with him will be well worth it.

Both use boats and both are very knowledgeable about striper fishing on the American. You can gain enough knowledge about the when, where and why in one trip to make all of your next trips worth the effort.

There are other guides that are very good in the area but I'm not as familiar with them.

Good luck.... :D

[BillB]

You won't regret it!

Big Valley Guide Service
http://bigvalleyguide.com
(916)716-8471

[Jgoding]

I dunno, I never use a clouser but I doubt that's the problem. Wading the AR for stripes is a numbers game... if there are fish around you will catch them typically, if they're not around then you need to keep moving til you find them.

[Mike Churchill]

Kelly,

I'm not an expert by any means, but I've been fishing the lower AR for stripers from a boat occasionally for the last two years and usually--but not always--pick up at least a couple of fish. Some days are better, some days you have to just enjoy being out on the water. I usually launch from Discovery Park and motor up to fish from around the Hwy 160 bridge up to where it gets shallow behind Cal Expo. (Big boat does not do skinny water.)

As far as I can tell, this time of year, there are only a modest number of fish around, and they are spread out. You find one hear and one there, but sometimes you find a school of small ones. I've caught fish on little clousers in chartreuse and white and olive and white, big chartreuse and white flashtail clousers, medium-sized pink and white flashtail clousers, and other similar streamers ranging from size 2 up to 2/0. I have talked to others who use smaller flies in the spring when the steelhead and salmon alevins are abundant and others who use much bigger flies when the shad are in the river.

My dad were out last Saturday morning and today. I throw flies, he throws swim baits and lures on spinning gear. Last week I got one dink on a fly, he got a 3 lb. schoolie on a rubber shad, and then I landed a 10.5 lb striper that ate a Yozuri lure we were trolling back down stream at 12:30 in the afternoon. (That one put up a good fight but I only count it about 1/3 since I was just sittin' in the shade running the remote control on the trolling motor when it hit and Ed Wahl says that's cheating.)

Today all I got was two bumps despite a bunch of fly changes. My dad landed two fish. The first was a surprise: a hatchery steelhead that went about 21 inches and 3 pounds or so and ate a cast Yozuri. The second was nice striper of 5 or 6 pounds that ate a swim bait in about 9 feet of water in the middle of the river.

To wind to a long-winded conclusion: the stripers are in there, but not in huge numbers and on foot you will put in time to get them. Pay attention to what those other guys said.

And if you'd like to go out on the river (or the Delta) some weekend, shoot me an email at mchurchill@downeybrand.com. (Others were kind enough to take me out to chase stripers when I had no boat, so I pass the favor along from time to time.)

Mike

[kelly]

Thanks for the reply's and great information. I may seriously give one or all of you a call. Thanks again.

[gene goss]

Watch a couple of guys fishing from the Arden park walk over bridge this morning....one guy was on the bridge spotting the stripers and talking to his buddy on the cell phone that was wading just up stream from the bridge, he was fishing the clay bumps in the middle of the river...i saw some very large stripers in that school around the clay bumps.

[malbers]

I fish the AR from my boat at least once a week. Lately my timing has been really bad, late in the morning till 12:30. The sun is high on the water, and where I am fishing, I get follows, chases and the occasional hook-up. Been skunked with my 4 year old the last three times I have been out. The water right now is gin clear, and the fish stop chasing, about the time they see my boat.

With that said, there are fish in there. I have caught, nada but the fish watch has been something to get anxious about. Yesterday, I saw about 20 Stripers in the water. A school of 10 dinks, 3 or 4 2-5lb schoolies, 3 8-12lb nice picture fish, and 1 fish; you know that 1 fish, the reason you got out there even though you know you might get skunked, but the one fish you really want to catch. Yah I saw that fish. Really close to the boat, eyeballing me the whole time, in about 4 feet of water.

Also had many follows by Salmon. Might want to pinch the barb. I saw several large schools around the boat. Water clarity is really cool with nice Costa 580s if your not catching anything.