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View Full Version : Stripers and Meth Heads



Tony Buzolich
02-23-2006, 08:00 PM
One of the advantages of working in a bait shop is you get to meet lots of neat people, and, some not so neat.
You get to listen to all of their stories about how big the fish were, how many they caught, how the line broke, etc. etc.. A lot (most) of this is pure B/S but once in a while a guy comes across more convincingly than others.
Today was that day.
A young guy comes in to the shop talking very load and asking for all the biggest plugs we had. He had to have the right color, he had to have this, and he had to have that. Obviously this guy was quite drunk, stoned, and completely burned out.
But, he was talking stripers.
Now, I had to listen while doing my fly thing on the other side of the shop.
He proceded to brag about all the stripers he'd been catching and where he was getting them. Still very loadly.
Several customers started asking him about it as well.
He says "Wait a minute, I've got proof" and runs out to his truck and boat. Yes, he was towing a boat.
He comes back in with a broken lens digital camera and proceeds to show everyone a dozen pictures of the stripers he's taken over the last month starting in January.
These pictures were amazing. At least a dozen fish going from 15# to over 30+#.
I now had to take this guy a little more seriously.
He said that all of the fish were taken at night and non before 7:00pm in the evening.
He then grabbed a half dozen plugs and a couple of six-packs and threw everything into the back of his boat and headed down river to his favorite spot.
"Where exactly?" you ask. The Feather :)

To further confirm Flygolf's teaser, yes, they are here. And in the American, and in the delta again too.

They may have always been here too as resident fish and not just the early season spawners that we all are waiting for.

Big fish this week (Tuesday) we weighted in a 37# pounder. :(

The main run is just getting started though.
TONY

Ryan
02-23-2006, 08:39 PM
That's a verry funny post... I work at Sweeneys in Napa... with the Napa river being only a mile from the shop... so you can immagine, we get the same customers you get... just in a different city... I'm like you too, I try to stay on my "fly side" but each day I'm doing some kind of work or need to help someone out on the other side... I try to BS my way through it and sound like I know what I'm talking about... and to the Methheads, I can make myself seem like the bait fishing striper king! Hahahaha... But I have to admit, even though I hate seeing and smelling the anchovies on these guys who come in with fish they want pictures of... it is these people who drop most of the money in the shop for small things, and they do keep me and my fellow employee Grant entertained at times... He always tries to turn them on me if they ask him for help... He will say things like "Oh well Ryan was fishing anchovies on the river last night... How'd ya do again Ryan..." So I'm stuck w/ em for 1 minute to an hour at times listening to their story and listening to their tactics on fishing! But working in a bait/tackle/fly shop is an awesome job for me... I have met allot of cool people... I always know where the hot fishing is... I've learned to know when people are BS'in about fish stories... and most of all I have learned allot about the products we sell... and that Simms is worth the money! Hahahah...

Anyways, I thought your post was extremley simmilar to what I go through at work, so I had to respond... pretty funny stuff, but I'm not sure how well Sweeneys would do without all those types of customers...

Tony Buzolich
02-23-2006, 09:13 PM
Even in NAPA? :lol:

I guess every business has it's characters.
TONY

Bill Kiene semi-retired
02-23-2006, 10:47 PM
I worked at West Capitol Rod & Gun which was a very busy bait and tackle shop around 1970. We sold all the different kinds of fresh, frozen and live baits. It was pretty wild over there too. We had some pretty serious fisherman who came in there.

It was right next door to the 'Tower Club' which was a very popular old bar in those days.

It was very near the 'mouth of the American' so that was a local hot spot for us. Shad, Stripers and Salmon really like that confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers.

People would come in early and get bait or lures and then drive back on the way home and we took pictures of their catch. We have tons of photos up all over the shop so people would bring their friends in to show them all the fish.