Late Start to the Day

When you've got honey-do's to do they take precedent. I've been going down to the ramps somewhat late and there's been no place to park let alone launch. Everybody in the area around here fishes and when the stripers show up it becomes a mad house of activity.

Yesterday I had an electrician coming at 9:00 to replace a bad GFi. The boat was already hooked up and it was a beautiful morning to do something besides wait for an electrician. Well, he finally shows up and changes out my plug in the garage and that took all of 10 minutes.
It's still early (somewhat) and I normally fish till around noon so I gotta go. I get to the ramp about 9:30 and I'm by myself. And launching a boat by yourself isn't easy for an old man but I finally get on the water and I'm off. Gee, it feels good.
Water is still a bit cold. The Feather is running right at 55 degrees and the Yuba is 48 and both are fairly clear for a fly.

I work my favorite spots and it's not long before I get my first grab. A 17.5 incher. But it felt good. Then another, and another and I end up with six nice little stripers. All undersize to keep but fun no the less.

I could hear the minnow guys talking saying "look he's got another one". That always makes me feel good. Just about everybody is using minnows (except me).

Okay, it's noon and I'm tired and I've had enough for this late morning. Now I've got to go get my truck and pull this boat out. Back at the ramp I tie up and head up the hill stopping along the way several times to catch my breath. Huffing and puffing I make it to the truck and go get my boat. I'm tired.
Maybe next time I'll bring some water and a few snacks. And maybe get started a little earlier too,
Tony

Good on ya for getting out, Tony!

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Originally Posted by Tony Buzolich

When you've got honey-do's to do they take precedent. I've been going down to the ramps somewhat late and there's been no place to park let alone launch. Everybody in the area around here fishes and when the stripers show up it becomes a mad house of activity.

Yesterday I had an electrician coming at 9:00 to replace a bad GFi. The boat was already hooked up and it was a beautiful morning to do something besides wait for an electrician. Well, he finally shows up and changes out my plug in the garage and that took all of 10 minutes.
It's still early (somewhat) and I normally fish till around noon so I gotta go. I get to the ramp about 9:30 and I'm by myself. And launching a boat by yourself isn't easy for an old man but I finally get on the water and I'm off. Gee, it feels good.
Water is still a bit cold. The Feather is running right at 55 degrees and the Yuba is 48 and both are fairly clear for a fly.

I work my favorite spots and it's not long before I get my first grab. A 17.5 incher. But it felt good. Then another, and another and I end up with six nice little stripers. All undersize to keep but fun no the less.

I could hear the minnow guys talking saying "look he's got another one". That always makes me feel good. Just about everybody is using minnows (except me).

Okay, it's noon and I'm tired and I've had enough for this late morning. Now I've got to go get my truck and pull this boat out. Back at the ramp I tie up and head up the hill stopping along the way several times to catch my breath. Huffing and puffing I make it to the truck and go get my boat. I'm tired.
Maybe next time I'll bring some water and a few snacks. And maybe get started a little earlier too,
Tony

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Glad to see you still at it, Tony. I've never fished a minnow for stripers in my life... I can't match the numbers of the guides using them in March-May but I catch way more and way bigger bass than most of them between June and November ;)

Steelies,

Where do you fish Stripers, June through November, roughly?

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Originally Posted by Bill Kiene semi-retired

Steelies,

Where do you fish Stripers, June through November, roughly?

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American River mostly. Until 5 years ago, I ONLY fished the AR.

In a typical year, the AR gets its first schoolies migration in March/April and the action is best on the lowest sections. May and June, the middle river gets better and larger fish either move in or residents become more active. July-September, there are stripers throughout from Sailor Bar to Discovery.

November used to be the best month to catch 30-50# hens but changes in the river have changed that. Now, August is the best month to hunt big stripers as that is when the male shad are scrawny and ball up to seek safety in numbers before out-migrating or die trying which I believe is the fate of a large percentage of male shad. The females leave sooner and probably have a much higher survival rate.

For those who are persistent and knowledgeable, stripers can be caught in the AR any month of the year though I have never caught one in December. I have heard from other old timers (who don't know or care about the joys of steelhead fishing...) that December is a great time to target monster stripers. Probably because there is little to no fishing pressure and much of what a striper eats (crawdads, squawfish, lampreys, juvenile salmonids) is dormant and unavailable in the winter time. You could fish every day in December and likely catch only 1-3 fish but almost certainly, those fish would be over 30lbs if not bigger...

If I had a boat and I honestly don't like fishing from a boat... I would fish Colusa in March-May, the Feather May/June, the AR June-November. The run timing in a normal year is easily predictable and based on flow, water temp and spawning.

This year has been an anomaly and for once, the Feather has been as cold as the AR. In a normal year, the water at Verona is 7-10 degrees warmer than the AR but not this year. The Sac will always have the first big stripers because that is where most of them spawn and it is a longer journey so they have to begin their migration sooner. This is followed by the Feather fish and finally the AR fish. There is very little spawning on the AR because of its short length and the fact that striper eggs gestate in 48-72 hours. Even an egg laid in the basin would be at Discovery before it eyes out so imprinting would likely take place on the Sac. It is probably not as simple as that... but generally speaking, natural selection favors the best odds of survival and the much larger, longer, warmer Sacramento River provides that.

OK, some ideas anyway, not sure if I answered the question specifically enough.

In these high flows, it is still possible, RIGHT NOW... to catch stripers, shad and steelhead on the American River. You just need to forget about your favorite spot because it means nothing now... Every perfect riffle is now a tumultuous rapid and every lazy flat is now a perfect, dwindling-riffle out-seam holding fish...

It's up to the angler to walk and wade the miles; persistently, thoroughly and carefully...

HAPPY FISHING ><((((((;>

Yesterday, Bill Siler and I fished the Sac from Colusa to below Lovey's without even a bump. Water temp. was a perfect 62 degrees but it was running high and dirty. I couldn't see my prop at all, and I'm sure any stripers couldn't see our flies either. Water was running at least 10'-12' higher than normal making it almost impossible to get down.

Over on the Feather the water is cold and running high and fast too. The parking lots are packed solid by daybreak and still packed at 8:30PM when I just left. Not a fun walk at the ramps.
Tony