On The Lookout for Stripers

I fished for bass this week but decided it was time to bring the striper rod along and see what was out there.

I mostly caught a bunch of dinker bass but did get one good one and briefly had another good one hooked. I saw a guy on TV who said you have to wait a second with the topwater so they will turn and get hooked when you set. If you strike too quickly you can pull it straight out of their mouth. My hook up ratio on big bass is far from what I want it to be. I am sick and tired of getting the big blow up and not getting the fish. I really do not like losing big bass. I am thinking maybe the quick hook set is the problem. We will see if I can slow it down a bit and hook a few more fish.

The first day I fished for stripers I caught a bunch of twelve inchers which I assume are delta residents and have not yet been to the bay or the ocean. The second day I fished for stripers I went to a few spots the good ones like to hang out and got one fish. It looked like a fish that had been to the bay or the ocean but who knows. My conclusion is there are not too many around. They might be way downstream somewhere but I don't want to go down there looking for them. The striper sure does pull hard. I hooked a fish the other day and thought it was either a nine pound largemouth or a 20 inch striper. In my experience those are the two fish sizes that generate equivalent pulling strength. I suppose I disrespect the largemouth a little but I am not far off. It turned out to be a 20 inch striper.

It really felt like our version of fall out there today. Light winds and blue sky with a few clouds. Very nice.

http://i.imgur.com/j3EZt07.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3j59AQS.jpg

Looks awesome! Do you mind saying what general area of the delta you fish in? Seems do have a good bass population. Thanks!

NK

Nate - When I kayak fish it is usually Liberty Island. I think the bass fishing there is not that good and it is the windiest place in the Delta but it is close and boat traffic is light. I don’t get a lot of fish there but if I get one good fish a day I am quite happy. Many days I only get one good fish to come up which is why I don’t like losing it. If you miss your one chance your day just came and went pretty fast and it is all over but the crying as they say. Steelhead fishing is like that - you can hook and lose a ten pounder in about three seconds and that was you trip. Hero to zero in three seconds and you have a long drive home to think about it. Your best chance for a good bass on the fly rod is early on top water. When I boat fish it is Frank’s Tract right now. A lot of traffic down there but a lot of water also.

Thats a very good day IMO!

I've learned the hard way fishing top water plugs to "wait for the weight" on a blowup. a side benefit is that if you don't hook up, the plug (or fly) is still there in the zone, and a striper will circle back if they never felt the hook.

Mr T - I pity the fool who sets too fast and misses the fish. In this case that is me. I better try to slow it down but I will need to practice on a few smaller fish. I really did not have a problem with missing a lot of bites until this summer. Maybe I got jumpy this year.

I like bass pictures where you can see the reflection of the camera in the fish’s eye.

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Originally Posted by John H

Nate - When I kayak fish it is usually Liberty Island. I think the bass fishing there is not that good and it is the windiest place in the Delta but it is close and boat traffic is light. I don’t get a lot of fish there but if I get one good one a day I am quite happy. Many days I get one good one to come up which is why I don’t like losing it. So many days you get one chance. If you miss it your day just came and went pretty fast and it is all over but the crying as they say. Your best chance for a good one on the fly rod is early on top water. When I boat fish it is Frank’s Tract right now. A lot of traffic down there but a lot of water also.

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Thanks!

NK

Watch for the birds. Circling and diving gulls are after bait that has gotten pushed to the surface. Any little splash and the gulls will spot that in a heartbeat.

The other day when Bill and I went out there were birds and fish busting all around those barges near the dredging. One other guy there was really knocking them with a popper. We didn't see anything legal size but they're all fun.

I think a little later in the season when it cools there will be more fish coming in from the bay. Right now the Napa River has been doing very well with better size fish.
Tony

I have seen some surface feeding fish. Mostly they look pretty small but one day as I was putting my kayak in some decent ones were on the surface right in front of me. They were moving with the current and hitting the surface as they went by me. Fun to watch but I was still on shore so I could not cast to them. Alan Fong was on the radio this morning talking about a 34 pounder he caught while bass fishing. He said he gets about six a year like that. That guy is always cleaning up. He seems to be the best fisherman in Sacramento.

Al Fong, Fisherman's Warehouse, and his brother Ron, DDS, are really great anglers.

Good guys too........