Stripers Are Scattered Throughout

For the past couple of weeks Bob Simms on his Saturday morning outdoor show (5:00 - 8:00 AM KFBK 1530), has been talking about the influx of striped bass coming into the bay and delta. As evidenced by Lucas Dement and friend they were able to find a few in the delta waters close to home. Trolling around Rio Vista and the lower San Joaquin seems to be the most productive. Obviously flies work too.

Now here’s some more to the striper story. As most of you know the shad have been in the upper rivers for several months now. Great fun fish, but it’s starting to wind down some. After they spawn they drop down river and head out to sea like other anadromous fish do.

When they’re in the rivers striped bass gorge on them and it’s sometimes hard to take a striper on a fly when their bellies are full of shad.

So now the shad are ending their time here and the stripers are getting hungry again and the bite has turned on. This morning Jim May, myself, and Dennis (friend) decided to give it a try and headed upriver.

Still somewhat dark (perfect timing) I make my first cast backhanded into some fast water and get an immediate hook-up. Wow! In this fast water I can’t tell how big he is but slowly he comes to the boat for a quick picture and release.

https://i.imgur.com/2BVE5j3.jpg

A few minutes later Jim and Dennis both have hook-ups and more nice stripers come to the boat. Trying to control the boat, make good casts, and keep from snagging everything around you is tough. Jim is really good at this but we still managed to lose a good number of our best flies to the rocks and snags.

https://i.imgur.com/wGefkKA.jpg?1

On our way home we hit several other favorite spots and picked up a few more fish along the way. Here Dennis picks up the best fish of the day in a weedy mudline. It’s almost 10:30AM, the wind is still blowing hard, and it’s starting to get hot. A good time to quit.

https://i.imgur.com/WNNigqQ.jpg

Reports have been coming in good on both of the main rivers up here as well as the lower American too.
Tony

That is good fishing. I listen to the radio reports also. He is catching them downstream of Rio Vista. Big water and lots of wind down there. Not my cup of tea even if there are fish somewhere down there. If those stripers want to get caught they are going to have to come to me. I can wait them out. Sooner or later they will wander by and I will get them. Until then I will pester the bass.

Thanks Tony, your posts and great photos are so inspiring......





After the Shad run slows down some there is a traditional window for catching Stripers that are up in our Valley rivers.


Captain Andy Guibord told me that Aug/Sept is a normally a good time for Stripers on the lower American river.

Andy can float you down the America and you will learn good techniques for Stripers and maybe catch something?


The Fall, Oct/Nov/Dec, is the time that everyone chases the Stripers in the Delta.