River Reports and a New Fish!

**Tony Buzolich** · 03-09-2012, 07:02 PM

I can't figure it out. I'm as anxious as the rest of you about finding some stripers and I've really been trying hard. The rivers are both low and I'm sure this is a big part of why fish aren't coming up in great numbers. Remember last year? Lots and lots of water equalled a mega-year for the stripers coming up this way and we even had a salmon season that was almost normal.

For the last month and a half I've been hitting the Feather regularly and besides being cold at the start it's been dropping and dropping, and today was the lowest that I've fished it. There are now two areas that are barely a foot deep and one spot I found that is even less

Yep, having a prop has its limits. I was able to make up to deep water and even up to the falls (what used to be) by trimming up. I would motor up and drift back. On one drift I new I was pushing my luck but I had spotted fish in the shallows and nowhere else. I was hoping to drift OVER a small gravel bar but such was not the case and I come to a stop midstream. Get out the oar and push. NOPE, that new motor on the back is too heavy. Well, over the side I go and start pushing. Thankfully it was warm and I only had to go a short ways before getting back in the boat. I drift only a short ways more and I get a nice grab which made me forget about getting wet. Now what have I got? It hit like a striper but sure isn't anything I've ever seen before. I get it into the boat and take a pic and throw it back in the water. But, what is it???? About 18" and a little over a pound. Looks like a giant minnow? Maybe one of the bait shops minnow carry-overs that survived?

Here's the picture I took .Now take a guess and see if anyone else has ever taken one of these on a 4/0 hook.

Over on the SAC it's finally clear and green as well but the story is the same, "Where are the fish?". This last Monday the weather was perfect, the water looked perfect, no wind. What more could you want? We hit it hard from almost Colusa to a couple of miles below the Red Sea,,,,,,,,,,,,without a single grab

Uugh! The SAC needs more water too.

So, do we blame it on the moon, or the dizmall poor season in the delta, or the party boats in the bay????? Nope. It's all about WATER. And if we keep sending south, it'll only get worse for those of us up here.
Tony

**ted1** · 03-09-2012, 07:06 PM

Pikeminnow?

**Bill Kiene semi-retired** · 03-09-2012, 07:24 PM

"Split tail?

**Frank Alessio** · 03-09-2012, 07:31 PM

Mountain White Fish??? Ask Mikey Wier....

**Tony Buzolich** · 03-09-2012, 07:41 PM

That makes three wrongs from experts in the field. Now don't go looking it up on the computor. I already did

Tony

**BillB** · 03-09-2012, 08:04 PM

A large Chub?

**cyama** · 03-09-2012, 08:23 PM

Bill is right it is a split tail. See photo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Splittail.jpg

**Tony Buzolich** · 03-09-2012, 08:56 PM

Cyama,

I have to admit that picture of your splitail looks very much like my fish. Here's another picture of a splitail from UC Davis's Professor Moyle that looks like a lot skinnier fish.

I didn't take the time to count the rays on the fins, but it looks like a Hitch to me?

Tony

**lee s.** · 03-09-2012, 09:18 PM

Tony,
It was GREAT seeing you at Pleasanton!
Don't know what kind of fish that is but we caught a bunch of'em from the ramp at Beacon Harbor one striperfest. The gear guys REALLY did havoc with the LM's useing them for bait around the ramp......much more so than with the small BG's we supplied them with also.
I would guess some kind of red side minnow or chub.
....lee s.