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Thread: My Biggest Striper Ever (without stripes)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Yuba City, Ca.
    Posts
    2,229

    Smile My Biggest Striper Ever (without stripes)

    Over the years I've taken a lot of big fish on flies. Several tarpon in the 70-80# range, several GT's in the 60-70# range, yellow fin tuna in the 35# range, even a sailfish at around 90# though not on a fly. But today was the grand-daddy of them all.

    Bill Siler and I headed over to the Sac to go find some stripers. Perfect conditions except for the water being low, no wind, clear day, and the parking lot was only half full.

    We launched and began our drift downstream working the rock walls like usual. Not marking much of anything as there had been a tournament the two days before at Kittels in Colusa so the river had been worked over pretty hard.

    We got down to Wilkens Sough where it's deep on one side but has a fairly shallow flat on the other. I made a cast, let it sink, and got a small tap. Not a grab, just a soft tap and I set the hook. It still felt soft and heavy for a moment, and I set again a couple more times.

    Then I got the head shake and I yelled to Bill "Fish On". First fish of the day are always fun to break the ice on and maybe we found a school. Seconds later there's a big splash 50' in front of the boat and a huge sturgeon comes flying out of the water. And I'm still holding the rod straight out from the side of the boat. Yelling in disbelief "I hooked a sturgeon" and this this isn't small. Bill is yelling "that's over 7' maybe 7 1/2' ". I hang on and Bill takes the boat. Thankfully Bill knows boats and puts us directly at the side of the fish where I can get the most pull and tire the fish. "Don't plan on anything soon" he says as I put all the pressure I can on my 8wt.

    The sturgeon goes airborn 6 more times over the next hour. Each time coming 4+' out of the water. Gawd, what a show. I'm still putting all the pressure I can on my rod and my arm are shaking uncontrollably. Each time he jumps, we look to see where he's hooked. He's not fouled at all and has taken the fly directly in his mouth. He ATE my fly, a 3/0 Clouser !

    We continue working the fish back and forth across the river. Bill still at the controls helping me to put pressure on this thing. Gradually I get him to come up a little and see the leader. Momentarily, and then he's off again deep. This gets repeated again and again and I think maybe he's getting tired? I know I am. But every time I gain a little he takes off again and now we're drifting more and more downstream toward the mud flats. (Those of you who know the Sac know the mud flats) It gets shallow here and he jumps again with a big splash and heads for deeper water across river. I'm still putting all the pressure I can on this thing and he won't budge.

    Over on the far side there are a few sunken trees I'm sure with lines from trollers all tangled on them. Bill says he's either in a hole or hung up on a snag. I'm into my backing now and need to get some line back on the reel. As we move the boat toward him I'm straining for all I'm worth to get some line back and move him out of those trees. In the next moment, there's a big surge and a pop as the line breaks and he gives us a final jump as if saying "FU". It's been an hour and 15 minutes of the most pressure I've ever put on a fish.

    It's okay. He won. I have to sit down. My arms are still shaking and I need some Tylenol. As I write this and reminisce a good shot of Maker's Mark is helping too. What a day.
    Tony
    p/s We did get a couple of stripers too.
    TONY BUZOLICH
    Feather River Fly
    Yuba City, CA.
    (530) 790-7180

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Davis
    Posts
    756

    Default

    That is a huge battle. I would have gotten a back injury after half and hour and would have had to throw in the towel. I fouled two sturgeon last month and my eight weight rod seemed to have no effect on them. The first one I stayed with until I saw it then I broke it off. The second one I knew what I had a broke it after a few minutes. The only thing that really got them moving was a sea lion attack. An eight foot sturgeon with a sea lion chasing it right under the kayak. That is fun stuff.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Location
    Stow, MA
    Posts
    83

    Default

    Wow. Great story.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Grants Pass, OR
    Posts
    921

    Default

    Tony,

    Always love your stories. This was a beauty.
    Gordon Langenbeck
    Grants Pass, OR

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Big Island Hawaii
    Posts
    1,152

    Default

    Aloha Tony, its the ones you loose that keep you up at night. Glad it wasn't a big ahi or you might have needed a surgeon for your back.
    Don Memmer

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Yuba City, Ca.
    Posts
    2,229

    Default

    Don,
    I've taken Ahi to around 35# and that was enough. Uugh. This thing just plain did what it wanted to do and sat deep. When it wanted to move somewhere else, it just did.

    A couple of times I thought I was gaining on it and actually got the butt section of the leader above the surface. That never lasted long before he went back down. Another instance when he got close to the boat he blew bubbles. " Yaa! (I thought) He's getting tired". NOT.

    Bill's yelling "Don't let him rest". " Damn! I can barely stand up" I say. I don't know if even a 12wt. would have been much better. But I wish I have one then.
    Tony

    Pictures to come
    TONY BUZOLICH
    Feather River Fly
    Yuba City, CA.
    (530) 790-7180

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Sacramento
    Posts
    26

    Default

    That sounds like quite that battle!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,837

    Default

    Thanks Tony.....so good.


    You have to go fishing as often as you can if you want to be the one who catches the big one.



    Many years ago Hal Janssen hooks a sturgeon on a fly down low on one of the NorCal short coastal streams.


    About 50 years ago my uncle and I went on a sturgeon party boat in the San Pablo bay.

    My uncle got one about 60 pounds and it jumped full out of the water once and it was shocking.


    About 60 years ago in the Sacramento Bee newspaper was a photo of a huge sturgeon.

    It was laying on the banks of the Sacramento river.

    The caption was "What kind of fish is this?" Back then they were not commonly landed on the tackle of the day.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    NorCal
    Posts
    134

    Default

    This is a bit of a late response, I know... I know a spot where a couple of sturgeon live year round and it's shallow enough that you can see them if you're lucky... I managed to sight-fish for one a month or so ago (not on the fly rod, but it was still only on a light salmon rod with 15 pound test) that came in at about 90-100 lbs on the sturgeon charts... if I'm ever in that area again I'd really like to go after one with a fly rod. We'll see...

    NK

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Natekursow; 08-08-2021 at 09:26 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,837

    Default

    I love your photo NK............wild stuff.
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

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