Just Go to the Fish

[John H]

Sometimes you just have to go to the fish.

The striper quit I started on November 14th only lasted a couple of days. I was too weak for an extended quit and broke down at the first opportunity and went striper fishing. Turns out I have no will power whatsoever. I went downstream a bit, motored around for a while and found a bunch of stripers that wanted to bite. It was pretty easy and much more fun that quitting. I was hoping to hold out and wait for them to come to me in my kayak water but it was not happening. Sometimes you just have to go to the fish. I guess that is what I learned from my striper quit. Just go to the fish.

Conditions are decent for this time of year. The water temperature is holding up, winds are light and water clarity is good so all told not too bad. There are a lot of other dudes out there buzzing around looking for fish also but you just have to put up with that. I expect the good conditions won't last and the bite will get tough in the next couple of weeks so get out there if you can. The holiday malaise will soon creep up on you and next thing you know it will be January and nothing will be biting. Get it while you can, smoke 'em while you got 'em.

I threw in a couple of bird pics I got walking around one morning. A back lit great egret and a red shouldered hawk perched low in the trees hoping a squirrel makes a mistake.

[lee s.]

Impressive John,
Pictures like that on the screen do give one hope.....or angst if one cannot figure them out!
....lee s.

[Vaughn Willett]

Beautiful stripers, John! Seems like quitting your quit is working out....

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Wow, very inspiring.



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Jim Christensen is a very good Delta Striper chaser and he was going into Discovery Bay in the deep colds of winter.

This was maybe 10 years ago that he told me about the fishing there.

He said the fish were very lethargic and just lying around schools of bait fish on the bottom.

I think he said he was using an intermediate clear slow sinking line and a lightweight longer fly that had more action.

He said he would find Stripers and baitfish lying around together on the bottom.

He said he would put his fly down to them and move it slowly.

He said he never stripped his line and fly to the boat but merely stripped it and then let it slide back down some.

Eventually, a Striper would eat his fly in that very cold water in Jan/Feb.

I can see why having a really good fish locator is key.