Southern Oregon Crackers thinking of fishing Stripers

[sculpin]

Bubzilla and I and perhaps Jbird (he doesn't know it yet)are thinking about trying the Delta for stripers in December. Is this a good time as far as conditions go? I have a open 19ft Willie Predator with elect trolling motor. Can we DIY or should we get a guide and leave the boat? Any info at all about general locations, good Delta maps,places to launch and stay,flies,ect would be really appreciated.

Thanks Mark

[Adam Grace]

I have heard of some big fish caught in December.

I am fishing with the owners and employee of Fish First on the 4th out in the delta. I will post a report once I get back.

[David Lee]

Mark -

It all depends on water temps .

What dates do you guys have in mind ??

David

[Hairstacker]

If you plan to do-it-yourself, the best map I have found is the one titled, "The Delta," put out by the Fish-n-Map Co. It's durable, waterproof, and provides details missing from my other maps, such as identifications of structures, water depths, locations of rock barriers, etc. It even provides some GPS coordinates and suggestions where you might want to try for stripers and other species. Finally, it also provides the names and locations of all of the major marinas -- armed with this information, you can find websites/contact information on-line for further investigation.

How many days do you plan on fishing?

[sculpin]

Adam
I hope you do well and look forward to a report.

David
We haven't set any dates yet,but I'm thinking the middle to the end of the month.

Hairstacker
Thanks for the map tip. I would like to fish 2 to 3 days if we make it.

[Tony Buzolich]

When the water gets down to 50 degrees or lower in the delta, things really slow down. The fish are still there (usually) but getting them to eat will be another thing.

Another big factor will be the water clarity. If the San Joaquin and the Mokelume get plenty of rain they'll be dumping plenty of dirty water in to the delta. This combined with lower water temps really slows thing down.

If this is your only time to come, hire a good guide like Mike Costello or Kevin Doran. Talk with them often before you come so they can keep you up to date as to what's going on.

It's a long ride from Oregon to come and wander around in some muddy unproductive water.

Another thought I just had too, What if they still have those pumps running that are sending a lot of our water to southern Cal? This'll really suck in the mud from the San Joaquin.

Geez, I really sound like a downer but that's not always the case in winter. Call Mike Costello and ask him about his 30#er on New Years Eve a couple of years ago.

Good Luck, TONY

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I would go out the first day with guide Kevin Dorin and then go it alone.

http://www.deltaadventures.com/

Andy Guibord and Jim Christensen at my shop fish Striper 52 weeks of the year. They fish the Delta Oct - March. They fish the lower American River April -Sept.

Like Tony says below 50 degrees they get pretty slow/tough/lazy but not impossible.

[sculpin]

Thanks for the info Tony and Bill. The Delta sounds a lot like the Rogue in December. It's all about temperature and clarity.

Mark

[Darian]

Hey Mark,..... I'd like to second Bill's suggestion. Leave the boat and fish with a guide like Kevin Doran.... For all of the reasons previously stated and the fact that the Delta is a very large body of water with confusing topo (when viewed from a boat). , you need all of the electronics (gps, fish, depth finder, etc., to insure that your return to the dock isn't extended by unintentional turns. December can be very foggy, too....

Kevin or other professional who fishes the delta will have all of the safety stuff in addition to the right flies and experience in their use....

However you decide to do it, hope you have a good trip.

[Gregg Machel]

I can personally give Kevin Doran my thumbs up. I've been out with him three times now. He's been fishing the Delta forever, and one thing I always thought was how long did it take him to find all the good spots? Each time we cruised around the Delta and passed up a lot of water I would have fished, if I had a boat there, but he's "been there done that", and knows the spots. Check him out if you haven't already: http://deltaadventures.com

My 2 cents worth!