"Shearching" for Striper

[WinterrunRon]

Jerry,

Gas and lunch? Who in their right mind could pass up such a generous offer?

I'm going to check with my personnel director (awesome wife of 19 years) and see if I can't pencil us in for one of those days. I have less flexibility on the weekends but with enough notice, I should be able to swing it. The tides aren't anything to shout about those days but I'm certain we can put our heads together and come up with a game plan likely to produce some catching for us. Stand by... and I'll let you know soon... but pencil it in!

Black Sheep,

Thanks for the heads up.

My handheld GPS is in some remote area of Idaho Elk Hunting with my friend for 12 days so I'm not sure which inlet of Frank's Track your referring to, but I'll look it up when it gets back. I'm scheduled to return from the Trinity on Saturday morning (don't like fishing the weekends on the river) so I won't be able to participate in what promises to be a good outing for you but let us know how you do!

Good luck,

Ron

[JerryInLodi]

Black Sheep, are you fishing at night? You're talking about sunset and evening tides? The party starts at 1600?

Ron, holding my breath, waiting for your conference results with the other half!

[Katz]

WinterrunRon and Jerry

I will see Jerry's offer of the gas and food ( or happily join the two of you)

This feels a bit like e-bay, when does the bidding officially end?

My son is now 8, daughter 6. Two Octobers ago, I was out with a friend and the two kids (6 and 4 then) on a perfect delta afternoon. My friend and I were throwing flies and artificials.

My son was soaking a minnow on the bottom and right as the tide changed he was into a 10# striper. An absolute joy to watch him fight that fish . I would love to watch that again and again and I think spoons, jigs etc are more realistic.

I am able to get out on Wed's (with the approval of MY personnel director - awesome wife of 11 years)

Let me know if there are any dates that might work for you.

Kraig

[JerryInLodi]

Katz, one of the most frustrating things I've seen is a father so wrapped up in fly fishing that he's bought everything in miniature for his seven year old and expects him to fish right along side as if he was his best friend.

I think that your approach of first getting the kids fishing, bait, spinning rod, whatever is EASY and no pressure is the best approach. And, if after twenty minutes, they'd rather go poke bugs with sticks, let them! Forcing our kids to be a miniature of ourselves is not the right way to approach fly fishing.

I've met a few kids as young as 12 that are successful fly fishers and understand the game but that's rare. Most 12 year olds are way too curious about too many things all at once to become so focused on the niceties of fly fishing not to mention the eye hand coordination required.

One thing that I've found that younger kids do enjoy though is fly tying, as long as you don't set down hard and fast rules. They come up with the ugliest hairiest bugs ever conceived!

[Katz]

Sooo true Jerry!

My kids will wrap feathers to hooks for hrs, but fish for only minutes.

I am planning to find some good bluegill spots in the delta in the spring where even some of the things they tie will entice a strike

My son can cast a spinning rod or a zebco type rod pretty well right now. We will stick with that for now unless the conditions are perfect.

At this point I just want to keep them interested enought that they are still willing to come with me!

Kraig

Ron,

Here is a map with a red “X” showing the Inlet. The Gate near Sugar Barge is between the words “Piper” and “Slough.” A heading of 360 degrees magnetic from the Gate is pretty good, but the Inlet is at 324 degrees magnetic and is by far the best. A few of the snags are marked on the map, but there are quite a few more than that.

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=...5&size=l&s=100

Jerry,

Yes, I know the current and sunset coincides with the party. Maybe someone will want to slip away and hook a Striper?

[JerryInLodi]

Black Sheep, don't forget, we're not in Daylight Savings Time anymore. You'll be blind casting in the dark. Haven't looked at the moon's schedule but it should be pretty close to a full moon though.

Tides are great predictors but when you're out on the water for ten to eleven hours and working from one direction to the next, you don't necessarily have the luxury of fishing every location at it's optimum tide. What I do is pick out a general route and take the water as it comes. If one of my honey holes is flowing too swiftly it just gets passed by in favor of a big flat where the current is not so severe. If a flat is absolutely flat I may move on after a few casts to a place where the beginnings of a current are starting to show and the fish can line up.

Eleven hours is a long day and during that time you'll face almost two complete tidal cycles.

Jerry,

The full moon rises at 16:24 on the 4th, and I have the online software set for (automatic daylight saving correction) This is the way the events are lined up:

15:06 High Tide
16:24 Moonrise
17:04 Sunset
22:17 Low Tide

Depending on how strong the wind is that day, the current should be moving pretty good at 3-½ to 4 hours after a slack Tide. On Thursday of this week the sunset should be 3 hours after high tide, on Friday the sunset should be 2-½ after high tide, and on Saturday the sunset should be 2 hours after high tide. As you can see, we would have to fish ½ hour later each night. However, with the full moon also rising about ½ hour later each night there should be plenty of moon light to cast our flies, because the sunset only advances a few minutes each day.

The events only line up like this occasionally, and I find it amazing that it happened for the Striper Fest. Plus, only 1.3 miles away at the Inlet.

[WinterrunRon]

Katz,

Nice story about your son! Sounds like you enjoy fatherhood as much as I do.

BTW, my ebay name is veryglad2bdad and bidding has ended on the Wednesday trip. Congratulations, your the winner!

When the fish are in the Delta in good numbers, I'll invite you out on a Wednesday. Most likely, mid November on.

It will be no secret when they arrive.

Ron

[Katz]

I'm ready!

I'll bring lots of pic of the kids!

Just got back from a Swim Meet in Reno this weekend. It is soo cool to see things "come together" for the kids

My son, 8, was the #2 high point for all the 8-U boys at the meet. Swam great. Lot of ribbons! =D>

My daughter,6, has never been too competitive, but over the last few months she has just gotten better and better. She did a 25 yard breastroke race yesterday and about 1/2 way through the race looked to her right at the girl that was ahead of her and you could just see her turn on the jets to catch and just pass the other swimmer. \/

Amazing how cool it is to be a parent!

SORRY FOR THE MUSHY MESSAGE

I know that wasn't about fishing, but there was a lot of water involved and we walked over the Truckee in downtown Reno and watched a 15" rainbow eating nymphs below the Virginia bridge. (there - I fit in a fishing report)

Kraig