Fish Sniffer Magazine Volume 41 Issue 15 | Page 16

16 September 16 , 2022 VOL . 41 • ISS . 15

WHAT ’ S HOT continued from page 2

and weather forecasts , and 3 .) Take a Coast Guard approved boating course . After a white-knuckle ride out of the Sherman Island launching facility , Jim and I were both wet as we headed east towards the fishing grounds . We rode waves along the shoreline in an attempt to stay out of the worst that nature was throwing our way . It had been a while since either of us had donned long pants or jackets , but that ’ s what you have to prepare for when dealing with delta summertime winds . In contrast to the weather , the fishing was actually great ! My plan was to troll for stripers until the end of the outgoing tide . Next , we would anchor up and switch to bait fishing so the wind would be at our backs . We started out trolling deep divers , and quickly landed a couple of keepers as we made our way east . As we approached low tide and the current slowed , I was finally able to turn west back into the rollers and try a new tactic . Jim suggested that we switch to shallow trolling , so we both clipped some ¾ ounce ‘ Magnum ’ Rat-L-Traps onto our lines . I immediately boated a couple of nice keepers , and then Jim got in on the action . He was constantly pumping his rod and adjusting depths , while I had my full attention focused on driving the boat in sloppy conditions . Jim proved once again that anglers willing to put in the extra work will be rewarded with more fish . The wind and waves were throwing me off my game , and instead of being locked into the seven to eight foot depth range , the boat was occasionally being shoved out into deeper water . As we were thrust into thirteen feet of water , Jim immediately swung his rod straight down towards the bottom to get his lure deeper . With his rod pointed towards the bottom , he hooked up on a nice keeper that we put onto ice . I circled back , and we had our lines out once again on the
These classic delta trolling lures will have you covered in anywhere between six to nineteen feet of water . TOP ROW : Run the ¾ ounce ‘ Magnum ’ Rat-L-Traps between 4 and 5 miles-perhour in six to eight feet of water . BOTTOM ROW : The 5-1 / 4 ” Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow deep divers should be trolled around 3 miles-per-hour in fourteen to nineteen feet of water . Don ’ t forget to add the worm tail to the rear hook of the Yo-Zuri for maximum hookups .
Photo Courtesy Jack Naves same stretch of water . Only a few seconds had passed when another big white cap shoved the boat out into twelve feet of water . Jim lowered his rod , and then indicated that he was hooked up yet again ! This time the fish was really taking some line , so I quickly cleared my rod and moved us out away from the shoreline . The fish made several hard runs , and we wondered if he was hooked up with an early fall-run salmon . “ It ’ s fighting like a striper ”, Jim relayed ,
Jump out there when you get the chance – quality striped bass will be the reward .
and moments later I caught a glimpse of its telltale stripes through the stained water . The big striper was almost in the net when it turned and
burned off another stretch of line from Jim ’ s reel . He finally was able to lay the fish on its side , and I used my rubberized net to get it into the boat . While we didn ’ t take an official weight , both of us
have seen enough stripers to estimate the weight at about fourteen pounds . I quickly revived the fish and it sped off in a flash . We were able to put a few more fish into the boat before the tide switched to incoming . We ran off to one of my favorite bait fishing locations : ‘ The Power Lines ’ on the Sacramento River . By the time we reached our destination , the delta breeze had kicked it up a notch . Rollers made anchoring the boat in my deep-water spot out of the
The heads and bones of striped bass make for a great fish stock when prepared correctly . Once strained , the stock can be used to simmer up a spicy soup . The fillets dipped in tempura batter make for a nice side as striper nuggets with dipping sauce .
Photo Courtesy Jack Naves
question . Instead , we set pick near the shoreline in less choppy conditions . We were able to scratch out one more keeper before the winds pulled the curtains on our day of fishing . Although we had run into a worst-case scenario with the winds , we were still able to land over a dozen striped bass . As the summer transitions into autumn , windy days will diminish , and the fall striper run will kick into high gear . In the meantime , keep an eye on those tides and weather forecasts . Jump out there when you get the chance - quality striped bass will be the reward .
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