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Rio Vista Region Map Feature

MADE IN U . S . A

See Page 12

Our 40th Year

Since 1982

he weather is cooling down and it ’ s starting to feel like fall . That means that striper fishing is going to get really good ! In my opinion , striper fishing is best during the fall because the fish are in the delta for one reason and that is to feed on shad . You can leave the fancy fish finders at home and just look for the birds . The birds will help you locate the shad schools and you can bet stripers are close by . Striped bass are such a popular game fish to target because they are very aggressive . Once you are hooked up on a striped bass you

evening and got all our gear , 7 adults and 2 kids , plus one big yellow Labrador loaded on . We tied the Fish Sniffer Rogue Jet 21 Coastal up to the port side of the houseboat where it was very secure . We arrived too late to get the houseboat orientation , but they let us stay on the boat overnight . Matt decided to toss out a spinning rig with chicken liver for bait , and ended up catching a very nice 3 ½ pound catfish ! The Summit houseboat sleeps 10 people , and comes completely outfitted with refrigerator , microwave , heat and air conditioning , and everything a person could want .

can expect the fight to be amazing . Especially , if you are using a fairly light rod and reel . One of the great things about fishing for stripers is that you never know if you are going to catch a 3-5lb schoolie or a 20-40lb monster . Anglers have several options on what technique to use when targeting striped bass . They often use a variety of baits while sitting on anchor or fishing from shore . Pluggers cast a variety of lures while others troll for them . I have had the opportunity to troll for stripers with a lot of friends as well as fishing guides in the California region . In my opinion , the best trollers are the ones that identify depth contours , locate bait , understand the current , and are always trying to figure out the habits of stripers and why they are located in certain areas . Is it bait ? Is there a big depth change ? A hole ? There is a reason and they are always trying to figure it out .

The Summit houseboat and Fish Sniffer Rogue Jet Coastal 21 moored in Bass Cove .

Photo by Paul Kneeland , Fish Sniffer staff

It was powered by twin Evinrude outboards , and also offered an easy start generator . Friday morning after the simple orientation , we cruised

Once you have located a significant group of stripers try and figure out if the stripers are in a tight group or if they are in a general area . If they are tightly grouped you should troll over them , turn around and do it again . If they are scattered , you should troll a larger area before turning around . Make sure to take note of the depth the fish are located in . It could be a pattern . The action of your lure is most important when trolling . You can tell if it is working correctly by the action of your rod tip . Educate yourself on the action of the lure at various speeds . It is easy to do . Leave the lure close to the boat so you can see the action while going various speeds . Some days stripers like their baits moving fast and sometimes they like it moving slower . I will say that on

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Abby Marlan shows off her personal best striper that was caught in the fall . Fish like this one will be in the delta as soon as the water cools .

Photo by Ernie Marlan , Fish Sniffer staff

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FRESHWATER REPORTS Lake Almanor - American River Sac . Area ............ 10 Ebbetts Pass - Folsom Lake ................................... 11 Feather / Sacramento Rivers ................................. 14 Klamath / Trinity Rivers - Lake Oroville ................. 15

Pardee / Camanche Lakes - Rio Vista / Delta ............ 17 Shasta Lake - Truckee River / Heenan Lake ................ 19

SALTWATER REPORTS Berkeley / Fisherman ’ s Wharf .................................. 21 Bodega Bay / Fort Bragg .......................................... 22 Half Moon Bay - Monterey Bay .............................. 23

Where ... When ... How ...

GO FOR IT : Staff ........................................................ 4 MAP FEATURE : Dan Bacher ................................ 12-13 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION : Dan Bacher ....... 20

Ernie Marlan - fished the Channel Islands with Aloha Sportfishing out of Oxnard , California . He caught several bonito , barracuda , and calico bass while an 8 ’ 12-25lb United Composites rod teamed up with a 20HA Saltiga reel spooled with FINS 50lb braid and a 20lb GAMMA fluorocarbon leader .

Paul Kneeland - fished Shasta Lake with Bridget Looney and family in the Fish Sniffer 21 ’ Rogue Jet Coastal . They caught rainbow trout to 21 1 / 2 inches using an Okuma 8 ’ Kokanee Black composite rod with a Okuma Convector low profile line counter reel loaded with 8 lb test Soft Steel line . They trolled Speedy Shiner and Tasmanian Devil lures in black / white / red and gold / red off the Canon Downriggers from 50 to 65 feet deep at 2.3 mph .

Dan Bacher - fished for rainbow trout at Pinecrest Lake . He used a Berkley Ugly Stik GX2 6 ’ 6 ” medium action spinning rod , teamed up with a Shakespeare GX235 spinning reel filled with 6 lb . test P-Line CX Premium Fluorocarbon Coated Line . He fished with rainbow glitter Berkley PowerBait and nightcrawlers on sliding sinker rigs with Size # 4 and # 6 Gamakatsu baitholder hooks .