18 May 5 , 2023 VOL . 42 • ISS . 7

bites . I revealed that the amount of line out would be dependent on the lures and boat direction in relation to the current . We started out shallow trolling ¾-ounce Rat-L- Traps along shoals and weed lines . With these lures , we kept our water speed at about four miles-per-hour . When this produced no hits , we switched over to my favorite lure , the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow Deep Diver 5-1 / 4 ” in red / white and chartreuse . Moving at about three milesper-hour with these lures , we set out between 45 and 55 feet of line . This put our lures at about fourteen feet deep , right near the feeding fish at the bottom . After our rods were out , I noticed something on the sonar . “ There ’ s a fish mark !” I called out and reached for my phone to take a picture . “ ZZZZ-ZZ-ZZZ ” my starboard rod started screaming ! I ran to the back , grabbed the rod out of the holder , and turned off the clicker . “ Feels like a shaker ,” I relayed and slowly worked the fish to the boat . After landing the fish and putting it up to the tape , I turned out to be wrong . The fish measured nineteen inches long , one-inch above the 18-inch minimum . “ I ’ ll keep this one for eating ,” I said , as I demonstrated to Mike how I bleed them out . I had the fish on ice after knocking it out , ripping out the gills , and bleeding it in a bucket of water for about five minutes . The next fish hit my rod again , and this time it turned out to be a true shaker that was well below the minimum size . Next , Mike got in on the action , but all the fish were under keeper-size . Because of the lack of size , I decided to make a run west to see if we could find a decent school of better-sized fish . One thing you need to remember about the delta is that you usually must deal with wind in some form or another . On this day , the northwest winds kicked up a rolling swell and whitecaps in the area I wanted to fish . After a wet ride , we trolled downwind with the swells , but nothing was happening as far as fishing action . With the outgoing tide starting up , I told Mike that it was time to get out of there before the opposite directions of the current and winds stirred up more menacing water conditions . We ran to a section of the river that was perpendicular to the winds . Although the winds were still pushing the boat around , at least we were out of the whitecaps ! The outgoing tide was just

The author shows off a striped bass that was quickly released on Monday , April 24 . Fish like this are waiting if you are willing to troll , bait fish , spoon , or plug your way across the delta this spring .

Photo courtesy of Jack Naves

starting to trickle out , and I told Mike that the period just after the high tide is usually the best bite window for trolling . Sure enough , we started slamming stripers one after another . I kept the boat in fifteen feet of water so our lures were close to the bottom . This time , we caught a mix of both shaker and keeper-sized fish . Mike landed the biggest fish of the day at right around four pounds . Although we didn ’ t get any lunker-sized fish like he is used to on the American River , the constant action made for a great morning of fishing . With the trolling action tapering off and the winds picking up , it was time to change gears and switch over to bait fishing . After anchoring the boat on a nice flat in about fourteen-feet of water , we pitched out chicken

Spool up a line-counter level-wind baitcasting reel with thirty pound-test braid . Mount it to a medium rod that has good action at the tip for reading lures . Next , tie up a duo-lock snap using a double Palomar knot . Finally , attach a deep or shallow diving plug . The author ’ s favorite is the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow Deep Diver 5-1 / 4 ” in chartreuse ( top ) or red / white ( center ). Don ’ t forget to tip the rear hook with a white plastic worm . Zoom brand ‘ Trick Worms ’ or ‘ ElaZtech Finesse WormZ ’ by Z-Man will fit the bill . For shallow trolling in 6 ’ -8 ’ of water , the ¾-ounce Rat-L-Trap ( bottom ) is a great choice .

livers using four to eight-ounce sinkers . I prefer to use Gamakatsu circle hooks , specifically 8 / 0 inline octopus circle hooks with a straight eye ( 265418 INLINE OCTOPUS CIRCLE SE ). I use a three-foot long 25-pound test P-Line CXX monofilament leader . With bait in the water , it didn ’ t take long before the fish showed up . I instructed Mike to NOT set the hook , as the circle hooks would do all the work when the stripers swam off with the bait . In a couple of hours , we were able to put two more keepers into the boat along with several shakers . We pulled anchor at one o ’ clock and headed back to Brannan Island . It was a solid day on the water , landing a total of seven keepers and ten shakers . Spring is an exciting time to get out onto the delta to see if you can find schools of pre-spawn striped bass . Whether trolling , bait fishing , plugging , or spooning , once you find a concentration of fish , you ’ ll be sure to land a keeper or two .

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