Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3817 August 2- 16 2019 | Page 25

23 Aug 2 - 16, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 17 A Flair for Hair, Part 1 N o doubt that stripers are all over the wet places in the bay area and waters beyond. From the delta to the ocean, stripers are on the menu for just anyone willing to hunt them down. Just the other day, while dining at one of my favorite Chinese restau- rants, I ran into a bunch of beach boys who were telling me of their success while casting into the waves off the surf near Ocean Beach. Funny how things have changed so much on the surf scene. Seems like yesterday (but actually more like three decades ago!) it was common to see surf fishermen armed with a Penn Jigmaster 501 filled with 25 or 30lb. mono mounted on custom Lamiglas 1166 surf sticks. If you were more into the spinning tackle, you probably had a Penn 704 or Mitchell 302 filled with 20 or 25lb. test mono attached to a custom Lamiglas FISH SNIFFER COUNTRY by Steve “Hippo”Lau 1162 surf rod, most likely lovingly hand crafted from the now defunct Modern Bait & Tackle shop. Lures back then were no less robust as the tackle needed to throw them. The number #1 lure to fling out into the briny shallows back then was the Miki-Mouse, a lovely four ounce chrome plated spoon that sported a bucktail trailer hook. Next most popular was the Hopkins No=Eql spoon, a work of art made from stainless steel and boasting a polished hammered finish. The Hopkins was no less a fish killer than the Miki-Mouse, but since it cost twice as much as the Mouse, it never sold as well. If you walk the beaches nowadays, you may find it hard to find these dinosaurs of the tackle world. You are, however, more likely to find modern high-tech versions of the tackle of yesteryear. Now Booking POTLUCK SHARK AND SALMON FISHING TRIPS! ~ Berkeley Marina Departures ~ With Capt.Chad Aho Aboard The Ms. Marin Experience 6-Pack Fishing At Its Best. Call Today! Increasingly, you will find spinning tackle to be more popular than casting tackle. Back in the day, it was like a badge of manhood to be able to fling out the casting stuff. No more. Gone is the stigma of using spinning tackle in the suds. Perhaps this came about because spinning tackle has evolved and has advanced in quantum leaps. It may be that or maybe it was that the ones using spinning tackle are catching more fish than the casters were catching. Success has a way of changing people’s opinions. I would like to think that I may have had a hand in this revolution in surf fishing as I have written to some extent about using carp rods for surf fishing; indeed, as you wander about the surf, you will see a good number of fishermen slinging their offerings using carp rods. But we also have to thank the line manufacturers for coming out with braided superlines, where a 30lb. line now has the diameter of 8lb. mono, and a 4000 sized reel can now hold enough line to deal with stripers in the surf. Along with the change in tackle has been the change in lures. With the advent of lighter tackle, gone was the need for big, heavy spoons. Those fish catchers have been replaced by the new beach standard, the bucktail jig. Ranging from 1/2oz. up to 1.5oz., bucktail jigs are now the new kings of the surf. Whereas lures this weight would have been near impossible to throw with the old tackle, the new stuff can toss them out far enough to be effective. NEXT TIME: Not all bucktails are the same! And how to make them more effective. Celebrating 61 years of “The Unsinkable Legend”!! The 2020 Models are on the way — 2019’s are going FAST! Boston Whaler 160 Super Sport BAY CHARTER BOATS (510) 850-2285 • www.baycharterboats.com 3813 Get Your Fish On! With The Bay Area’s Premier Sportfishing Family… Halibut Now Booking S.F. Bay Halibut & Striper Stripers Live Bait Potluck Trips! Lingcod Salmon Sharks & More (shown with optional equipment) Complete package with side console with storage, dual aft swim platforms, lockable storage, bow rails, helm bench seat, side seat, Mercury 90 hp 4 stroke outboard, galvanized trailer and more! Charters & Open Loads Available Departing Daily From The Berkeley Marina Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388 Pacific Dream 3807 (510) 993-4414 Follow Us On Facebook Packages starting at $29,750 Building On The Legacy of Capt. Jim Smith! Two Boats To Turn Your Fishing Dreams Into Reality! PACIFIC (800) 726–2848 DREAM Captain Chris Smith’s 58’ Pacific Dream Captain Jonathan Smith’s 56’ Happy Hooker 3816 (510) 533–9290 1926 – 2019 Your Bay Area Dealer For 93 Years 333 Kennedy Street Oakland, CA 94606 www.outboardmotorshop.com All Prices INCLUDE freight & prep, plus tax & license only.