Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3907 Mar 13-27 | Page 23

March 13-27, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 7 Top Striper Guides Prepare for Spring Rush! GONE FISHING 21 continued from page 1 bait or hook it too deeply. You want the bait to be as lively as possible, so handle it with care. With the bait wriggling on the hook, lower the rig to the bottom, place 35-pound striped bass, and that someone triper season is just getting the rod in a holder and allow it to drag could be you,” says Dan. underway and from the early along the sand. When the rod bends deeply, fishing it looks like we are in for a To book a trip with Dan, call (360) you’ve hooked a fish and it’s time to fight really exciting spring season in the 607-8511 or check out his website at it to the net. Delta and through the valley. If you’ve www.columbiariverfishing.com. If live bait is unavailable or you are been thing about booking a guided Head Rush Sportfishing: fishing from a private boat that doesn’t trip this spring, many of the state’s Captain Chris Ditter have the capacity to keep live bait, frozen best guides are going to be targeting Captain Chris Ditter is a new name to anchovies and herring will catch fish bass during the months of April and readers of the Fish Sniffer Magazine. when drifted. The only modification you May. Let’s take a look at a few of these Chris is a hardcore lifelong angler and a need to make when drifting with dead bait guides: talented stick when it comes to tempting is adding a treble hook to the rig that is Dan Ponciano Sportfishing: strikes from Delta stripers. pinned in the baits tail. Halibut don’t grab you hook a halibut remember to fight the Captain Dan Ponciano Chris will be putting anglers on limits a dead bait as enthusiastically as they do a When fish gently and follow the deckhand’s instructions Dan Ponciano has 40 years of expe- of striper this spring from his big bad live one, so this stinger helps to ensure that as you bring your prize to the net. rience and has been offering Columbia Alumaweld river boat. any halibut grabbing the bait, no matter Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. and Sacramento River Guided Fishing For Delta bass, give Capt. Chris a call how tentatively will be hooked. Trips professionally nearly 30 years. at (916) 284-9236. While sport anglers have long relied with monofilament line, but I prefer to employ Sacramento River Spring Stripers on drifting as their means for securing TNG MotorSports: 65-pound braided line. “March, April and May means striped halibut fillets, Captain Jerry Lampkin The rig used for trolling is similar to bass fishing in California’s Sacramento commercial “We have been fishing the Klamath, the one used for drifting. It makes use of River. This striper fishery in California anglers have Sacramento, American and Feather rivers a 3-way swivel and a dropper where the very well could be the best fishing employed for over 25 years now and would like to sinker attaches, but the breaking weight of on the West Coast. While stripers trolling to invite you to join us for a trip you won’t the dropper should be bumped up to 15 or can be fished year-round, we target boat their fish 17-pound test. The leader section of the rig is soon forget,” says Lampkin. them during the prime spring months. for equally as longer than the leader on the live bait rig and Lampkin will be plying both Delta Striped bass ranging in size from two- long. Once and Valley waters for stripers this spring looks like this. to 50-pounds are caught. Every day, halibut mania, using a variety of different methods. First a 48-inch section of 30-pound fluo- someone, somewhere on the Sacra- gripped the To learn more or secure your spot, give rocarbon is attached to the three way. To the mento River will likely catch a 25- to sportfishing Jerry a ring at (530) 320-0994. end of that section of line an 8-inch dodger is community, attached. To the rear of the dodger 24 to 36 This is the way to properly it didn’t take inches of leader is attached and tipped with hook a live anchovy for them long to halibut drifting. Note that the either a frozen baitfish or an artificial lure. bait is very bright and has learn that the A frozen anchovy rigged with an octopus lost minimal scales. Treat commercial hook in the nose and a stinger treble in the tail your anchovies with care and guys were is the best offering. With the bait in place an 8 they do a good job for you! ounce to one pound weight is snapped on the Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish really on to Sniffer Staff. something, dropper, the rig is lowered to the bottom and since no trolled across the flats as slowly as possible. method is capable of putting as many fish When the rod bends and pulsates, a halibut has in the boat as trolling, provided the fish are been hooked and it’s time to reel in your prize. holding in relatively shallow water as is Drifting and trolling are the top two methods often the case. employed by boaters, but shore guys can Trolling requires heavier tackle than catch halibut too, using a couple of different drifting. A halibut trolling stick has the approaches. Likely the most effective means same qualities as a salmon trolling rod that of hooking halibut from shore or the piers you’d use on a charter boat. Many anglers that dot the bay is soaking live bait using a troll effectively while using a reel spooled sliding sinker rig identical to that which striper anglers use for fishing in the Delta. Powered by Clean, Quiet, Dependable Honda 4 Stoke For live bait bank fishing, you’ll want a 7 to Outboards. Now available in 2 hp. to 250 hp. Models... 10-foot saltwater spinning rod spooled with the right outboard motor for any boating need. 20-pound mono or 30-pound braid. Pass the main line through a sliding sinker sleeve and knot on a snap swivel. To the swivel attach a 30 inch 30-pound fluorocarbon leader tipped with a 2/0 live bait hook affixed via a perfec- tion loop. Boats From 14 To 20 Feet Live shiner perch are the most popular bait but smelt, mudsuckers and bullheads can also Boats From be used. One or more of these baits can be found at Bay Area bait shops or you can catch 13 To 28 Feet your own using a trout rod and a small hook baited with bits of pile worm. These live baits can either be hooked Electric through the lips like a live anchovy or pinned WE MAKE IT WORTH THE DRIVE. WE MAKE IT WORTH THE DRIVE. lightly through the skin near the tail. With or Gas CALL NOW FOR DETAILS! CALL NOW FOR DETAILS! a 3 to 4 once sinker attached to the sliding sleeve, these baits should be tossed gently into a likely area and the waiting can begin. When you get a bite feed the fish several yards of line before setting the hook to ensure the halibut has the bait well inside its mouth. Plugging is the other proven method that BOATS FROM shore anglers use for hooking halibut. The 18 TO 30 FEET Boats From same spinning rod used for fishing live baits can be used for tossing lures. The lure of 12 To 22 Feet choice is a pearl 4 to 5-inch swimbait, such as a Fish Trap rigged on a ½ to 1 once lead head. A short section of 80-pound test braid should be attached to the bend of the jig’s hook and WE MAKE IT WORTH THE DRIVE. WE MAKE IT WORTH THE DRIVE. tipped with a small treble. The treble is pinned the swimbait’s back near the tail to booby CALL NOW FOR DETAILS! CALL NOW FOR DETAILS! in trap any short strikers. Swimbait technique is simple. Make a long cast, slowly swim the jig along the bottom and For optimum performance and safety, repeat. You won’t catch a halibut every outing read the Owner’s Manual before operating your Honda Marine Product. while plugging, but the satisfaction of hooking Always wear a personal flotation a hefty 10 to 20-pound flatty while tossing an device while boating. 3320 Boyington Rd. at Penryn in Loomis, CA artificial from the bank makes up for the dead time between hook ups! 3907 S SPRING SALES EVENT! Huge Inventory • EZ-Financing • Call Now! WWW.AUBURNOUTBOARDMARINE.COM (916) 652-1660