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November 1-2, 2006

I gave up on the salmon - at least for now. So after launching at Brannan State Park Tuesday morning, I trolled for stripers down river from Three Mile Slough.  I managed one 22" shaker, but that was it. At the last power line across the river below Decker Island, I reeled in and motored down to Suisun Bay for the night. I managed to reel in a shaker sturgeon of about 30 inches who fell for lamprey. He wasn't much of a fighter, but it sure beat a skunk. I spent the night there over my sturgeon hole, and slept pretty well as occasional rain fell. My all night fishing is long over, I need my geriatric sleep! I fished a couple more hours the next morning, but couldn't interest any takers. I tried awhile for sturgeon at Light 25 when I got back upriver, but still no takers. Even so, it was a very pleasant trip.

 Life is good while awaiting that little sturgeon nibble.

November 15, 2006

Sturgeon! 

I cruised the hour or so down river from Brannan Island State Park to my favorite honey hole on Suisun Bay. When I arrived, an outgoing tide was just getting well underway. I tossed out a couple of chunks of lamprey, popped the top on a wobbly-pop -- and waited.

My honey hole is near Garnet Point, between Roe and Ryer Islands. It is very remote, I seldom see another boat within a couple of miles. I love it, it's my favorite spot on the Delta.

This visit, under perfect conditions, would not last long. In about an hour and a half, the typical sturgeon bite clicked a bit of line from my reel. I set the hook hard and I knew I had a sturgeon on!

I thought the little guy was bigger than he was. I fought him for only about ten minutes before he was belly-up at the boat. I wondered if he was even legal, so I grabbed my little green garden tape that is 72" long and has a mark at 46" - the legal slot limit for sturgeon. He seemed to be a bit longer than 46", so I took him. He measured exactly 46" on the sole of the cockpit, and weighed in at 19 pounds.

My limit was in the boat! Lamprey eel apparently is not attractive to other fish, which is why it's my only choice for sturgeon fishing. I would have fished for stripers if I'd have had any striper bait, but I didn't. So I stowed the fishing gear, cleaned up the cockpit and headed back upriver to Brannan Island and home.

Three of the last four sturgeon I have taken measured the minimum 46"; two last November and this one. The fourth sturgeon, taken in March, was at the other extreme of the sturgeon slot limit: A monster 72 incher that weighed over a hundred pounds. It seems that I am due for a fish somewhere in the middle of the slot!

This was my first sturgeon of the fall season, and my Delta fishing will soon be over 'til February or March. I may bag another sturgeon yet this year; it will depend on the weather and luck.

One tough little sturgeon!
52" 30 Lbs.

I read a very good report from Lucky Strike Charter about their catching five sturgeon on Saturday while fishing Suisun Bay. Five!? Suisun? In August? I don't believe I've ever fished for sturgeon in August.

But I loaded up the boat for a two day jaunt downriver to Suisun Bay. I dug out some old, frozen lamprey I keep in the freezer for such occasions. That stuff has been sitting there the better part of a year, but I reckoned it would still attract a sturgeon. I launched at Brannan Island and arrived at my honey hole near Garnet Point about 75 minutes later. The trip was great! It was an unusual summertime day with little wind and the cruise downriver was over mostly calm waters.

I began fishing around noon and I waited 'til about 4 o'clock before I had a tender little sturgeon nibble. Tick-tick-tick went the reel. I grabbed the rod and waited for a second pick up. When the line slowly ticked off again, I slammed the hook home with all my might - and I was hooked solid! Something took off like a freight train, peeling line from the reel with wild abandon. I set the lever drag clear to the stop - and he still kept peeling off line. After about 30 yards or so, my sturgeon slowed and tried to rest. I then applied pressure to him and began working him to the boat. After about 10 or 15 minutes he was along side the boat, completely exhausted and spent. I was shocked! I thought I had a hundred pounder on by the way he fought, but he was a little guy. I measured him at 52", well above the 46" minimum. He weighed in at just 30 pounds.

The long slender sturgeon are males. They are generally stronger than the wider females and usually put up a better fight. This little guy was just amazingly strong for his size.

This is the first year of report cards and tags for us sturgeon fishermen here in California. I dutifully filled in my report card and one tag. I ripped the tag from the card and attached it to my catch to be legal. I have two tags left for the year. Somehow, since they now limit us to just three, I feel an obligation to catch my share.

I'll be back out there again this year, looking for those other two sturgies!

July 25-26, 2007

New Hogan Stripers!

 
A 16 Lb. Stringer!

New Hogan Reservoir, an Army Corp of Engineers facility near Valley Springs, is one of three lakes in California where the state-wide limit of two stripers is changed to ten. And the size limit of 18 inches is lifted. So any striper caught is a keeper.

The striper fishing there is as hard to figure as anywhere I've fished. Either that lake is on or it's flat dead. I don't know what turns it on and nobody I've talked to seems to have an answer, either. But this trip it was on - for a change.

I haven't caught more than one fish there in over a year. Three years ago it was about my favorite fishing hole because it seemed to be on most times I tried. During one two day period that year my cousin and I reeled in 16 stripers. I reeled in 37 Hogan stripers that year!

The techniques are varied. Some folks simply toss bait in and catch fish. I've tried that and never caught one. Others simply sit in their boats and look for "boils" of stripers feasting on shad that they have chased to the surface. Boils are very exciting and can be heard and seen for a long distance. When a boil starts, the Boil chasers will fire up their engines and charge to the boil. Staying outside the churning water, they will toss lures into the frenzy and usually do quite well. The technique I use - and many others do, too - is to troll frozen sardines in a harness, making them roll as they move through the water. I usually troll 40' deep on one side and 20' deep on the other, using downriggers. The shallower sardine will be further back and if a striper can resist the deeper troll, another soon passes by a bit higher and is - perhaps - harder to refuse. It seems that I catch more stripers on the shallower troll.

This week's trip was slow at first, but within the first hour I had a hit that didn't stick - but the thieving fish took my sardine. I had two or three such losses during the day, but that's not unusual. My first hook-up furiously ripped line from the screaming reel and I shouted with excitement as I kicked the trolling motor down to idle and grabbed the rod. My striper fought with the gusto stripers are noted for, and it took a few minutes to reel him to the boat. He  was right at the boat as I grabbed my net and - he was gone. Well, that's fishing. I harnessed up another sardine and kept trying.

I had four other good battles with those angry stripers - and got all four into the boat. They were all 22" to 25" and averaged four pounds each. Every striper I've ever caught at Hogan is within that range except for one that measured around 27". That's another mystery of Hogan - all the stripers seem to be in the same narrow size range.

I trolled from before noon to about five o'clock, then anchored for the night. I love anchoring for the night when lake fishing. It's a lot less demanding of my attention - and I can break out the beer! I fished with a sardine hanging over each side of the boat 'til about nine o'clock with no action at all. But I sure enjoyed the good gospel and country music that plays aboard FishWisher.

I climbed into the berth after reeling in and slept well 'til about 2 o'clock when the wind changed and I had to move to the opposite side of the lake to avoid wind waves. After the move I again slept well 'til about 5 o'clock. Once I was up and doing my usual morning chores, I decided it was time to head for the dock and home. I'd had enough fishing for this trip.

   Yes, life is good!