Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3813 June 7-21 2019 | Page 27

June 7 - 21, 2019
VOL.38 • ISS. 13
25
GONE FISHING
Continued from page 1
am quite comfortable enjoying the role of rod holder,
fish “reeler-inner” and net boy. Yes, I am aware that
there are no such words in the English Language as
“reeler” and “inner,” but I challenge any of you to
never having used such sayings.
What can I say folks, I grew up in Anderson,
California. We made up our own words, but I digress.
Anyhow, JW found himself tied to a large striper late
in the day. In fact, the other fellows onboard that day
were ready to throw in the towel, but we hooked a
small keeper on our second to last trolling run.
Buoyed by that big fish, I suggested, “Guys, we
can’t quit while they are still biting.” Luckily, my
reasoning was sound, and JW managed to hook
what would turn out to be yet another almost 15
pound striper. This big striper fought like all other
big stripers do; hard. The fish made several powerful
Mike and JW had a great time landing big stripers while
runs, but ultimately succumbed to steady pressure
fishing the Sacramento. As of press time the bite in the
and a tight line. After several grip and grin photos,
West Delta was still going strong.
we were all on our way home with an ice chest full of
Photo by MIKE MCNEILLY, Fish Sniffer Staff..
3720
delicious white meat fish filets.
ROCKLIN
AUBURN
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and the striper
The Lake Almanor skunk is the most perplexing
reports keep trickling in from friends out pounding the
and
dismaying I’ve had in a while. I rarely fail
(916)
(530)
delta. The stats range from pretty good to downright
on
this
lake, and this is a good old fashioned
depending on the day. Meanwhile, I have notched
6455 PACIFIC ST.
11844 ATWOOD RD brutal
humbling,
kick to the nuts, ego smasher. I had
my belt with a Lake Almanor skunk and then a beat down
to
shoot
a
couple
of wild turkeys to get my mojo
www.trucksmart.com
on one of my favorite bass lakes.
back. Feeling good after winning a game of wits
with a bird the size of a pea, it was time to head
back to the delta. This time, the water on the Sacra-
mento side would be plenty clear for fishing.
Early May can be a fine time to be on the delta.
It also can be 95 degrees and either super windy or
without a lick of breeze. In this case, it was perfect
weather. Temps were in the high 70’s, and the
water had ideal 3-4’ of visibility. The only problem
was that conditions were pretty similar from
Stockton to Chico on the San Joaquin, Sacramento
2019
and all their respective striper filled tributaries.
In other words, the fish were spread out all over
California. This translates into lots of hours trolling
envisioning what the strike of a hungry striper
might look like on your otherwise lifeless rod. For
many hours that morning, I stared at my tightly
wiggling rod tip while laughing at the morning’s
commentary on JW’s brown boat. The San Joaquin
side was dead for us in the a.m., so a move to the
Sacramento was queued for lunch time.
About mid-day, we found ourselves trolling along
the West Bank as we have countless hours before.
The spot is far from a secret but with good reason.
Stripers of all sizes travel up and down this route
on their trip up the river to spawn. They also corral
shad and other baitfish here. As big fish often times
seem to do, they hit in less than opportune times. In
this instance, the big girl clamped onto my Yo-Zuri
right as we weaved between another boat shallow
trolling and a boat on anchor bait fishing.
As soon as the fish hit, it became apparent to
everybody that I had hooked an exceptional fish.
The rod bent to the cork handle, and line just
started flying off the reel like Rip Taylor throwing
confetti. Most accounts of fish going on long runs
are vastly over exaggerated, but a line counter reel
can keep the embellishment to a minimum.
On the first run, the fish yanked out 80’ of line.
Thankfully, the big striper ran out into the middle
of the river and stayed away from the anchored
bait fishing boat’s lines. At that point, experience
with these fish paid off. The most common way to
lose a big striper is to pull too hard and open up the
relatively weak 2x strong treble hooks on a stock
Yo-Zuri. Prudence says to fight the fish with a light
Techron ® Protection Plus Marine Fuel System Treatment is here to
drag and a tight line.
help your engine run smoothly, all season long. Our exclusive formula
Be patient. Let the fish wear out. Stripers have
cleans and restores, ensuring superior performance and protection.
hard rubbery mouths, and most of the time you will
With up to 24 months of fuel stabilization during the off-season and
need pliers to extract the hooks. Keep the line tight,
best-in-class corrosion protection, Techron ® Marine is the solution
and the hooks usually won’t fall out unexpectedly.
you’ve been waiting for.
This was no exception. She made a couple more
spirited runs, but the landing of this fish proved to
be almost inevitable. The hook closest to the bill of
Learn more at TechronClean.com/fi sh6
the plug was firmly wedged in the fish’s jaw, and
the hook nearest the tail was just under the chin and
Available at West Marine, AutoZone stores nationwide
buried in the meat below the gill plate.
and Chevron ExtraMile convenience stores
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. We
Online at WestMarine.com, AutoZone.com, Walmart.com
managed just a few more keeper sized fish to 6
and Amazon.com
pounds. However, the thing that captivates my
mind while dragging plugs in the delta for stripers
Techron
Chevrontechron
Techron
is the, “You never know factor.” At any moment,
a fish of just ridiculous proportions could swallow
your plug; a fish the size of medium sized dog or
a 5-8 year old human child. That’s what keeps me
coming back.
Best Selection — Best Service — Best Prices
773-7333
888-7825
The fuel system additive
that won’t leave you adrift.
REV#
01
Docket: 19100370 Project: Techron Marine Colour: 4/0
Date: May 16, 2019 Description: Fish Sniff er Ad Language: Eng
CYAN PMS
MAGENTA PMS