I recently watched the “Dollar Wise Flyfishing Television Show”. I was real impressed how well the Show was put together. The idea of the Show is to keep the cost of the fishing trip to a minimum. This Episode was about flyfishing for Stripers in the California Delta (Near Sacramento?
The Host flew into Oakland Airport (He said it was cheaper than Sacramento). He rented a car and drove 40 minutes to Delta Yacht Harbor.
Boat rental was about 300 dollars for 3 days.
Tackle was a 9ft. 7 wt. Sage Rod with a Large Arbor Reel, loaded with a Shooting Head Sinking Line.
Fly-A 60 degree Bent Eye Flash Tail Clouser & a White and Chartreuse Clouser.
Technique- Two Fast Strips and Pause.
Fishing Spots- Boat Docks located at the base of some very expensive homes. With the maybe 50 hp on the boat, they traveled many miles around the Delta. The Tide had some bearing on what water they fished.
The two flyfishermen caught maybe 90 Stripers and a few Largemouth Bass. Stripers from 2- 10 lbs.
Total cost of Trip- $1,112.00
You might think that’s expensive, but I thought it looked like a great Trip!
These are only Notes on my part and maybe some California Members can add to this Post?
Thanks,
Doug
Not bad for 3 days, divided by 2 anglers…
I’ve always thought of stripers as more of an open water fish, or even a near-shore pelagic…but you say they were catching them around boat docks?? That is very interesting!
Dave
In the mid-Atlantic states stripers are called rockfish
They’re very structure oriented
This is GREAT! I’m learning something new! I guess I have heard them called Rockfish…
Are they structure-oriented as an ambush strategy? Or because of the current-break in tidal waters? Or simply because there is food around the dock pilings?
In freshwater reservoirs, they are (from what I’ve read) usually open-water fish that chase shad or other baitfish.
We don’t have any in Iowa, just white bass and Hybrids. They tried stocking Striped Bass in some of the Reservoirs here back in the late 70’s or early 80’s…, but they didn’t seem to take well, even though we have plenty of shad in the larger river/reservoir systems.
…Yes…
Stripers like to feed in the fastest current available and structure creates rips, concentrating moving water
Baitfish become disoriented in the fast current and that makes for easy pickings for the stripers.
A day on the delta with a captian like Dan Blanton will run you around $500, half that if you can split it with one other angler.
The locals know Oakland as the airport with the lowest airfares. It can be significantly lower compared to San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento. Nice airport to boot. Conveniently located. You can be in Napa in a little more than an hour or Carmel in two hours.
Doug, as you know, living where you and I do, (YOU, in Portland, ME, close enough), that with Portland being a very large inland seaport shipping center,there are many, many, Stripers, always around the docks there!
Some are quite “large” to be sure, but it’s the slender, quicker ones, that seem to attract the most attention it seems. I don’t think that our West Coast line of Stripers are as colorful as they are elsewhere, either.
The ones you see in the local paper, when they’ve been caught, all look darn near alike, in fact… hardly any variation in makeup.
The paper, in fact, just had another article about: “Rounding up another group of Stripers, down around the docks”. Funny, how EVERY MAN that was also rounded up, fishing for the Stripers, was named “John”, too!?
Paul,
Thank you very much for telling me that information! I’ve lived a sheltered life.
OH WELL!
Isn’t that kind of fishing for stripers, strictly with “BAIT”? Dollar bills on hooks?
Thanks,
Doug