Striper Basics

[striperwannab]

Hello everyone,

Went out on Tuesday, got one striper.

For all of you guru's, here is a couple of questions as I try to be a better striperfisherman.

1. When should I focus in on fishing the main channel.
2. When should I focus in on fishing the flooded islands.
3. When there is no cloud cover, when should I stop fishing topwaters      (time)?

Thanks for the help guys!

Wannab

[Hitman]

Here's what I do...not to say I'm a guru...but it works for me.

I will fish around or in the flooded islands during the morning/late hours of the day when I think they are up feeding. Topwater and swimbaits will be my baits of choice.

I will fish the channels the rest of the time - mostly after the morning bite is over. I will look for the flats next to deep water or the deep holes. Spooning and traps will be my goto baits in the channels.

I will always throw topwater all day long. Throw it when you approach a new point, tulle berm or flat during all times of the day. 2 or 3 casts then its back to my other baits.

Hope this helps.

Hitman

[Cooch]

1. When should I focus in on fishing the main channel.
2. When should I focus in on fishing the flooded islands.
3. When there is no cloud cover, when should I stop fishing topwaters      
Wannab

WannaB, there are no set rules, except this one! The stripers are in this system right now chasing down the shad. You have got to be willing to move around and try many different things until you find a pattern you can follow on any given day. Find the big shad schools, yer gonna find the stripers.

I typically will start each morning off somewhere near ledges that pushes up to a big flat, where the stripers will push bait up onto those flats off the deep channel ledges. Here I'll toss topwater religeously the first hour once the sun comes up. I'll then check the ledge with the rip baits, if they are not there, off to another spot. At other times, when I find the bait in the backs of dead end sloughs, flooded lakes or deeper marina areas, I'll start in these areas with the topwater and give em about 5 minutes to come bust it, if they don't, I'm on that ripbait right away if I don't see the bait up near the surface.

To specifically address yer three questions:

1. Right now, you can always focus on the main channels, simpley, because that is where the vast magority of the giant schools of shad are at right now. What ya need to watch and look for, is where does the bait reside overnight. If they are in a dead back water like area, focussing there first is best, then move out to the river channels following the bait, this is what the stripers do religeously. As the river temps begin to drop, the shad will make their way back into the backwaters at night, same way they do on lakes in the fall!

2. Flooded lakes here can be golden, but only if the bait is present. At other times, the are as barren as the Dead Sea. It's all about the bait. You need to constantly be checking these places, until ya find an area that has a big school of bait, and stripers chasing em. Many times when ya find these, you can have 5-10 days of good fishing until either the bait moves, or the stripers wax em all. You need to visit these places at varying points in the day and tide, it could be early and late bite, or it could be an incomming or outgoing bite where they stripers have the shad schooled up near the openings, inside and out.

3. When they are not busting it on every cast! If I pull into a spot, and I do not get them to commit to the topwater in 5-6 casts, I put it down, cloudy or clear, doesn't matter. As exciting and productive as topwater striper fishing can be, it is not always the best way to catch fish and have fun thru out yer day.

Striper fishing requires that you MUST be versatile. Sure, you can go out and toss that topwater bait ALL day long in hopes of catching that giant fish of a life time, or waiting on those few thrill filling blow ups yer gonna git on it. But if'n they are not busting it with regularity, you've got to toss different things at em if ya wanna catch fish, and catch them consistantly all day long no matter what the size yer looking for. I personally think it's a must to have a rod for the following tactics when Tuxedo chasing here, Topwater, Ripbait, Paddle tail SB, Hair Raiser, Lipless crank and a spoon. This allows you to cover the entire water column and array of trigger techniques that will git ya on the fish day in and day out.

[striperwannab]

Cooch,

Thanks for all of this info! This will help as I try to understand the "tuxedo's".

Why do people say to "fish out west" until the weather gets cooler?

Waanbe

[Cooch]

Cooch, Thanks for all of this info! This will help as I try to understand the "tuxedo's".
Why do people say to "fish out west" until the weather gets cooler?
Waanbe

The big striper schools are coming from the Bay. They are out there gorging on Anchovies, Mackeral & Herring. As long as those saltwater baitfish remain in the SF Bay, there's no real need for the stripers to inundate the freshwater looking for shad. "Out West", beyond the Antioch Bridge, is the big "Y", where the San Jaquine and Sacramento Rivers meet at Sherman Island and the salinity levels start to climb. That is the first junction these fresh water migrating fish hit where there is somewhat of a thermalcline from the cooler Bay waters to the warmer fresh water. Until our waters temps here begin to dip into the low 60s and high 50s, they tend to congrigate in that area, "Out West".

[striperwannab]

Cooch,

I really appreciate your info, you make trying to fish for them "dar tuxedos" fun!

Wannab