Striper Fishing is Getting Hott with cooler weather

Stretch1 · Post by **Stretch1** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:10 am

We have had some big fish come into the the shop over the past week. The Rio Vista bite is starting to show some BIG BIG fish. At Rio Vista Bait we have weighed in a 30lb fish a 23lb fish a 21lb fish and a 14lb fish and those are just the big ones we have had plenty of fish to 8lbs still being caught...so get ready here they come in a BIG way...

David McKenzie · Post by **David McKenzie** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:35 pm

This is no way a personal attack against you, your shop or keeping fish for the table. I support local shops and keep a few fish myself. So please don't take affense. However, I'm concerned when I hear that Stripers of this quality are being killed. These are mature adult brood stock.

They are not past there prime. They are in there prime reproductive stage of there life. Are Striped Bass fishery can not withstand the continued harvest of this class of fish. Contrary to popular belief, the recent years have not been good for recrutment. Partly due to habitate and also over harvest. Yes, there are a few adult fish around but when there gone, there gone. These aren't 2,5 or even 10 year old fish. They are much older and becoming increasingly rare every year.

Since you are in consistant contact with Rio Vista area fisherman is your shop incouraging preservation of the resources with catch and release and or Selective harvest?

GOTDUX · Post by **GOTDUX** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:55 pm

David McKenzie wrote:This is no way a personal attack against you, your shop or keeping fish for the table. I support local shops and keep a few fish myself. So please don't take affense. However, I'm concerned when I hear that Stripers of this quality are being killed. These are mature adult brood stock.

They are not past there prime. They are in there prime reproductive stage of there life. Are Striped Bass fishery can not withstand the continued harvest of this class of fish. Contrary to popular belief, the recent years have not been good for recrutment. Partly due to habitate and also over harvest. Yes, there are a few adult fish around but when there gone, there gone. These aren't 2,5 or even 10 year old fish. They are much older and becoming increasingly rare every year.

Since you are in consistant contact with Rio Vista area fisherman is your shop incouraging preservation of the resources with catch and release and or Selective harvest?

Ditto! I cringe everytime I see post like this, let the big ones go guys!!!!
Thanks for the report though nothing against RVB...just need to educate fisherman to turn some big ones back!
Capt. R.J.

Stretch1 · Post by **Stretch1** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:51 am

all i am doing is reporting the news...so as much as you are free to post whatever you want on the forum and give whatever opinion you may have im just the messenger....i will keep posting the reports as i get em because that is my job...sorta like GOTDUKS is a guide that takes people out to catch fish and your job is whatever it is you do...hey just an F.Y.I i dont even striper fish im a black bass fisherman so i understand the importance of catch and release trust me but i also own a bait and tackle shop and we as fisherman are like sheep and when the fish start showing the fisherman come out so like i stated before i will not stop giving reports because it is my job as u said the fish are in a decline and why would someone in my position want to hurt the very thing that pays my bills? i do want them to release them trust me but what can i do i have no right to tell someone NOT to keep a fish they basically paid alot of money to catch to release it....

Cooch · Post by **Cooch** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:20 am

GOTDUX, Dan,

Unfortunately, you know as well as I do, there ain't no talking sense to the bait fishermen and vast majority of the trollers, who are out there looking to catch stripers and take em home fer tablefair. Unfortunately, many of these folks are not sport fishermen like ourselves who think conservation first, and could care less about the state of the fishery from the standpoint you've mentioned here. There's a different mentality and ego that is getting fed here when they catch big stripers.

A far better angle is to educate them on the health hazards of taking home and eating such big fish that are caught with in the system. Striped bass in the Delta and Bay that are over 12 pounds, carry huge levels of mercury in their system that is hazardous to our health. They have been in and out of the Delta, to the Bay and out to the Pacific so many times over the years, their bodies have picked up and store scary amounts of mercury! It is not healthy to eat these fish and people are getting sick from doing so. The County has issued warning placards, which we see at many places of business here in Oakley and Brentwood, explaining this.

For me, this is a lot scarier situation than the fear of depleting the striper resource. I have found it to be a far better way of tactfully putting the fear in folks who choose to keep these large stripers. After hearing this, many of them put 2 and 2 tagether and relate recent illnesses to eating said fish. Now, when hearing this angle, they tend to have a completely different outlook and are turning the larger fish loose. I see this happening a lot with a bunch of my neighbors down here on Sandmound. These folks have been fishing for stripers all their lives here. They never knew of the health issues, and are now turning a lot of the bigger fish they catch loose, choosing to only keep the smaller schoolies fer table fair.

I'm in total aggreance with the education process, although I feal, the reproduction route, is a fruitless path with 99% of the striper fishermen. I see far greater results when educating them on the health issues in regards to taking these bigger fish!

David McKenzie · Post by **David McKenzie** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 9:56 am

I agree with you 100% Cooch that preeching C&R is well, just that. Preeching. Some form of education in regards to toxins is a viable and better understood method to protecting the resource. If someone chooses to ignore warnings about eating toxic laden fish then I don't have a lot of sympathy toward the final outcome. Except for there childern.

I think my concern is more toward the picture fish that ends up in the dumpster after it's been dragged around to tackle stores for pics and a visit to a freezer for 6 months. This happens all the time. I have seen it here in the South Bay with San luis fish more than once. It comes down to respect for the resource. Folks have it, or they don't. It goes back to what you mentioned about education. And it atarts with impressionable youth, regardless of the specie of fish. This happens with stripers, Salmon, Sturgeon, Albacore and others. It's a damn shame.

Dave

DAN · Post by **DAN** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 11:02 am

Are my choice but there are a few guys bait fishing doing well. Also there are fish on Eddo's bar

Rio Vista Bait · Post by **Rio Vista Bait** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:50 pm

I always tell people that fish over 8lbs should be released...keeping the smaller ones is always better also better tasting but if they bring em to me i dont give them any crap i just ask what do u plan on doing with all that fish...usually the answer is put it in the freezer...then i say something to the effect of do u really need to do that and 9 out of 10xs they agree.....when i start doing my weekly striper (starting next week) i will say the very thing cooch said about mercury levels and feeding kids especially in moderations fish caught out of our waterways...remember delivering the news isnt as bad as creating the news...Stretch