Striper boils - how do I eat them?

As I've pointed out in previous posts, I'm pretty new to kayak fishing (and fishing in general) - so with that in mind, here's a question:

I decided to try for some stripers tonight in Sausalito (houseboat area), and on my way back in after an hour or so of nothingness, the fish started to go nuts all around me (I'm assuming they were stripers, but I could of course be wrong). First it was 100 feet ahead of me, so I rushed up and started chucking my lure at them... then they were 200 feet behind me, so I turned around and chucked my lure at them again... The action was fast and furious, but I managed a single bite and not much else...

When these fish start to go nuts, what should I do to increase my chances? I'm assuming topwater baits (poppers?) are the way to go, but beyond that I have no strategy and I definitely missed a golden opportunity tonight. Is there a strategy to approach these guys?

So curious, you talkin’ bout bait or did you see the stripers?

Sounds like smelt. 
If it was stripers, then they literally attack almost anything you throw in the middle of them. 

Sorry for the confusion, but I'm not referring to bait fish. I'm talking about sizable fish feeding on the surface. Bait fish were jumping all around, and large fish were crushing them...

I've never seen anything like it, and I want to go out again tomorrow night to try to take advantage.

I'd cast some zoom flukes... non stop ..and start twitching the bait.

Poppers, chuggers, ploppers, spooks for the topwater action.  Maybe a second rod with a luckycraft pointer or a hairraiser for when the fish sink out, or just trolling around waiting for boils.   

Top water works most of the time.  I have been on some rare boils with bigger fish that ignored everything we threw at them though.

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Rip a Kastmaster through it.

Thread jack, hot off the press....75 legal size caught at the Petaluma river mouth most recently , nothing of epic size but seems like a barrel of fun

Top water! Walk the dog baits. Spooks poppers rovers delta wood bombers they all work good.  Nothing beats topwater action. Favorite way to catch fish by far


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I actually prefer rattle trap or spoons for the striper boils.
They miss too much (or I miss too much)...
They're not like trout, they will bite underwater all the way to the bottom.

I'd cast some zoom flukes... non stop ..and start twitching the bait.

Yes Sir White Pearl is the best 

Omar...

Thread jack, hot off the press....75 legal size caught at the Petaluma river mouth most recently , nothing of epic size but seems like a barrel of fun

are you forreal? I know they've been hammering them at Sonoma creek

Thread jack, hot off the press....75 legal size caught at the Petaluma river mouth most recently , nothing of epic size but seems like a barrel of fun

are you forreal? I know they've been hammering them at Sonoma creek

I am fo'reals brah...didn't see them though,  sonoma creek?  What about the landlocked in the new rehabilitation area off 37?

Thread jack, hot off the press....75 legal size caught at the Petaluma river mouth most recently , nothing of epic size but seems like a barrel of fun

are you forreal? I know they've been hammering them at Sonoma creek

I am fo'reals brah...didn't see them though,  sonoma creek?  What about the landlocked in the new rehabilitation area off 37?

the kayak park off 37. Yea they are loaded in there. Incoming tide. It's really shallow there. I've taken my bass boat to the entrance coming in from Napa River. Probably won't do that again since I broke a prop. But I've been hitting that spot from shore plenty of action.