Benicia

Hello,

Has anyone fished in Benicia? Is it a good spot for a beginner? Do I need a wetsuit to fish there? Thanks.

It's all depend where you fish but I highly recommend to dress for immersion.  The current at the Mothball Fleet is very strong if you Sturgeon hunting there.

Ok thanks, I should probably go with someone that knows the area, thanks.

Of you have Stripers in mind then launch at the public ramp on 9th Street, go to the right toward the Dillion Point and fish the shallow flat along the State Park.  The current there is very mild and the water depth is around 4ft - 10ft depends on the tide.  There're some big Stripers caught there.

Later in the year when the salmon season opens on the river ( Carquinez bridge) you will see a lot of people at the point of the State park and First St pier. You will also see Jedmo on the water.

Scubaluis

Sonny: ok thanks, my best bet is to fish that area during incoming and high tide huh? I've seen that area get pretty low when it's low tide. I would like to fish for sturgeon, but I'm afraid it's going to drag me around into dangerous places. Any advice when fishing for sturgeon? By the way are you coming back Benicia, to fish the area?

scubaluis: thanks, who is Jedmo? Well I'm interested in meeting some of you veterans out there, so you can teach me some stuff   .

Sonny: ok thanks, my best bet is to fish that area during incoming and high tide huh? I've seen that area get pretty low when it's low tide. I would like to fish for sturgeon, but I'm afraid it's going to drag me around into dangerous places. Any advice when fishing for sturgeon? By the way are you coming back Benicia, to fish the area?

scubaluis: thanks, who is Jedmo? Well I'm interested in meeting some of you veterans out there, so you can teach me some stuff   .

I might be fishing for Stripers in Benicia on this coming Monday morning.

Ok, I'll see if I can make it.

Lots of Hazards in Carquinez Straits lots of boat/ship traffic,4kt current on the outgo, can get pretty windy and can get socked in with fog,docks and pilings all over the place plus logs and crap floating out of rivers. Just my $.02s but not a place for the beginner.

Lots of Hazards in Carquinez Straits lots of boat/ship traffic,4kt current on the outgo, can get pretty windy and can get socked in with fog,docks and pilings all over the place plus logs and crap floating out of rivers. Just my $.02s but not a place for the beginner.

Thanks, yeah I'm currently in benicia visiting my girlfriend and it was pretty windy. I guess I need to find the perfect day to try it out.

This friggin wind is relentless.  Monday is looking pretty bad.  But you never know until you get down there.  jtlpe156, make sure you have a PFD and a VHF, get some experience on lakes first, make sure you can get back in your yak easily, then try the Benica area.  That area can get super gnarly really quick with the ultra strong current and crazy wind.  If you are interested in Sturgeon fishing, have a quick release anchor systemhttp://69.174.244.232/html/index.php?topic=16289.0.  I'm out in the Suisun/Honker bay area pretty regularly, get some experience then hit me up for some Sturgeon fishing!

Jeff

This friggin wind is relentless.  Monday is looking pretty bad.  But you never know until you get down there.  jtlpe156, make sure you have a PFD and a VHF, get some experience on lakes first, make sure you can get back in your yak easily, then try the Benica area.  That area can get super gnarly really quick with the ultra strong current and crazy wind.  If you are interested in Sturgeon fishing, have a quick release anchor systemhttp://69.174.244.232/html/index.php?topic=16289.0.  I'm out in the Suisun/Honker bay area pretty regularly, get some experience then hit me up for some Sturgeon fishing!

Jeff

Ok, I have a pfd but do not have a radio yet. Why so I need a quick release System? Aren't you suppose to be anchored to prevent the sturgeon from dragging you around? When do you think I will be ready for sturgeon fishing? Thanks for the advice, hopefully I can go sturgeon fishing with you soon.

This friggin wind is relentless.  Monday is looking pretty bad.  But you never know until you get down there.  jtlpe156, make sure you have a PFD and a VHF, get some experience on lakes first, make sure you can get back in your yak easily, then try the Benica area.  That area can get super gnarly really quick with the ultra strong current and crazy wind.  If you are interested in Sturgeon fishing, have a quick release anchor systemhttp://69.174.244.232/html/index.php?topic=16289.0.  I'm out in the Suisun/Honker bay area pretty regularly, get some experience then hit me up for some Sturgeon fishing!

Jeff

Ok, I have a pfd but do not have a radio yet. Why so I need a quick release System? Aren't you suppose to be anchored to prevent the sturgeon from dragging you around? When do you think I will be ready for sturgeon fishing? Thanks for the advice, hopefully I can go sturgeon fishing with you soon.

Not to sound too scary but sturgeon fishing can be one of the more dicey kinds of yak fishing, especially if you go alone as I often do.  You are usually anchored in a relatively fast current far from shore, fall out and loose a grip on the yak and you're instantly pushed away from the boat with no way to get back to it (you cant swim against those currents).  Could end up being a long swim to shore. Then there's the fish itself, I've done OK until my last outing when I hooked a nice one, it came to the yak fairly quickly, then dove, then immediately tried to jump and actually hit the yak and almost knoced me over (never planned on that one).  From the yak I've caught sturgeon from 5 to 50 pounds, the one that almost knocked me over was bigger, but still I've never hooked a "big" one like Jeff did.   So you have to consider what are you gonna do with a fish that big when you get it to the boat? 

As an answer to your question as to when you'd be ready to sturgeon fishing, I'm thinking you need to get some bay experience and definetly go with someone that's experienced. 

There's a great article on the site here on sturgeon fishing from a yak.

Yak fishing is fun and exciting but safety has to come first so you can keep doing it for a long time without any bad experiences.

Dale nailed it.  Good info there.  The anchor is used to keep you stationary to keep your bait in one spot on the bottom.  You can stay anchored while fighting a keeper sturgeon and be fine.  If you choose, you can detach from your anchor and fight a bigger fish.  I caught a 77" sturgeon and I didn't feel like I was "fighting" it, but I was trying to "hold on" until it tired out.  I didn't have any control over that fish like you do when you catch smaller fish.  I detached from my anchor because I had zero control over what the fish was doing, one second it would go upcurrent, the next down current.  When I detached, I could keep the bow of my yak in the same general direction as the fish, it made things easier with the current and wind.  However, other smaller sturgeon I've caught I could fairly easily keep the fish on what side of the yak I wanted so remaining anchored was a good choice.
Like Dale said, you gotta have a plan with what are you going to do when you get this big ass fish to your little floating piece of plastic?  I also fish alone a lot, and thankfully when I hooked the oversize, I was fishing with Chuwy4.  There is no way I could have landed it without him.  No way.  One hand on the rod, one on the snare.  Now your out of hands.  Then, if you get it onto your yak, you will notice the added weight makes it tippy.  This is where the experience of being on your yak really comes into play- managing a tippy yak with a thrashing dinosaur aboard, and a bunch of gear.  It ain't easy, so you really gotta know your yak, how it reacts and where to put your gear as the fight/landing process progresses.  The more comfortable you are with that, the easier its all gonna be.  More importantly, the SAFER its going to be.  Like Dale said, you fall off your anchored yak, your probably going to have to swim to shore. 

The reason you need a quick disconnect is if there is a submerged branch passing under your yak and it hooks your anchor line.  That branch is going to drag your yak down with it and you need a way to break away from you line immediately.  Sometimes you see huge pieces of debris floating down current, and sometimes you dont.  Just cause you dont see them dosent mean there isnt anything in the water.  Get out on a lake and sit on your yak and intentionally tip it over a bunch of times.  That will help you learn your limits.  Tip it over a bunch of ways too.  Get back on it a bunch.  Then fish from it.  Then you when you feel like you've got a lot of confidence in you+your yak, lets sturgeon fish!  Being anchored in a strong current is a different feeling.  With a little practice and experience you will be fine.  Hopefully this all made sense and helped.  I love sturgeon fishing.

Jeff

Alright I will get some practice first. I've kayak fishing twice already, first time was on the America River and the second time was at port of Sacramento. I'm looking forward to fish the bay. If you guys are free sometimes and would like to show me around, pm me. Thanks guys!