Sherman Lake 3/11/2022

Water Temperature 55 degrees

I went out Friday hoping the Fishing Gods were in good humor, and the stripers were unwary ..

Fished from about 730AM till the high tide (930AM), then fished an additional four hours of the outgoing tide. Stuck a single fish at the height of the tide, around 9AM, but it came off after a short fight. I figure he would have been in the 16" - 20" range - nothing monstrous. It took a "baby bluegill" style streamer that I have been fiddling with as a potential dual threat for the more numerous largemouth bass.

Wind picked up between 10AM and Noon, switched to a spinning rod and chartreuse Rat-L-Trap, and hooked three additional fish. One keeper about 5 lbs, and two shakers - in the 17" range.

Summary, fishing was slow and the fish were solitary and not in great numbers. No other anglers in the area other than the bait fishermen that frequent the area connecting to the river proper. I assume the fish are elsewhere ...

Well, that sure beats sitting at home! Thanks for the report.

Nice!  I almost went to Sherman yesterday when I realized Bay Point was too windy.  Were you inside the "lake" part there?  I have never connected inside, always on the outside by the river, with the bait guys. 

Edit - also just realized this was in the fly fishing section.  I've never tried, but looks like fun! 

Yes, I was inside the lake - I fished both sides ... the tule side as well as the rock jetty side of the lake proper. The side with the tules was the winner this trip.

Right on, looks like I should spend my next trip out there exploring the tules.  I usually just pop out to the inlets to the river - I almost always catch something out there.  There is an area of undulating bottom surface there that tends to hold smaller stripers.  So funny how one day they are really active there and the next day they are completely gone. 

One time I caught three or four in about 20 minutes with a Rat L Trap - pretty fun on lightweight spinning gear!  They were pretty active tho - I saw one jump near me, so I cast in that direction, and I got hit right away.  This continued for a little bit, and then stopped. 

That was the only time I've ever caught stripers on any artificial lure.  I've tried a couple different color Rat L Traps, swimbaits, jigs, bucktails, bass setups like jig heads and spinners, you name it, nothing.  Tried throwing into the weeds, into the flats, at beaches, into deep holes, dropping into a school on the FF, nada.  Maybe I just don't have the touch, haha.