Mothers Day stripers

  Snuck out for the last of the incoming and most of the outgoing.  Launched from the vallejo ramp and went up river on the troll for no love.  Threw the anchor along the bank and ducked under the wind.  Threw some chovie chunks and managed 5 juniors and 1 nice 15 or so pounder!  Caught on light duty spinning rod with 12 pound test.  Thought it was a small sturgeon for a minute and almost abandoned anchor but stuck it out and brought her to the yak.  Took 3 pics and off she went!  Nice striper for this time of year!

pic 2

pic 3

Nice job on a very clean looking striper! Pretty fish.


-Eliot

That is one healthy Striper! Thanks for the report and pictures.

Very nice Zinful1. Congrats on the striper. Nice perfect stripes on the
fish too.

Jedmo

 whats the story on the stripes?  I had a guy tell me the other day that the ones that have perfect stripes like that are "natural" fish versus "hatchery" fish, but I have never heard of a striper hatchery and there is no such thing as a native striper here in the bay, so that is a bit confusing! 

Boy that makes me miss fishing for Stripers on the east coast.
Way to go.

  would love to go to the east coast for some of those giants stripers, certainly easier then going back in time when our bay was full of them! 

There are farm raised stripers, but I do not believe any hatchery fish are being released into the bay.

If I am not mistaken, the ones that they released were pen raised wild fish salvage from pump screens.  Some time ago, you can have a striper named after you if you donate $.  It was an on and off and on again kind of a program.  They even release some of the fish in lakes.  Don't know if they still have that program for the bay as it was controversial because some blame the decline of salmon and delta smelt on stripers.

Some East Coast fishers say they can tell where stripers are from by the stripes.  Read somewhere that SF Bay stripers came from the Navesink and the Shrewbury rivers in NJ.  Original plantings were less than 500 fish total.

East Coast stripers seem to be far ranging.  I have seen em being caught in front of the Jefferson Memorial to the boondocks of Maine.

About 12 years ago I went to an Aquaculture conference where a couple farmers complained they had really been hurt because the (DFG??) was no longer buying striped bass. It wasn't my area of interest so I didn't pay much attention. I just assumed there had been a planting program at the time.

I was also approached by another farmer last spring wanting to know if I wanted to buy striped bass fingerlings, so they are being cultured by some folks.

Ben

congrats on the striper! always fun ctchin a big strper

pretty sure i saw you anchored from the bridge. I went over the hwy 37 bridge and saw a tan kayak anchored off the slough opening. Where do you launch for there? I honked a few times in a white van.

 Nice, that was me!  I launched from the Vallejo city boat ramp near the end of the river.  A very interesting crowd to hang out with down there.  Once in the river I ride the tide up and fish unti it turns and then ride it back whenever I am ready.  I have had a few long days on the yak out there but it has been a blast.  Even in a fierce wind you can tuck in behind a bank.  I throw my anchor up on the bank and tangle it up nicely so I am held firmly then the tide tucks me up against it.  Just have to watch for big rollers in case a ship comes through, so far no problems.  I can't wait for the fall run of the big ones!