Winter Stripers in the Bay! (Non-yak)

I haven't really been fishing much often. It's been months since I was last out. To be honest, I don't fish much as I used to because I put all of my focus in my career and academia. However, it's nice to know where to go to for some guaranteed stripers at a place that produces year round, so that whenever I can make it out, I won't waste my time getting skunked. Optimization is key to catching fish consistently. Get all the variables in your favor and you will catch fish on command even if you can't put a lot of time on the water. If you know how to optimize your fishing strategy well, you will never get skunked should you decide to.

11/23: Drove up to the north bay area with Kevin to meet my other friend Peter to go for some stripers from the bank. It ended up being slow that day. Not the red hot action I experienced this past February. I got a keeper at 22" and 2 shakers and missed a bite. My friend Peter caught 3 shakers, and Kevin caught one shaker and missed one. Pictured below is the keeper I caught that day:



11/29: I was soooo glad to have the day after Thanksgiving off from work. This time it was just me and Peter, and we decided to drift live mudsuckers from his small boat. We were expecting much faster action on the boat, but it was unfortunately a bit slow on this day too. I caught one 24incher on the boat and got one shaker and missed a good amount of nibbles. My friend Peter caught a 19incher. After I got on the shore, my friend said he was going to park up his boat and be back in "10 minutes", so I decided to fish while waiting for him. I missed a big bite from shore. I cast it out again and decided to go back to my car to get something and by the time I came back, my rod was bent over and a fish was ripping the drag. I ran down and proceeded to fight the fish and landed it. Turned out to be 25". Here's the pic from this day:



Rod/reel: Cheapo $20 dollar Daiwa spinning rod and reel combo (DSH25-2B/F662M), 9' MH Berkeley Buzz Ramsey Salmon/steelhead spinning rod with an Abu Garcia Cardinal SX 30, and my friends used Ugly Sticks.

Line: 30-40lb braid, Peter used mono.

Hooks: 2/0 Gamakatsu circle, 2/0 Owner circle, 2/0 Laser Sharp EC Octopus hooks

Bait/lures: All fish were caught on live mudsuckers. Tried Rat-L-Traps and hair raisers but had no luck on them.

Rigs: Sliding sinker rigs from shore, and weightless drifting from the boat.

Location: North Bay

Conditions: Clear, low wind

Quote from a former ex-member: "You do what they do, you'll get what they get. YOU do what YOU do, YOU'll get what YOU get."

Great report Pond King. It's nice to have your own spots. Get back out there and hammer them stripers!

Ariel

Thanks for the report Jonathan....  Nice gear you received from your uncle!  Was wondering if you are actually doing any kayaking in those areas you are fishing...

Great report Pond King. It's nice to have your own spots. Get back out there and hammer them stripers!

Ariel

Thank you, Ariel!! 

Thanks for the report Jonathan....  Nice gear you received from your uncle!  Was wondering if you are actually doing any kayaking in those areas you are fishing...

Robert,

I either fish from shore or boat at that spot. Fishing off the boat is convenient and you can cover a lot of water easily; Thus, you can catch a lot more fish. However, I done just as good if not better on many days from shore... just gotta go for a long walk to get to the spot although the area near the parking lot also produces.

Trust me, I really want a kayak like nobody's business. Almost pulled the trigger many-a-times but somehow didn't. I have the money to buy one, but I'm saving every penny for a down payment to buy a condo/townhouse/house or use it to invest in starting my own business. Saving money takes a lot discipline ugh.. Well, I guess it's not that big of a deal since my friends offer me rides on their boats.

Great looking fish! I love that quote at the bottom of your post.  Words more people should adhere to.

Thanks for the multi-day fishing reports and pictures Jonathan.

Hey any updates on the current stripper bite in the North Bay?