Delta Sat 6.15.09

Spent some time with the family at my aunt's river house.  trolled around for nada, though I marked quite a few fish in the tailout of these structures called a "wing dam"  Just couldn't get anything to bite.  My uncle accompanied me on the jet ski, got bored and took a quick nap.  Back at the dock, the kids nailed a few on chunk bait.  We foil baked on the stripers that he caught.  It was not big at all, and easily the worst eating fish i've had in a long time.  I mean, it tasted like a muddy sock with about the same texture, and super mushy.  I hope they aren't all like that, dayum waste.

Mmmmm good eating delta fish! At least you got some H2O time!

I know what you mean. Last time I ate delta striper I was not impressed with the taste at all. Even though it was a legal 18" young fish. Last week my buddy gave me some nice fillet pieces from a 20 lb ocean caught striper, talk about a night and day difference, it was delicious! Very good flavor, I was pretty surprised

Thanks for the report.  I prefer eating a Delta Pi over a Delta Bass.

Thanks for the report.  I prefer eating a Delta Pi over a Delta Bass.

  you crazy!

yakuza, NO, they do not all taste like that. Stripers are actually very good eating fish - that one probably just spent too much time in (the wrong parts of?) the delta . . .

Stripers are actually very good eating fish - that one probably just spent too much time in (the wrong parts of?) the delta . . .

you probably right.  I can't believe that they would be targeted as table fare if they all tasted like this. 

it tasted like a muddy sock with about the same texture, and super mushy.  

they say a picture is worth a thousand words but that description actually left a bad taste in my mouth!

Thanks for the report and pictures. Hope that next Striper you eat from the Delta taste better 

I typically keep one ~20" striper per season, usually in late Nov or Dec after the water temp has cooled a bunch. I think (& my wife "the fish gourmet" agrees) that fresh striper just can't be beat. Maybe if the population ever rebounds I'll think about keeping more. We both love rockfish too & eat a lot more of those, but I think a good striper is better. I've also tried a couple black bass from the delta but I don't think they are as good as striper or rockfish.

I also recall years ago keeping one that we caught in the Feather in the middle of summer, and it too was totally delicious.

My favorite: fresh out of the water dolly varden. The photo is the entree for streamside lunch at a remote river in AK last summer.
Bill

trying to get that photo again...

  I fish the delta a lot n im very fortunate i didn't run into a striper that tasted tat awful if i did i would give up on stripers completely haha lol