Larkspur Stripers

Beautiful day on the bay today.  Met up with Chuck, Joe, Joel, Henry, Jim, Steve, and about 3 or 4 other kayakers today, most heading out of the windsurfer launch off of Sir Francis Drake in San Rafael.  Headed around the San Quentin point for nada, then under the SR/Richmond bridge by the rod and gun club also for nada.  

Joel kept yelling for Scott Peterson to show his face, but all we heard was the murmur of the inmates in the exercise yard -- glad to be on the outside of that wall!!

Pretty slow for all, so I headed up to find Chuck and Joe towards the Larkspur landing.  Paydirt!!

Witnessed my first striper bust between the freeway and drawbridge.  I had tossed out a 1/4oz hair raiser close to the bridge and hooked up when all across the bridge there was bait flying and stripers a-crashing.  Yelled for Chuck and Joe, and the action was on.  One barely legal striper, but had lots of small fighters.  Joe should enjoy his dinner night.

Larkspur ferry and San Quentin...


Joe and Joel with Mt. Tamalpais in the background...


My barely legal keeper (eventually freed)...


Water was amazingly calm, no wind, and enough action to keep your heart pumping.  Great day.

-- Dave

was good to see such a crew out there- even if the action was slow.  My bro and his GF got a half dozen or so, and my buddy warren- from whom I'm usually bumming boat rides- got another 6 or 8.  Seemed like the action started to turn on right when we were coming off the water about 2:30 (you called it Chuck)


SteveS

Excellent company, perfect weather, and fish too.  What more could one ask for?

Well.... actually, SteveS and I hoped for a better.  We've been so spoiled lately, anything less than 20 stripers a day per person is considered slow for us.

With the bright moon light last night and low tide for our early launch, I knew it was less than optimum..... but I knew we'd still get into fish.  We would just need to try a little harder.  We found them in the usual spots -- at the draw bridge and along the Corte Madera Creek channel.  They were hitting 1/4 to 1/2 ounce white hair raisers.  We discovered that the bite was best when the current was moving.  At slack tide the bite died off.

As usual.... "beginners luck" prevails!!!  This was Joe SkyBoy's first bay striper outing and his first fish of the day was a 22" fattie  -- which turned out to be the biggest fish of the day.

SteveS.... I'm so glad your brother, his girl friend, and Warren all got into fish.  I bet it made your day and theirs too!

Dave/Larkspur kayaker fishers,

Your report was carbon copy - a decent paddle from the Wind Surf launch to the Pilings of the Gun club and back for Zip. Not a strike.

Within 100 yards of the wind surf launch picked up 5 to about 3lbs, ended at the noon high tide.  Lots of fun to be out with you guys and to have met a few more people to link to the names of the board (Joel Mark, etc.)

Fishing in the fall - I guess this why we all tolerate the cost of living ?  

Jim

It was a great day, great company. I had a blast. Good to meet some of the other seasoned fisherman of this forum. I see now I have to do a little more shopping for more lures and a new box labeled stripers. Joel took some pics I am sure he will post later. I think I am hooked. Any ideas for getting more WAF than I deserve????

Dave on an early morning troll.....with San Quentin on the background..


birds of the same feather.... flock together....


likewise with kayak fishermen....


a message from the mooch to Scott Peterson and his fellow inmates of San Quentin...


you can actually hear the inmates at this distance......


Dave with one of his catches...


Henry doing a fine job catching and releasing his share of stripers...


this was my one and only striper of the day....


Joe with his very first striper! Job well done!

ooops....that was my post above....forgot to log in....

here's some more pics...

Chuck with a keeper......



Steve's brother and his girlfriend with a nice catch....


Steve / SteveS with a common schoolie....


ChuckE and Joe/Skyboy with a fine display of keepers...

Joel, those birds look like a sandpiper of sorts. Not sure what kind.

Good job you guys. I wish I could be fishing right now but it is not in the cards for me.  I will just live vicariously through your great pics.
Jason

Good meeting you guys out there. I ended up with one schoolie and a couple other hits on the Chartreuse rattle trap. I guess I should have launched from the windsurfer beach. Glad you finally found them Dave. You were definitely covering a lot of water.

Marc Mc
Blue T120

You were definitely covering a lot of water.

I agree - Dave CAN paddle....

Dave, next time you go out - record your miles with your GPS. I'm curious to see how much paddling you do on a typical troll for stripers.

Jim - it was nice meeting you on the other side of the bridge. Too bad the fish were not in that area - but it looked really fishy  

Marc - were you the guy fly fishing?

Mooch,
I had the flyrod with me in my crate but was trolling with my spinning rod  for the most part.  I figure, if I find them going crazy, I will grab the flyrod, but gotta find them first.

I think we met at about 11ish as you came back from the bridge area.

This is my first season in salt on my kayak and I gotta say....I haven't met a kayaker yet that wasn't super friendly. That's pretty cool. Everyone is willing to stop and say howdy. Can't say the same for the PBr's. Heck, I think we have a lot more fun. Everyone who passed me on the kayak was all smiles....the PB'rs looked downright bored.

Next time, I will find the school.
Marc

more pics...

Here's Dave...
I was planning on sticking a note on his back saying "SCOTT PETERSON RESCUE SQUAD" and was hoping that the watch tower guards would see it   ...but since I like Dave...I changed my mind  




I shoulda stuck the note on this party boat instead  

What beautiful pictures.  It's great to live someplace that always has something to offer.....including hedge trimming......
I think next Sunday will be lots fishier than this Sunday was.

Pat....who DID savor Randy's first Striper from Saturday

i am glad you enjoyed randy's striper pat. it took a lot of work to find that fish on sat. it is very unusual to catch so few stripers at this time of the year. this is based on my observations from 1995 to present, before that my catches were too sporadic to draw conclsions from.