Afternoon Delight

This afternoon I took Scott and Byrd out for a quick striper trip before heading down river for an all night sturgeon adventure. We launched at Tisdale and headed down to where I had left off this morning. It didn't take long for the guys to hookup! Again pass after pass we caught nice fish and within an hour they had their limit in the box and we headed for the sturgeon fishing grounds. We graphed several holes on our way down stream and finally marked some sturgeon at Horseshoe bend, so we set up on them and started the waiting game. We watched the sturgeon roll all night long but they never bit! We had some line rubs but that was it. We fished thru the night and headed in around 7:00 AM. 

All you want! (AM Trip)

This morning I had Mark and Owen on the boat. We launched at Tisdale and headed down stream a couple miles and started fishing. Within minutes of putting our lines in the water Owen was hooked up! Drift after drift we caught fish! We had multiple doubles and even a couple triples this morning. The box was full by 9:30 and in all reality we could have been done on our first drift. We landed 25+ keeper stripers before calling it quits!

Back on the water

Another great day on the water! We caught a bunch of shakers, a bunch of keepers and even helped Manny and Ed land a nice keeper sturgeon. The bite is on and now is the time!

Combo on the Sacramento

We hit the Sacramento River today armed with a flat of pile worms! We launched at Ward's Landing and headed south. I settled in on a corner that I've fished for years and knew would produce! It didn't take long for poles to start bending and fish to hit the box! We ended up catching 20 or so keeper stripers and a keeper sturgeon for the box! A great day on the water, and you cant beat a good bait bite! 

Back on the hunt for sturgeon!

Regina and the kids love to sturgeon fish as well so we decided to head out and do some scouting! We launched the boat, ran up stream and got anchored. We had baits in the water and patiently waited as we watched several fish roll behind and beside the boat. Early on we had some line rubs and a few bites that may have been sturgeon but it was fairly quiet. I fished hard until 2:00 AM, before putting on fresh EEL, setting the clickers and going under the top to lay down for awhile. At 4:00 AM the clicker sounded and Regina woke me from the dead with the words I always like to hear, FISH ON! I quickly scrambled for the rod, set the hook, and the fight began. The fish immediately jumped right behind the boat and I could tell it was a keeper! She hustled out to grab the rod but as quickly as it was FISH ON, it was FISH OFF, dammit! The fish jumped 3 or 4 times right behind the boat and on the last jump threw the hook! Oh well, that's just how it goes some times in the world of sturgeon fishing! We all had fun and Regina bagged herself a catfish, not what we were after but damn sure better then nothing.      

Sturg On!!!

My favorite fishing to do has always been sturgeon fishing! I don't know if it's the pure relaxation I get while fishing for them or the chance of catching a fish that could be as big as 10-12 feet long! Either way I love it and am always excited to get out on the water with clients and show them the ropes!

This afternoon I met up with Brett and Gina and we headed out in search of a river monster! On my way up stream I checked several holes and finally found one that was holding fish and threw the anchor. We quickly got the rods baited up and into the water. As we waited we had several fish roll down stream of us and I knew sooner or later one would snap! It didn't take long and one of the rods went down and the fight was on! Brett grabbed the rod and I cranked in the others and then tossed the float so we could go with the fish. It was pulling hard but Brett stayed after it and after an epic battle we had the monster beside the boat. I took a quick measurement but couldn't be exact so I netted the fish and we brought it into the boat! A quick tape job revealed a 68 inch fork measurement. The fish was too big to keep so we snapped a quick picture, and got the fish back in the water and spent 15 minutes or so reviving the fish until it swam out of my hands to fight another day! I was on cloud 9 and Brett's arms were on fire!!

We quickly got back to the anchor and got some fresh bait in the water with hopes of catching another. At 9:00 the rod doubled over and it was fish on again. As Brett fought the fish I got all the rods out of the way and readied the net. The fish was fighting good but acted as if it was possibly a smaller, keeper sized fish so we waited patiently to see what he had a hold of. As soon as the fish showed its self it was apparent that we would not need the net as the fish was way too big to keep! When the fish saw the light coming from the lantern it took off like a bat out of hell and even jumped a few times, it was awesome! Brett finally won the battle and we threw a tape on the fish real quick as it lay beside the boat, 84 inches, a true river monster. The fish was quickly un hooked and set free to do it's thing.

While the rest of the night was un eventful we did have some more bites and swung on a few fish that we should of had! All in all it was a great night on the water and I can't wait to get back out there!               

Boat Upgrades!

My old Lowrance finally gave up after 10 years and it was time to move into the new era of fish finders! Today I had a new Lowrance HDS 9 touch installed on the boat and can't wait to get it on the water and start learning how to make it work right! I also installed a custom built lantern holder so that I quit knocking the lantern over and breaking the glass every other trip! Now we just need to get on the water and start chasing dinosaurs!

School Visit

One of the teachers from Brittain Elementary school always asks me to come in and talk to her students about my line of work. It's something different to them and it never hurts to try and get kids involved in the outdoors! Today I went in and talked to a room full of 3RD graders, explained the hunting and fishing side of the business as well as the conservation end of it. It's pretty neat to see their eyes light up when I talk about certain things and the questions that follow are great! If you have the chance always make sure to try and involve any kid in the outdoors. They are the life line of our beloved sport!

Sturgeon Time

The river is looking good and the boat is dialed in and ready for action!! I got the top on this afternoon and figured it was time for a recon mission! A quick call to our local bait shops confirmed that no pile worms or ghost shrimp were available, so eel, sardine, and nightcrawlers would have to do! I launched out of Tisdale and headed south until I marked a few fish. We set up above the fish and the waiting game started and lasted thru the night! We had sveral fish roll around the boat but nothing that took the bait. Either way it was a nice night on the river and I was happy to be back out there!

Not many ducks but the geese were flying.

Not sure what happened to the ducks today but the geese were around and we did our best to fill the straps with them!

Nothing but sprig

The sprig cooperated today in the rice but that was about it. Hopefully tomorrows weather will get them stirred up!

Sharks in the bay!

I've always wanted to catch a shark and finally decided to give it a go! A quick call to my buddy Jay Lopes of Righthook Sport Fishing and we were set to hit the bay for some shark action. We met at the Berkley Marina at 6:00 AM and after a short boat ride we dropped the hook and got the rods in the water! It didn't take long for the action to start and after a few swing and misses we were hooked up! The action was non-stop the entire trip! We caught leopard and seven gill sharks all day long! The shark fishing reminds me so much of sturgeon fishing, except the action is non-stop!! I can guarantee you that I will be back after the sharks again soon. We all had a blast and kept a few to eat, and the meat is excellent! If you are interested in getting out for a shark bite you can reach Jay at (916)417-5670, it will be a trip that you won't soon forget!

    

Schoolie Stripers

Launched at Ward's this morning and headed South working our way down stream dragging minnows. The first couple of spots were un eventful but we started getting into fish just below Lovey's landing and stayed on them all morning. We caught several shakers and a box full of keepers, but other than a couple of wads of fish not a ton of action. We called it quits early and the guys headed home for fish tacos!

Striper's on the worm!

Art, Missy and I hit the water this morning searching for a worm bite and we found some! We launched at Ward's Landing and headed north. At the first stop Missy hooked into a nice 12 pound hen and after a quick photo shoot we set her free and got back to fishing. We were getting bit each pass and from the reports of what was happening down stream I elected to stay put and am glad I did. We ended up keeping 4 nice males and let a few go. Not red hot but we had a lot of fun and they went home with some good eats!~  

Striper time!!

Today was one of those days where you cant go wrong! At each and every stop we made we were getting bit on the minnows! Some missed fish, some lost fish, some shakers, and plenty of keepers!! All of our fish today came on minnows and the guys had a blast ending up with a box full of keepers for the table! It was a pretty wide open bit and the first time that these guys had ever experienced the action that these hard fighting fish can provide. Good times had by all on the water today!

Back on the water, looking for sturgeon!

We headed out again last night sturgeon fishing, I absolutely love it and can't get enough. The thought of never knowing how big the catch will be keeps me going back! We launched around 4:00 and were fishing by 5:00. Our friends Brian and Karlie came up with us so we anchored side by side with enough bait in the water, we were sure to catch something. Around 6:00 the inside rod went down but before I could grab it the fish was gone! We rebaited and by 6:30 it was fish on!! The fish put up a great fight and we were soon slipping a nice 48 inch keeper into the net!

     We landed that one and got back to fishing! We had a few more bites and some line rubs and we patiently waited. Around 1:00 AM the reel started screaming and Brian set the hook! At the hook set the rod stayed down and the line peeled off the reel. It was evident we had a big one and if we were going to land it we would have to float with it. I threw in the buoy and we started drifting with the fish. Every time we gained and inch the fish would take a mile. 40 minutes later the big fish came to the surface and we were able to get a measurement, 84 inches! The fish put up a hell of a fight and we took all of the time necessary to get the big hen revived and with smiles and burning arms watched her swim away to fight another day!  I just can't get enough and look forward to the next trip!

Chasing dinosaurs!

I met up with Joe and Diego in Colusa and after getting bait we headed for the launch. We were on the water by 4:30 and fishing by 5:00! I had just baited all the rods and got them in the holders when the outside rod went down! I set the hook and it was fish on, we cleared all the other lines out of the way and I glanced down at my phone, it was 5:05! The fish was pulling drag and looked like it wasn't going to turn so I threw in the bouy and we floated with the fish. Joe would take line in and as soon as the fish was close it would take off again. This went on for 40 minutes before I finally saw the fish blow bubbles as it made it's way to the surface! As the fish came up it was evident that it was way too big, it taped out at 90 inches from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. We tried to get a good picture of it but just couldn't get a good one so we un-hooked her and spent about 10 minutes reviving her before she swam off! Joe's arms were throbbing and the guys were all smiles!

We got back over to the buoy and got anchored back up and fresh bait in the water. Around 7:30 the rod started to noodle and I grabbed it and set the hook, a swing and a miss! We re-baited and the waiting game ensued. As it goit dark I lit the lantern and the ammount of bugs out was simply amazing. I had to move the lantern to the very back of the boat to keep from swallowing a bug with every breath, it was crazy! By morning we had one hell of a pile of dead ones around the lantern.

   As we continued to wait for another bite we must have dozed off but woke right up when we heard the sound of the clicker! I jumped up and grabbed the rod and passed it to Joe as he came to life! The fish was pulling and jumping trying to shake the hook but he ended up in the net! The fish taped out at 54 inches and Joe was happy to be taking it home! It was another great night on the water and I can't wait to get back out there!

Back on the water!

I met my clients Bruce and Matt at the Tisdale boat ramp and we headed downstream, if it's not broke don't fix it is my motto for sturgeon fishing and as long as there are plenty of fish down stream that's where I'll go. We got down to the hole and floated down thru it looking for fish and it didn't take long to find some! As we floated down I marked 4 on the graph and before we could anchor had seen 3 roll. We got anchored up and within minutes had a good bite and fish on, however, it wasn't a sturgeon, just a little shaker striper. We re baited and the waiting game ensued. Finally at 7:30 the inside rod went down and Bruce set the hook, fish on and this time it was a sturgeon! Bruce fought the fish for 15 minutes before we slipped the nice 43 inch keeper into the net! We got the rods back into the water and were waiting patiently when the inside rod buried again. This time I grabbed the rod and set the hook and handed it to Matt. We got the other lines cleared and Matt went to work on the fish, it was ripping line off the rod as fast as he could get it back on. The fight lasted about 5 minutes before the fish made a hard run towards the bank and jumped right at the shoreline, spitting the hook, fish off! It was an oversized fish by the looks of it but still would have liked to get a closer look. We fished the rest of the night and had a few more bites but nothing to swing on. Another great night on the water and the guys got to take home a great eating fish.

  

Chasing Sturgeon!

After the great trip a few nights ago the sturgeon fever had set in and it was time to get back on the water. Regina was busy so Cade, Quinn, Brian and I headed back out. We again launched at Tisdale and checked out a few holes before we found one that looked promising. We had the rods in the water by dark and around 7:00 PM the outside rod buried but the fish was gone before Brian could grab it. Within minutes the inside rod buried and we were hooked up! We got all the other lines cleared and as I went to hand the rod to Cade the fish came unbuttoned, dammit!! After a few choice words we re baited the hooks and went back to fishing. We fished the rest of the night and had a couple bites but nothing to swing on. At first light we headed upstream to another spot I wanted to try for awhile. We got anchored up and baits in the water, and patiently awaited a bite. We had been sitting there for a half hour or so and had seen 3 sturgeon roll when the outside rod pumped a couple times and buried as the line went towards the middle of the river. I grabbed the rod and set the hook but again it came unbuttoned, I guess it just wasn't meant to be! We fished another hour or so and saw a few more roll before calling it a day.   

Sturgeon Time!

It's sturgeon time! The water had finally stabilized and I was chomping at the bit to get on the water and do some scouting. Cade, Brian and I loaded up the boat and decided to give it a whirl! We launched at Tisdale and headed down stream with high hopes of getting bit and it didn't take long! We had been fishing about an hour when I decided it was time to put on some fresh bait. We rebaited all the hooks and within minutes of them being in the water the rod with the pile worm/eel combo buried, FISH ON! I grabbed the rod and set the hook while Cade and Brian cleared the rest of the lines. With everything out of the way I passed the rod to Brian and he set out to battle in his first ever sturgeon! The fish would scream line off of the reel and then Brian would get it back only to have the fish run again. The battle last for 20 minutes and with burning arms Brian landed his first ever sturgeon!! We took a quick measurement and photo before getting the dinosaur back into the river to fight another day. This fish went 65 inches to the fork and 72 inches to the tip of the tail! We got back on anchor and waited patiently the rest of the night for another hookup but it wasn't meant to be, regardless we were a boat full of happy campers that can't wait to get out and give it another go!