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California’s Exotic Fish Species

March 20, 2014 By JD 4 Comments

Chances are, your favorite California sportfish is probably a foreigner. An outsider. An import. Yep, the fact is the majority of the freshwater fish we enjoy chasing here aren’t native to the state.

Some exotics were experiments, others illegal introductions. People who had moved West and missed fishing for their favorite species brought in many varieties of gamefish from the East Coast or Great Lakes. Others still were moved into California to provide new fishing opportunities or to control baitfish populations.

It’s all pretty interesting stuff, so let’s take a look at some of our most beloved fish and trace their origins.

Largemouth Bass

Per capita, probably the most popular fish in California, largemouth bass didn’t swim in the state’s waters until 1891. According to California Department of Fish & Game records, the initial largemouth were Northern strain fish that originated from Quincy, Illinois and were released into Lake Cuyamaca in San Diego County.

The more popular and larger Florida strain largemouth made their first appearance in 1959 and the rest, as they say is history. Nobody could have imagined 50 years ago what an industry would spring up around those Floridas!Click here to read more…

Filed Under: Exotic Species, Features Tagged With: bluegill, brow trout, california, catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, mackinaw, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass

Stripers on the Fly: The Basics

January 16, 2014 By JD 7 Comments

Fly fishing for striped bassStriped bass are awesome fly rod fish — they respond really well to colorful wads of feathers and glue, they fight hard and often run in large schools. What’s not to love?

If you’ve never tried it, here’s a look at the basics to get you started:

Tackle

Fly fishing and spending big bucks are often synonymous, but one of the great aspects of fishing for stripers with the long rod is you don’t need any particularly fancy gear. A No. 8 or 9 rod is ideal. It needs to have enough backbone to punch a weighted line and big fly into the wind. You’ll also want a reel with a smooth drag — just in case you hook Moby.

JD and striperAs far as lines go, my all-time favorite is Teeny’s Professional Series’ Dan Marini Striper Line, which features a heavy 32-foot head. I’ll run the 525-grain and then cut it back to make it lighter if necessary. It’s the least prone to coiling line I’ve found and also cuts the wind like a champ…all great attributes when fishing stripers – especially on the California Delta where I spend a lot of time.

Rather than run a tapered leader and tippet, I run straight 25-pound fluorocarbon (mono when fishing poppers) and the length depends on what I’m doing but usually 4 to 7 feet of leader is fine.

Flies

In the mornings and evenings, I like to toss poppers and chuggers in the shallows for some heart-stopping surface action. When a big bass decides to take your fly off the top of the water, it’s an explosion of adrenalin that’s highly addictive! Plop…plop…plop…KER-SPLOOSH!!

During the brighter period of the day, the fish don’t respond so well to surface offerings but no worries…they’ll munch a well-presented baitfish imitation all day long, provided that the boat traffic isn’t too extreme. Weighted 2/0 Clouser Minnows are the top getters but a whole host of barbell-eye streamers will work.
Clouser Minnow
As far as colors go, think shiny, silvery baitfish with green or dark backs. However, the old adage about striper patters that goes: “If it does not contain chartreuse, it is of no use…” is a very good rule of thumb to live by. My favorite patterns feature a chartreuse back, white belly and some silver flash in the body.

Technique

I target shallow flats, points, tule banks, pilings, channel edges and rock walls. The fish like different strip patterns every day, so experiment until the fish tell you what they want. I generally start out by letting the fly sink for a second or two (depending on the water depth) and then do a strip-strip…pause…strip-strip-strip…pause type of retrieve. Again, mix it up until you figure out the hot cadence on a given day. Also, keep in mind that the fish may change throughout the day so if you’re formally hot retrieve rate falls flat, try another pattern.

Often fish will bite on the pause, so pay close attention to what you’re doing, as those grabs can be quite subtle. Other times, however, stripers will clobber a fly so hard that it’s all you can do to keep the rod from going in the drink.

Training Wheels

If you are feeling a little insecure or overwhelmed as a beginner, try this: Take some conventional gear with you and toss poppers, swimbaits and cranks until you locate a concentration of fish and then switch over to the fluff chucking gear. Tossing a big fly and a heavy line and then stripping it back all day can wear you out. Rather than give up before you get to experience the rush of a striper on the fly, try this “bait and switch” technique. It can help you get the hang of things early in your career.

Well, I don’t want to overwhelm ya with too much info on the first go-round. Start with these simple tips and get out there and have some fun!
Fly Caught Striper

Filed Under: Fly Fishing, Stripers, Techniques Tagged With: california delta, clouser minnow, fly fishing, Jim teeny, striped bass, stripers

California Fish & Game Commission votes 4-0 against proposed striped bass regulations!

February 2, 2012 By JD 5 Comments

Thanks to the Commission's vote, stripers should remain a viable fishery in California


The California Fish and Game Commission did the right thing and rejected the proposed changes to striped bass regulations that would have reduced the minimum size to 12 inches and increased the bag limit to 6 fish (and as many as 20 in some areas).

To thunderous applause and a near standing-ovation from the throng of 200 plus anglers who packed the meeting, the Commissioners voted 4-0 not to pursue a the proposal. By the way, anglers all over the state need to pass along a hearty thank you to Fish & Game Commission President, Jim Kellogg, who really took a stand for the state’s outdoorsmen on this deal.

The regulations changes had come about not because DFG thought they were warranted, but instead because the Department was sued in 2008 by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta. The Coalition is a group of San Joaquin Valley water districts, who asserted that striped bass are harming native species, including endangered salmon and Delta smelt.

Now, nobody denies that stripers eat fish like salmon smolt, but come on here people…the two species have coexisted since striped bass were introduced to California in the 1850’s. And during many of those years we had excellent salmon…and striped bass runs. This is a political play to divert attention from the fact that record water exports are putting the entire Delta ecosystem in great peril.

It’s pretty clear when you look at the overall trend in Delta species: all of them have been on a sharp decline, which points to the fact that it’s the health of the system…not the striped bass…that’s the culprit here.

In any case, this is good news though I’m sure we’re not out of the woods here yet. Expect more lawsuit to follow. A nice victory in the meantime however!

Filed Under: uncategorized Tagged With: california, fishing regulations, striped bass

One Pan Striped Bass with Asparagus Recipe

April 10, 2011 By JD 5 Comments

Unless you're looking for extra fiber, it's probably best to fillet fish before cooking!


With striper season in full swing, I figured it was time to talk about one of my favorite aspects of these fish — and that’s eating ’em! Stripers have mild, white fillets that are absolutely delicious. In fact, I have a lot of clients tell me that they like ’em better than halibut. I’m not totally sure I’d go that far, but they’re pretty close.

To get some new ideas on how to cook ’em up, I talked to our man, Scott “The Sporting Chef” Leysath, the world’s leading authority on cooking stuff you catch and shoot (and also co-host of the popular TV show Hunt Fish Cook and he suggested his super easy One Pan Striper with Asparagus recipe.

“This one’s quick, easy, colorful and only requires a big skillet or wok and a handful of fresh ingredients,” he says. “When asparagus isn’t in season, substitute any green vegetable like broccoli, sugar snap peas or green beans. Check out your local Asian market for the best price on fresh vegetables!”Click here to read more…

Filed Under: Cooking, Techniques Tagged With: cooking striped bass, scott leysath, striped bass, striper

The battle to rid California of striped bass rages on!

February 11, 2011 By JD 16 Comments

California's Most Wanted

Those of you who thought that the battle to kill all striped bass in California died when State Assembly Member Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield) had her anti-striper legislation kicked to the curb for a second straight year last summer…think again! Water purveyors from the southern portion of the state, along with the National Marine Fisheries Service, are waging a war to get stripers eradicated from our waters.

The flawed logic goes like this: Get rid of the predatory stripers and salmon will come back. But it’s just a diversionary tactic to get us to ignore the fact that the Delta ecosystem is literally falling apart at the seams due to unprecedented water exports and poor water quality. And the funny thing about it all is getting rid of stripers may actually cause worse problems for native fishes in the Delta. Listen to what Dr. Peter Moyle, Professor of Fish Biology at UC Davis and William A. Bennett, UC Davis, Fish Ecologist have to say about it all:

“The key to restoring populations of desirable species is to return the Delta to a more variable, estuarine environment,” they say. “Reducing striped bass and other predator populations is unlikely to make a difference in saving endangered fishes, and will serve only to distract attention from the real problems. Any program to control striped bass should carefully consider the likely consequences. If initiated, it should involve an intensive study effort on the impacts of the program and an adaptive management plan (missing from all current proposals) to make sure the alleged cure is not worse than the supposed disease.” Read more reasons why removing our stripers is a bad idea on the California Water Blog

Filed Under: uncategorized Tagged With: california chinook salmon collapse, california delta, jean fuller, striped bass

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