Striped Bass are highly prized game fish that inhabit the San Francisco Bay and its connecting waterways including the California Delta. Introduced here from the east coast in the late 1800s, they quickly adapted to the region mulitipllying to become a popular game fish. Stripers spend summers in the bays but migrate into the Delta and up the Sacramento River during late fall and early winter holding there until they spawn in the spring.
In the fall, striper fishing action in the Delta is unparallelled. The fish can form large schools to corner and feed on shad. While some pursue them with baitfishing or trolling, I generally throw topwater plugs, swimbaits, and crankbaits. Once I find a feeding school, throwing topwater plugs will produce vicious strikes and numerous hookups. Although some upwards of 40 lbs are caught each year, generally the fish run up to 15 lbs. Stripers are very good for eating; the limit is 2 per angler per day over 18 inches.
I guide trips for striped bass when they run, which is generally from mid-September through mid-December.
