2008/2009 Photo Gallery

Cesar brought his friend, Guillermo from Argentina. Guillermo was a guide in Patagonia for many years. Striper fishing was new to him but he still managed this six pounder. December 7.

Speaking of Largemouth, here's another one caught by John Van Dyke on December 5th. The water was even colder and the fish were not on that day but that didn't stop this four pounder from trying to eat John's clouser.

Cesar Escudero with a seven pounder caught on December 7. The water temperatures had dropped to 49 degrees by this time but the fish still responded. They could stand the cold weather better than the anglers. This one pulled hard.

Lance Nishimura with an eight pound striper caught in shallow water in Frank's Tract on December 4. Note the difference in the weather from the morning when Lance's partner, Maury caught his fish topwater.

Lance also stuck this nice largemouth. The fish was taken on a small clouser, close to the tulles. The largemouth have really been active this winter, even with the COLD water.

Dave Earl with a five pounder caught on a VERY foggy day, December 1. This was by far the foggiest day I've ever seen on the delta. If you look at the way Dave was dressed you can tell it was COLD as well.

Maury Hatch with a little three pounder. Maury was playing around with new intermediate line and a bubble fly, fishing it just over the weed tops and this fish smashed it. He stuck a few more the same way. December 4, 2008

Dick Johnson with a medium sized striper caught on the San  Joaquin on November 20th. Dick caught a lot of fish that day but this was the biggest we could find.

Not to be outdone, Lionel Valley, Dick's fishing partner caught  a cookie cutter fish just like Dick's. Actually Dick's was a little bigger but don't tell Lionel. Like Dick, Lionel caught a bunch of fish but this was the biggest we could find.

J. B. Walker caught this ten pound plus fish about two in the afternoon on November 14. J.B brought three friends with him and then outfished them all. Or should I say, he "schooled" them in the art of striper fishing! I'm helping you rub it in JB!

Peter Schweikhardt with a five pounder picked up late in the day on November 16. This was the biggest fish of the day for Peter and his friend Jerry but even so, their rods were bent double much of the time with some fish almost as big. Good goin' Peter!

Dave Allred's ten pound striper caught November 12 on the San Joaquin. This strong fish put Dave's 10 weight to the test and took him into his backing.

Allan stuck this striper a little later on the same day, November 13. The fish must  be a hybrid between a striper, yellowtail and barracuda. We were afraid to release it back into the delta but even more afraid to keep it on the boat!**

John Russell with a 5 (and three quarter) pound striper caught November 7. This was John's first big striper. He was impressed at how hard this fish could pull.

Allan Craig with a five pounder caught on the morning of November 13, Allan's eight weight got a work out from this spunky fish and since it was the first fish of the day, gave Dave his partner, a mark to beat!

Sturmer with a nine pounder caught on November 1st, Striperfest day. Sturmer stuck five more fish, two almost as big as this one, and two others above five pounds. This fish took off like a streak. As I said on Kiene's board, the guy's a fish magnet!

Jim Lawson with a nice six pounder caught in a light rain on Monday, November 3rd. In addition to three stripers, Jim caught a couple of crappie and his partner caught a catfish. Jim was amazed at how hard even a medium sized striper can pull.

Sturmer White with this nice 14 pounder caught top-water in the fog on October 26. The fish hit a white gurgler and did not stop till it was well into the backing. What a great way to start the day.

Mike Koury with a five pounder caught early morning, October 27, 2008. Birds were diving everywhere and fish boiling but they were as selective as trout taking size 16 PMD's. Unless it was gray over white and small, they were not interested.

Mike Howes with an eight pounder stuck about 3:00PM near Frank's Tract on October 22, 2008. Mike was impressed at how hard an eight pound striper can pull.

Rex White with a four pounder caught October 26. These fish were dug in on the bottom of the slough and would only grab with a long count down and slow strip.

Sturmer with a 10 pounder picked up near Frank's Tract. Sturmer broke off a bigger one and LDRed two more large fish. Even so, it was a good fishing day! October 21, 2008

Bill Ossolinski with an eight pounder caught on the same outing with Sturmer White on the 21st of October. Bill also stuck some bigger fish but this was the only one that ended up in the boat.

Sturmer White with a seven pounder caught on the San Joaquin. Sturmer landed this fish after loosing a much bigger fish that came unbuttoned at the boat. October 6, 2008.

Gene Goss stuck this fat five pound LMB while fishing for stripers with Sturmer. Gene was using a ten weight. Even so, this scrappy fish put a good bend in the rod. Caught on False River, October 6, 2008

Keith Shein with an eight pound striper. This hot fish took Keith into his backing. Caught in the west Delta on September 28, 2008.

John Ryzanych with a nice five pound bass caught while striper fishing in the west Delta, October 2, 2008

John Rogers with his first largemouth on a fly, July 29th. The fish inhaled a popper very close to the boat and John had to strip quickly to catch up to the fish. John recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq and was treated to the day on the water by his friend, David Lee. Go Navy!!! Hoorah!!!

I picked this six pound plus fish up myself on August 12, fishing early in the morning. The fish hit a foam head diver right at the weed line after a long pause. It buried itself deep in weeds and I had to drive over to it and lift it straight up. I kissed it good bye and then gave Arnold's warning, "I'll be back!"

Ron Ellis, (Mike Howes' son-in-law) with a three pound bass caught on a Sunday morning, July 27. The fish were definitely on this morning and both fishers caught about a dozen before the late morning sun shut things down.

Jim Lawson with his biggest fish of the evening, a three pounder, July 28th. Jim fished hard in a strong wind to bring about seven fish to the boat. He did a great job casting and it certainly paid off.

Bob Morton, 96 years old, of the Granite Bay Fly Fishers with the smaller of two bass caught on July 25th on poppers. Even though Bob did not start fly fishing until he was forty, he's still been fly fishing for over fifty years!!!

Mike Howes with a medium sized bass who thought itself much bigger. I don't think a full grown alligator could have hit the popper with more gusto. Mike was Bob's partner on July 25th. It was a tough day's fishing but Mike still put half a dozen in the boat.

Bill DeWalt with a healthy 2 and a half pounder caught on July 24th. This fish gave a good accounting of itself even though it wasn't in the record class.

State of California Boating and Waterways water hyacinth patrol. How these guys and girls can operate this craft all day long with the huge amount of propeller noise is beyond me! The guy on the front mans the spray gun.

Mike "Stripermike" McKenzie with a feisty five pounder caught about nine o'clock in the evening,  July 18th. Mike stuck the fish on one of his  divers. It gave the Sage LMB outfit a workout.

Mike's five pounder makes my little three pounder look puny. Then again, we didn't weigh Mike's fish so maybe it was a six pounder and then my three pounder isn't such a shrimp. The fish took a foam popper with enthusiasm.  I caught the rascal on July 22.

Mike Howes with a nice LMB caught in a roaring wind, July 14, 2008. Mike caught over a dozen fish in less than perfect conditions, some on his secret weapon, a "Black Lizard." The fish weren't kind to the lizard however and shredded two of them. The rocks "ate" another two.

Mike's friend, Frank Headley, pulled this spunky fish out of heavy cover, again on July 14. This was one of a number of fish that Frank had to drag out by dropping his rod tip and pulling the fish out, strip by strip. The fish still has a green beard and that's after Frank cleaned off a bunch of of other growth. Frank's casting greatly improved over the day, thanks to the "coaching" of the delta "breeze."

Here's a bass picked up on Friday, July 11. It's about three and a half pounds. The seat is the coolest place to lay the fish on hot days since, with the bimini up, it's probably no hotter than 80 degrees.

This is a Sacramento Pike Minnow. It is the largest fish in the minnow family and native to the delta. This specimen was 26 inches long. The fish took a yellow popper on the first strip right next to the rocks. Pike Minnows put up a good but short fight. I picked up this fish on July 11th on Middle River.

An old friend, Andy Penn, with a nice  3.5 lb. LMB caught on July 8th just before sunset. This fish sucked the big foam popper like a rainbow sucking in a helpless mayfly!

I picked up this five pound fish on July 7th, one of a dozen fish landed in three hours. I missed another six. Fishing had been outstanding the entire week with a dozen fish or more landed each night. Nothing was less than two pounds.