Recommended Skills and Equipment

Striped Bass

Fishing Skills - To have a successful day on the water you should be able to cast a nine weight rod with a sinking line and heavy fly a minimum of 50 feet.  Once the fly strikes the water, you will usually "count down" to allow the fly and line to sink and then strip in to within six to eight feet of the rod tip.

Rod - The almost universal choice for stripers is a  an eight or a nine weight rod. Of course, a ten weight will do if you don't own a nine weight and will make little difference as to fishing pleasure or productivity. I prefer a nine foot medium fast taper rod, again, to handle the heavy loads and for maximum distance. Longer rods tend to have a softer tip, something not needed when fishing for stripers and stiffer rods tend to tire the angler with a day's casting.

Reel - Any reel with a good drag and capable of holding your line and at least 100 yards of backing. Stripers are NOT bonefish and don't make long lightning runs. Instead they'll run for some distance and then turn into bulldogs, fighting all the way to the boat. Although I've caught many stripers on Pflugers with no real drag, a good drag system will allow you to fight a big fish much more comfortably.

Line - For years the "standard" set up for striper fishing was 30 feet of Cortland lead core, 13 grains to the foot, (LC13) nail knotted to 100 yards of 30 pound Amnesia. In fact, that's what I used until just recently. However many line manufacturers now make one piece lines with a balanced shooting portion followed by another 60 feet of neutral density running line. Popular lines of this type are the Rio Outbound T-14 Custom Tip, the Rio Striper DC 26 in 300 to 400 grains, and the SA T-14 Custom Tip. If possible try the line on your rod before buying. 

Leader - The waters of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta are not crystal clear and visibility rarely extends beyond four feet. Tapered leaders are not necessary. The heavy fly will turn the leader over by itself. Six feet of Maxima Ultragreen or the new Maxima fluorocarbon 20 pound test is more than adequate. 

Flies - My all time favorites are Clouser minnows and Puglisi style bluegill patterns in sizes 1/0 to 4/0 and colors of chartreuse, pink, red and black. Other flies include my giant flashtail woolly bugger and the Dan Blanton series of Whistlers, Sar-mul-macs and Fatal Attractions in the same colors and sizes. Most of the time stripers are not picky and any good, proven pattern will work.

Largemouth Bass

Fishing Skills - Largemouth bass, AKA Delta Rats, are really the garbage collectors of the delta. They are much less sensitive to surface noises and can be fished to much closer than stripers. Largemouth love cover and frequently hang out up against the delta rip-wrap, shore junk, tulles, and weed beds. Casts farther than 30 feet are rarely necessary. Presentations are made with either ripping fast retrieves or slow pulsing retrieves with lots of pauses. Surface presentations with gurglers and hair poppers are made with short strips and rests.

Rods - A nine foot, seven weight medium fast taper rod is the perfect bass rod. Bass flies are frequently big and bulky and while not heavy, push a lot of air. The medium fast taper rod handles flies like these well.  

Reels - You'll probably end up stripping in most of the fish you hook. Not that bass don't fight, they're great. It's just that you can't afford to give them any line if at all possible. If you do, they'll bury themselves in the weeds, around cover, in tulles, anything to wrap you up. You just won't have the time to put that fish on the reel. Of course, a good reel with a good drag would only add to the day's fishing pleasure but a Pfluger will do just fine.

Line - A floating line, usually two weights higher than your rod in either a bug taper or a weight forward taper. If you have second rod, rig it with a Type II or III sink-tip line to work woolly buggers and streamers just over the weed beds.

Leader - Six feet of 20 pound Maxima, no more, no less, no taper. 'nuff said!

Flies - Bring the junk box! Hair poppers, hard bodied poppers, gurglers,  flashtail woolly buggers, bunny leeches, marabou leeches, frog patterns, crayfish patterns, mouse patterns. If yours won't get them interested, maybe mine will. Hot colors are usually chartreuse, olive, red, black, purple and root beer (ginger to you trout types). Lots of sparkle. Tying weedless helps.

Clothing, Rain Gear and California Fishing License

Clothing, hat, protective glasses - The delta can be 45 degrees in the morning and warm to over 90 in four hours. Wear layers and be ready to peel. Don't forget some fingerless gloves if it's going to be cold at the start of the day. I'm especially conscious of the shoes I wear and always wear soft soles (sneakers, tennies). Although the hull of the "No Nonsense" is foam filled and extremely quiet in the water, I strongly believe that fish and especially stripers are spooked by boat noise and move away. If I sometimes remind you to move around the boat quietly, it's only because I want to maximize your catch. A billed hat and polarized sun glasses should finish out your outfit. The hat to protect your head from the sun and the glasses to actually, on occasion, watch fish follow your fly. Equally important, the hat and glasses protect your head and eyes from weighted flies and sharp hooks.

Rain Gear - Rain is a lot harder on fishermen than fish! If it's pouring or predicted to do so, let's just cancel and reschedule. However, if only a light rain is predicted for a portion of a day, that's not a reason to pass up what could be a great fishing day. Some of my best days have been those with showers mixed with big holes in the clouds. It seemed that every time the sun shown, a fish grabbed my fly. The "No Nonsense" is equipped with an 8 foot by 8 foot bimini and if it looks like we'll need it, I'll bring it along. It stows down neatly out of the way when not in use.

California Fishing License - You will be required to show your valid California fishing license before we leave the dock. In addition, you must also have the appropriate Delta Enhancement Stamp. California has no reciprocal fishing agreements with other states. Out of state anglers are required to have a visitor's California license with the proper endorsements. Anglers 15 years and younger are not required to possess a fishing license.