Help me keep my boat!

[brokenrule2]

OK, they only way I got my boat and have been able to keep it is my wife loves to fish. I don't like fishing I like messing with my wooden boat. Fishing interrupts the work flow...

Any how. Went out today and everyone was out off Benicia. Fish finder found they. Big ones, small ones, schools of then, shallow and deep. Every few minutes the fish would jump out of the water not too far away from the boat. I think one flipped me off. We sat their from before low tide and then through the high - just away from the crowd. She was going to catch one of them.

Nope, nada. On the way back the fish finder went off like crazy. I cut the engines and we dropped the lines on top of them. No luck.

Well it is not good enough for me to lead her to fish she cannot catch... if no catchy, no boaty. Same thing happen in February - fish everywhere but played hard to catch. even with two rod and various bait.

OH - It is not my fault, none of the other boats were catching a thing. I was watching people check bait and sit back down and the fish jumped around them also. Personally that is my type of fishing, that catching and baiting sure cuts in to the messing around and relaxing part.

SO - Would moving to the Delta save me? Can she do better at fishing there? Even catching shakers would be find. It is all catch and release for her.

She is working up the eBay add:

Classic Chris Craft in "almost" perfect condition, looks good, runs good, just can not find the fish.

Thanks in advance!

Mike

P.S. Never keep a can of tuna on the boat... she asked, "why do you had only one can?" "So I can toss it to you before we get back to the dock"... add that question to the "does this make my butt look fat" type of question that you don't want to answer. Hard to out run her on the water.

 

[jtybt15]

Boy you need to give us a lot more info. First of all, were these real fish and what type.

I sure hope these weren't fishfinder fish.

 

[Flutterby]

And what kind of fish? stripers? If so, for the big ones who migrate to the Delta in the fall and out to the bay and sea in the spring, you need to follow the fish. But remember, it is called "fishing", not "catching"! Similarly with salmon......

Now the smaller stripers [shakers] stay in the Delta until they are 7 yrs old and they will often hit on bait even during the summer doldrums. If she is happy to catch shakers, then absolutely take your boat and wife up there and fish away! However, you'll need water that isn't muddy. So late spring, after the rains have subsided, is better.

You might want to consider taking your wife striper fishing in the Delta with a guide for a day so she can learn the in's and out's of Delta striper fishing. Be sure the guide knows her criteria, such as bait fishing only and not concerns about "trophy"-sized fish, etc. It might be a nice gift for her BD, anniversary, or "just because I love you!" That would give you some atta boy points you could use for keeping your boat.....

All of this is from a woman's perspective, BTW. I loved boating and catching; my BF loved fishing... We made it work so that we both had a good time. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[FlyWright]

I agree with Flutterby, a day on the water with a guide who specializes in the style of fishing and the areas you're interested in would be most beneficial and fun. You can learn more in a day with a good guide than you can from a lifetime of mistakes.

For delta bait fishing, Barry Cannevaro is tops and for delta trolling, you can't beat Mark Wilson. They are both top notch and are friends with each other. I've never fished with Barry, although I've spoken to him several times and seen him on many fishing videos. I've fished 5 times with Mark and he has ALWAYS put me on lots of fish...and biguns! They are both nice guys, too.

There are other guides who focus more on the SF bay fishing. Personally, I prefer the six pack boat for more personalized instruction and guidance. The larger party boats can be fun, but you're not likely to get the personal attention that you'd get on a six-pack. Flash Sportfishing is one of the Bay 6 packs.

 

[brokenrule2]

I like the guide idea, never thought of that. We have been out with a co-worker that has fished the area for 30 years and had some good tips and places to go. I talked to him Monday about the trip Sunday and he things the flow just provided too much food into the area and the fish were not interested. In Feb it was just too cold and the lack of fresh water kept the bite down.

She likes to bait fish with shrimp or worms. Sometimes she will put on eel. Lures and moving around is out. Drop anchor and sit with the rod in her hands with a finger on the line - for hours...

As to what type of fish we saw on Sunday... I do not know as the fish finder gives the three sizes and the hits Sunday were all medium size ranging from just off the bottom to half way. That was while anchored in 25'.

When heading in we picked up a lot of medium and large targets on the bottom and just a few small targets 1/3 down in 80 - 100'.

I went out Monday from 11:30 to 12:30 and took a spin around the Al Zampa Bridge while they held a rally on the bridge. While cruising back and forth the fish finder went off like I had never seen it before. The entire screen was covered with small targets at all depths. This lasted for about five minutes when the incoming tide was flowing better than the out going river. Before that I could float in one place and not move for over ten minutes - no wind, no current.

She thinks the jumping fish were sturgeon - long slender and white, not short, fat and silver like a stripper and not dark like a carp.

Any recommendations for covered berths by the good fishing grounds in the Delta - shakers are fine.

Thanks for the info.

Mike

 

[UpperDecker]

Wait until summer when the water gets warmer and catch catfish. Very easy to catch in the Delta and will bite on almost anything. And the way you fish for them suits her perfectly.

I drop the line down and reel it up about six inches off the bottom. I usually don't have to wait too long before I get a nibble. They put up a good fight, but when you land them, be careful of the spines. They like to poke you with them as you struggle to get the hook out of their mouth.

 

[BayAreaBoater]

^^^^^

Yeah, catfish are a blast to catch and you can catch a bunch of them!

If you get "stung" by one, rub its belly on your wound. And then drink a lot of your favorite alcoholic beverage!

Don't worry about their whiskers. It's the tips of their fins that will get you!

If you ever heard the term, "there's more than one way to skin a cat", it is referring to catfish and not a kitty cat!

Enjoy!

 

[Flutterby]

My BF caught tons of cat fish in the summer by casting fresh clam bait near the tules in shallow water. He even would go into the shallow water and get himself a bucket of clams, then fish all day. He was happy as a "clam" ha ha

When the water is running fast after a storm, many of your fish finder "hits" is probably debris getting washed downstream rather then fish.

Stripers often hang out about 12ft off of the bottom feeding along a sloping bank such as where a shallow area starts getting deeper. I guess that is where they find the bait fish. Your type of bait should match what the fish is feeding on. I don't think stripers go for shrimp or worms. I've caught striper on frozen anchovies. Check at the local bait store for what they have and what is working at the time.

Live grass shrimp is good for sturgeon. Worms will work for catfish and large mouth bass maybe.
I don't know that sturgeon jump out of the water, but stripers, carp and salmon do. I think you may have seen salmon which are headed out to salt water this time of year.

 

[brokenrule2]

I ran all the options by the Admiral and she is going to try all of them. First take a trip on the real fishing trip with a guide. Then we are going to find a spot in the Delta, perhaps Eddo's Harbor to hang out at for a month or two (when it get too windy by us in the Bay) and try the strippers and cats.

So I can get through this year, next is a wait and see.[:-bonc01]

Thanks for the advice.

Mike

 

[jtybt15]

Been fishing for sturgeon over 40 years. Caught over 100 but only 20 or so 'keepers'. Never broke the 100 lb but hooked a couple that were too big to move.

You'll catch them just after the fast movement, both in and out going. They feed facing the current. You can see them on the fish finder when they're actively feeding They will show as an angle off the bottom.

DON'T use that stoopid fish icon mode. Learn to ID FISH...NOT LOGS or other things floating past on the current or nothing at all. I caught one of my friends trolling around in a circle and followed him and asked what he was doing. He said 'Don't you see all the fish?' I said NO!! He was seeing fish finder fish.

Sturgeon will traditionally 'suck' at the bait and show as a slow rod tip movement but I've caught sturgeon where the pole almost went into the water or didn't even see the bite and the sturgeon jumped out of the water 20' behind the boat. I've caught sturgeon when it was blowing so hard and the water so rough you couldn't see a bite and the line had a big bow in the line from the wind. I saw the bow in the line shorten that 1" that indicated a sturgeon was suckin'. Caught two sturgeon in half an hour in those conditions.

Many people have fished their whole lives and never caught a sturgeon. Don't get discouraged.

The best sturgeon guy is at Loch Lomand bait shop(San Rafael, north side of the bridge). For some reason, I can't remember his name at the moment.