Chasing Big Stripers On The Sac

The following appears in the June issue of California Sportsman:

By Mark Fong

If you have ever wondered what a full-time fishing guide does on his afternoon off, the answer is quite simple: He goes fishing, of course. When Dakota Townley reached out to me and asked if I would like to join him for an afternoon chasing striped bass on the Sacramento River, I was quick to take him up on the offer.

COLUSA CALLING

On a picture-perfect spring day, I pulled up to the Colusa Landing Boat Ramp. Colusa is traditionally one of the epicenters for the spring run, with this year being no exception. The docks at the landing were awash with activity. Anglers and their boats were everywhere, some returning from their morning sessions, others departing for an afternoon adventure.

After unloading my gear, I made my way down to the dock, where Dakota was waiting for me in his spacious 23-foot Willie jet sled. It was there that he introduced me to his close friend and fellow guide who would be joining us for the afternoon, Jacob Frye.

Once underway, Dakota headed upriver to an area that had been producing fish for the previous several days. I had never been on this stretch of the Sacramento before and took the opportunity to take in the experience and enjoy the river’s beauty.

After about a 20-minute run, Dakota took the boat off plane and shut down the big 200-horsepower Mercury outboard. As he started up the kicker motor, he told me that he wanted to start off trolling.

While he positioned the boat for our first trolling run, Jacob rigged up our gear, which featured the new Fish Kevin Brock 7C 7-foot, 9-inch rods, Shimano reels, 50-pound-test braided line with monofilament leaders, plus an assortment of bright-colored, deep-diving minnow plugs tipped with red and white Fish Kevin Brock Killer Custom Trolling Worm Tails.

TROLLING TACTICS

I have done a lot of trolling for stripers in the Delta. In fact, the gear is identical, all the way down to the worm tails. But that is where the similarities end. In the Delta, the goal is to cover water to find fish, so long trolling runs are the norm. I learned that trolling on the river was very different. Because there are so many snags, submerged trees and underwater obstructions, trolling runs are very targeted and can be quite short.

TROLLING TACTICS

I have done a lot of trolling for stripers in the Delta. In fact, the gear is identical, all the way down to the worm tails. But that is where the similarities end. In the Delta, the goal is to cover water to find fish, so long trolling runs are the norm. I learned that trolling on the river was very different. Because there are so many snags, submerged trees and underwater obstructions, trolling runs are very targeted and can be quite short.

Under Dakota’s watchful eye, I proceeded to let out 80 feet of line. It did not take long for Jacob to hook up with a small striper, which he quickly released. Then it was Dakota’s turn to put a small legal-sized fish in the boat, but it was also returned to the water. Over the course of the next hour or so, Dakota checked a few key areas and the results were the same: a fish here and a fish there, including my first lineside of the day.

Dakota knew that I wanted to throw swimbaits, so we put the trolling gear on hold for a while and so we put the trolling gear on hold for a while and targeted a number of key stretches of river that were prime swimbait water. Both Dakota and Jacob like to use Fish Kevin Brock Custom Swimbaits. Dakota gave me a solid white 5-inch swimbait that he rigged with a 1/2-ounce swimbait head to tie on.

We fished a lot of good-looking water, but the bass were not there or just not in a mood to cooperate. With just a few short strikes to show for our efforts, Dakota decided to make one final move to a shallow flat with heavy current.

On my second cast to the edge of the flat, I felt my rod begin to load up and in an instant I was hooked up with my first swimbait fish of the afternoon. While the bass was not large, it was a solid legal fish. After several spirited runs, I had the fish at the side of the boat where Dakota quickly netted it. A quick moment for a photo and soon the fish was free to fight another day. Several minutes later the process repeated itself: cast, strike, hookup, fight, net, release.

MORE TROLLING, BIGGER STRIPERS

With the swimbait bite not exactly on fire, Dakota elected to return to trolling. Using his Garmin Electronics, he started graphing a high-percentage area. It wasn’t long before he located a big school of stripers.

With our lines in, the fish quickly began to cooperate. Dakota was first to hook up with a solid fish, and then it was Jacob’s turn. And so it went as Dakota continued to work the area.

But what good is a fishing story without a big-fish tale or a lament about the one that got away? Well, this trip had both. During our magical feeding frenzy, I managed to hook, fight and lose a really nice fish. But this was also about when the action got more interesting and better.

Just as the sun began to get low in the sky, I hooked up with a big striper. As I maintained pressure on the fish, it came to the surface and made a beeline for a group of submerged trees near the shoreline. Luckily for me, the bass decided to swim back towards the center of the river, where there were fewer obstructions in the water that it could use to break off my line.

After several more powerful, spirted runs, I was able to work the big striper to the side of the boat, where Dakota skillfully slipped the fish into the net. We took a moment for a quick photo before Dakota carefully returned the fish to the Sac.

This was the perfect ending to a great afternoon of fishing. The big striper weighed in just shy of 25 pounds, a personal best for me, and made it a day to remember. CS

Editor’s note: To book a fishing trip or to learn more, you can follow Dakota Townley on Facebook or contact him directly at (530) 680-3717.