matuka

I have the hardest time with small stripers, they are uncontrollable. Now I net them, grab the jaw with the boga, and unhook with really long nosed pliers. Getting hooked hurts and you can't fish from an ER waiting room.

I'll throw one in since I started this. My friend Mike and I were having a so so day at the Delta. Finally the wind picked up and the tide turned. We went to a spot we call the restaurant, a point with now both the wind and current pushing on it from across a weedy flat. I tied on a fresh swimbait and cast toward a grass patch on the point. A strong hit, a good hookset, and a behemouth ticked off largemouth screamed past the boat into deeper water. It was easily the biggest fish I hooked and I start screaming at Mike to get ready. After a brief tussle I guided her along side the boat with Mike on his knees and his big hands waiting. He said,"its way over ten, eleven, might be thirteen" and grabbed her jaw. He leaned back with the pig in hand. I'm screaming, he's screaming, then in a few seconds she starts shaking her tail, Hard! Mike is trying to get control as she shakes. In a second she's over the water, and Mike has both hands in her mouth. Two more shakes then Mike falls overboard still holding the fish. A few seconds later he surfaces, PFD deployed and grabs the gunnel. Spitting water he yells, "get the f?$%&!in fish"! I see the line between his hands and grab hold in time feel two shakes, then it went limp. My twenty lb fluoro was chewed thru, I never touched the fish, and never got a picture, never even weighed her. Mike climbed aboard then we start laughing uncontrollably. But why is this funny? The way I look at it, if anyone had caught this on video, it might make the funniest fishing story somewhere, highlighting two dumb--- fisherman being made fools of by a big green peasized brain fish. Besides, if we had handled the situation, high fived, weighed it and taken photos, it would just be another boring big fish story.

I'm sure we all have several that would qualify so let's have at it!

Funny you should ask, but I just picked one up and had it's maiden voyage last week. I used it as a mojo rigger, down to 50 ft or so. I must say, I was more than happy and surprised. I was using a Powell 703, a good rod but it seemed to be insensitive for my stone like hands. My first few casts indicated that I was feeling a lot of new stuff on the bottom that I missed before. Then I felt something really weird, and I honestly said to myself, "what was that?" Turned out to be a two lb spot. The rest of the morning I was tickled by the new sensitivity, and 15 bass were tickeled by my Gamakatsu. More than pleased! BTW, I ran fifteen lb braid, long 8lb fluoro leader and 3/16 lead mojo.

Blades and chatterbaits on Dobyn's 743 Extreme, 30 lb braid, and mono leader 12 to 17lb test. My swim jigs are on a old 71/2 tele flippin stick, 50lb braid with 20lb mono leader. My swim jigs are usually 3/4 oz, and I throw them into real thick stuff.

Just curious, why is he using the staples product anyway?

I don't want anything really new, but have always wanted a fishing caddy, Much like a gillie in England. The caddy will be stationed in the back of the boat. If I bust off a jig, I could say, "how bout tying on a 3/4 football, green pumpkin and purple please, trim the weed guard a bit, and let's try it on the heavy Powell with 17 fluoro, I'll just munch on this sandwich and stare at the graph for awhile". Oh yeah, I want to hire one of the Tackle Tour models for my caddy.

Santa stuffs my stocking with a license every year. I think they hit him up for about fifty greenies. The licensing is nothing compared to the ramp fees which are typically about twenty to twenty five, sometimes more if you bring you're dog. Yearly passes are roughly two hundred plus, but one local municipal lake punches up four hundred. Clear Lake has mostly free launching, but you must pay about twenty per month for Quagga mussel inspection on your boat. Ahh, California.

I'm a newbie here so, hello everybody! As a teen I was striper fishing at the end of a long rock jetty in SF Bay. I started about 4 am and it wasn't till nearly sunrise when I finally took my eyes off the water and looked behind me. I was horrified to see the jetty was covered with rats. I HATE RATS! These were the big wharf rat variety, (I have weighed in smaller bass). It was getting lighter but these dudes just weren't ready to leave. I had over two hundred yards of rat covered jetty to get thru to get back to the car. I decided I'd have to make a run for it. In heavy chest high waders, clumsily sprinted/hobbled the gauntlet of disgusting critters. They scurried in every direction. Screaming, literally, most of the way and swatting at a few braver studs with my heavy surf rod, I reached the safety of the parking lot in a record, oh, five minutes. Exhausted, I climbed out of my waders and inspected my rod tip. Yup, damaged nicely. I had parked behind a warehouse of sorts and the early morning crew were laughing. At me. What the heck, I guess it really was hilarious after all.