It's striped bass time: Here's a Q&A with a Sacramento-area expert

Striped bass are not native to the West Coast. Introduced in the late 19th century, they've thrived. And while there is definitely healthy debate about their continued presence here, the fact is that for now and the foreseeable future, they are here, and their annual spring migration into the Sacramento Delta and river watershed is about to kick off. So why not go getcha some? Mike Mezzanares is a guide who started fishing as a kid in a bass and bluegill pond on his grandfather's property in Loomis. But as a teenager, Mike discovered striper fishing and, pardon the pun, got hooked. He was kind enough to talk a bit about strategies for catching these tough, hard-fighting and great-tasting fish that can reach more than 30 pounds (interview edited for length and clarity). Tom: So, let's say I'm an angler but inexperienced at fishing for stripers. Tell me a little about the annual run that will soon be here. Mike: As a rule of thumb, the fish are coming from the ocean and bay into the river system. It's their spring migration and will be up through the Delta and into rivers like the Sacramento and Mokelumne, plus tributaries and sloughs. Tom: They're heading upriver to spawn, right? Mike: Yes, but even though they're running upriver, they are still chasing food and water conditions. They can go all the way up to Colusa and Chico. They can also spawn in the Delta – (but) I don't know if conditions there are good enough for the eggs to survive. Tom: And unlike salmon, which also run upriver to spawn, striper are still feeding. Mike: They're feeding the whole time. And when they're done, they turn around and go back to the ocean. They don't die after spawning like salmon. Tom: Fishing the river and Delta are different from fishing a lake. You have tides to pay attention to, and currents. How big a factor are tides? Mike: Tides vary a lot. The fish will bite on most any tide, (but) the easiest advice would be to look for the "switches" on an incoming tide (aka high slack tide). You want to look for, like, the last hour or two (of an incoming tide). One to two hours before the "switch" is when, a lot of times, they start biting because they start feeding aggressively during those windows because the currents start slowing down. And, when it switches back over, they'll start feeding again when they get that first pull of current of (an outgoing) tide. Tom: You mostly troll. Talk about lures and tackle Mike: My basic plan of attack is deep-diving Yozuri- type lures and the P-Line Predator. If you want a true bet, stick to Yozuris, but I like the Predator because it dives deep. Don't sleep on Predators. Put a (soft plastic) worm tail on the lure's (treble) hook. You have to line it up with the hook that is in line with the bait. And basically, you're trolling anywhere from 3 to 5 miles per hour, depending if you're going with or against the current. It's also very important your lure is running "true" – you don't want it kicking off to the sides. Tom: What about your rods? What are you using? Mike: I use pretty moderate gear. I pretty much just troll a bass rod, 7.5-8', medium action with a line counting reel and 50- to 65-pound braid on your main line and then 40 pounds on my line, just because I know these fish aren't "line shy" and lures are $15 a pop. Tom: And how do you know where to put down gear? Mike: Look for shoals on your fish finder. Just scan the river and check it out. With tides, depths will vary, so be careful. But basically, 13-14 feet of water is kind of your target. Tom: Electronics – maps, charts, fish finders – they're critical. Mike: The key is, (from the surface) the Delta all looks the same. You're gonna be really relying on your maps. When I'm trolling, I have one fish finder that's just all mapping and the other, 2D sonar so you can put it on side scan, or down scan, and then find edges of shoals, which are going to be shallow spots. And they're all over the whole Delta. But just looking at the water, you'd never know they're there. Tom: OK, lastly, what's your most memorable striper? Mike: There was one I caught on a minnow, anchor fishing, at the mouth of the Feather River at Verona. The fish was probably 28 pounds and I caught it on a kokanee rod (which are extremely limber and light). We pretty much thought we had a sturgeon and had to unclip from our anchor. (After about 30 minutes) When it finally came up, I about &%$@ myself. Mezzanares cautions not to go out on the Delta if you're an inexperienced boater. Winds can kick up fast and if a boat is too small or under-powered, things can go bad very quickly. As is usually the case with any fishery you're looking to learn, booking a guided trip can help you "skip the line" in terms of learning curve. If you're interested in booking with Mike (Mezzy's Guide Service), his number is 916-276-7606. But there are a number of other good, qualified guides who fish stripers this time of year as well. Now, go out and getcha some!