Sauced Striped Bass
Sauced Striper
26 Jan 18 - Feb 2 , 2018
FRESHWATER
VOL . 37 • ISS . 03
FRESHWATER REPORTS :
CONTINUED FROM PG 19
TRINITY RIVER / LAKE cont .
and bird ’ s nest nymphs and all of the variations of these patterns .
Boaters and bank anglers are both focusing on the stretch from Lewiston to the North Fork , but fishing is also productive below the North Fork .
Fishing pressure is very light on Trinity Lake . Shore anglers and boaters can bag rainbow trout in the 16 to 18-inch range at the mouths of the tributaries to Trinity Lake , mainly the Upper Trinity and the East Fork . Casting or trolling gold / fluorescent orange Rapalas is the most productive method .
Trinity Lake is holding 1,745,858 acrefeet of water , 71 percent of capacity and 106 percent of average .
- Dan Bacher
Sauced Striped Bass
Afew weeks ago , Eric and Brody came back from a hunting trip up north with a whole passel of geese and ducks . Brody strutted around the pile of geese and ducks , proud as an old pro . Brody , our 9 month Labrador Retriever , is such a delight .
Tess , my older dog , might beg to differ . But , sometimes they have fun playing her favorite game which I call “ This is my
COOKIN ’ YER CATCH by Paulette piece of meat ” with a small piece of paper ( like a gum wrapper ) or other item .
That ’ s when they have a small piece of paper that they repeatedly mash up and chew on , then , they push it just a littleways out of their mouth – enough for a swift dog to grab – and suck it back in . Sometimes , the paper gets taken away and sometimes it gets sucked in . When the other dog succeeds in grabbring the paper , then , the game goes on until the paper gets too small and eventually disappears or we decide to intervene and toss whatever it is in the trash .
I read about the Oroville Dam today in the SF Chronicle . It ’ s too bad the way these projects too often end up in the hands of people who are incompetent . It ’ s bad enough that state and federal governments have less money to work with as time goes by ; but , that those in charge of making the best out of what we have end up giving these contracts to people who don ’ t know what they are doing .
Sauced Striper
Don ’ t we have scientists / qualified engineers in charge of choosing whose awarded these jobs - or , at the very least a panel of qualified , intelligent people who are not connected to those who profit ? Maybe we should have citizen approved panels made up of people not from the industries that profit ; but , from experts in those fields who are knowledgeable about the dynamics of bridge / dam building , to make final approvals .
Too many projects are falling apart – we need to do something differently . Bridges and other large projects are having the same problems – too often , it seems the integrity of the cement structures are a constantly recurring problem . Don ’ t we have any cement contractors who know what they are doing ? This sort of incompetence can cost lives ! Ever notice how we have all kinds of gatekeepers when it comes to guns and hunting ; but , when it comes to projects that can affect thousands of lives , there is little in the way of oversight ? It ’ s unbelievable !
On the bright side , it ’ s not too late for you to get a hold of my favorite calendar in the world – The Junior Duck Stamp Calendar – sponsored by California Waterfowl Assn .; and , you can get that calendar at : https :// www . calwaterfowl . org / DuckStamp- Calendar . A $ 10 donation is advised .
Anyway , this month , I made a really tasty dish from more of that lovely striper ; although , other bass or fish would work in this recipe as well . Go for it !
INGREDIENTS
• 1 large striper fillet , cut in half
• Lawry ’ s Total Seasoning for Cooking & Grilling
• Lawry ’ s Garlic Salt
• Lawry ’ s Lemon Pepper
• McCormick Italian Herb Grinder
• hand crushed dried oregano leaves
• flour
• ¾ of or 1 can S & W Diced Tomatoes with Sweet Onion & Roasted Garlic
• 3-4 ounces fresh mushrooms , sliced thin
• ½ of a large green bell pepper , cut into 1 / 4 inch by one ½ inch slices
• 1 small red onion , quartered and sliced
• one small zucchini squash , quartered lengthwise and sliced into ½ inch chunks
• olive oil and butter
DIRECTIONS
Season the fillets on both sides with the Lawry ’ s seasonings and then dredge in flour . Meanwhile , take a skillet , heat to medium high and add in some olive oil and butter . Add in veggies and saute until softened . Remove veggies to a dish and cover to keep warm .
Add in more oil and butter and heating to medium high , add in the fillets to brown lightly on each side . Cook for a few minutes ; but , do not overcook it , as it will continue to cook after we add back in the other ingredients .
When striper is lightly browned , add in the tomatoes ; then , add in the Italian seasoning and oregano . Then , add the veggies back into the pan , mixing them in with the tomatoes around and on top of the fish . Cover and cook for 10 minutes until done . Remove cover and check to see if everything looks done .
Serve this with buttered pasta tossed with fresh chopped parsley . This is good with a crunchy green salad with red vinegar dressing . This recipe is enough for two .
If you have any questions , comments , cooking tips or recipes to share , feel free to write me at Cookcatch @ comcast . net or at Paulette or Cookin ’ Yer Catch ; c / o The Fish Sniffer ; PO Box 776 ; Colfax , CA 95713-0776 . Go for it !
This beautiful sturgeon was just a bit too large to keep , so it was released unharmed right after this photo . The West Delta sturgeon bite has been outstanding for folks fishing with Capt . Hayden Mullins this December .
Photo courtesy of DRAGON SPORTFISHING , Pittsburg .
WEST DELTA
Delta Anglers That Brave The Cold Score Big !
PITTSBURG - Sturgeon fishing is outstanding in the West Delta at this time and there are plenty of bonus stripers in the mix too .
“ We hit the water on December 23 with 5 anglers aboard the Dragon and we had more action than we could handle ,” laughed Capt . Hayden Mullins of Dragon Sportfishing .
“ We got several shaker sturgeon , multiple oversize sturgeon and 4 keeper sturgeon . We also added a pair of good stripers . Now is the time to get out for some great winter sturgeon fishing . And when you fish aboard the Dragon comfort is never a worry as the boat ’ s warm cabin and comfortable couches are just a few steps away from the rods ,” Mullins said .
Captain David Hammond has also been doing well while targeting sturgeon in the upper reaches of Suisun Bay .
“ The fishing has been really good and we are getting keepers on most trips . Angler interest has been running pretty high and at this point I ’ ve only got a couple open days on my books over the next couple weeks ,” Hammond related .
If you head out into the West Delta aboard your own boat , eel has been the best bait for sturgeon , but bring some shrimp and roe too . Some days the sturgeon are keying on eel and grass shrimp combos . Other days roe and even filleted shad draw the bites .
Stripers are being caught incidentally by anglers targeting sturgeon . Top striper baits have been grass shrimp , shad and filleted eel .
WHISKEYTOWN LAKE
Winter Kokanee Fishing Is ‘ Unbelievable ’
REDDING – Richie Hight of Paulina Peak Tackle spent the last three days of 2017 experiencing hot kokanee salmon fishing at Whiskeytown Reservoir .
“ What a way to end 2017 ,” said Hight . “ Winter kokanee fishing at Whiskeytown for the last 3 days has been unbelievable .”
“ Friday we started a little late at 8:00 am and were done with limits for 3 by noon ,” he stated . “ Saturday was tough and was a grind for 2 limits ( 10 fish ); it took until
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3:00 pm . All month long the kokanee have wanted longer than normal leaders and yesterday they decided they wanted to go back to being normal with traditional leader lengths .”
“ Today , Sunday , was the icing on the cake ! We had our 15 fish by 8:30 a . m . We were running 5 rods 4 on downriggers and 1 toplined on a side planer . Two different times all 5 rods went off and we landed all 5 fish both times ,” he explained .
“ Tuna corn was the top producer all weekend . We ran 90 ’ setbacks on all rods and we fished from the surface to 28 ’. If this weather holds and you get a chance to fish Whiskeytown , I highly recommend it .,” he concluded .
WILDHORSE / SOUTH FORK LAKES
Ice Fishing Begins
ELKO – Ice fishing for trout is just beginning in northeastern Nevada .
“ Wild Horse had approximately five inches of good ice with a couple of inches of snow on top ,” said Joe Doucette of the Nevada Department of Wildlife ( NDOW ). “ The middle of the lake has thinner ice and anglers should stay close to shore for a bit .”
“ With the cold forecast temperatures the ice should start to thicken substantially as long as we don ’ t get too much snow on top of the ice to insulate it . There are some major pressure ridges on the lake that contain areas of unsafe ice . Please stay away from them ,” he cautioned .
“ As a general rule , anglers should find trout in six to 10 feet of water this time of year , so you don ’ t need to head to the middle . It is not recommended that you take an ATV or snowmobile on the lake at this time ,” Doucette added .
South Fork is completely covered with unsafe ice . “ With the lower elevation and southwest exposure , anglers should wait until New Years before venturing upon South Fork ,” he advised .
- Dan Bacher
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