Fishing With Spike

Bill Crooks, my lucky dog, Spike, and I went out for some stripers or sturgeon. We caught 2 legals to 7#, 2 undersized, no hit/no stick and lost no tails. We fished bait for 3 hours, trolled shallow & deep for 3 hours. The catching that was done was off the mouth of Broad Slough in the main Sac & in Broad Slough (first deep troll outside) at the end of the outgoing, slack & start of the incoming. 6.5 hours (7:15-1:45), 24 miles, 8 locations. Launched at Lower Sherman Island. One fish caught on shad, one trolling deep (chartreuse Yo-Zuri). Water 64*, dirty (most of the time, most places), 30-60 minutes of semi-clear to clear, some debris on the outgoing. Air 62-80*, sky clear, wind 0-3 (mainly 0) mph. Some radio chatter about catching sturgeon down river & in Suisun Bay. Thanks for the company Bill, a great day.

Interesting D.F.G. encounter, regulation & interpretation learned today. Bill cleans our fish after we come in while I de-rig the boat. Two Rangers drive up, chat with us ask to see our fish. Bill shows them two bags on nice fillets. They advise us we can’t clean any fish subject to a slot limit until we get home. They do not give us a ticket as they could see by the size of the fillets that the fish were both legals. Here is the F&G Code Section that the two Wardens said we violated: 5508.  It is unlawful to possess on any boat or to bring ashore any fish upon which a size or weight limit is prescribed in such a condition that its size or weight cannot be determined. The commission may adopt regulations, under which fish other than whole fish may be brought ashore, which establish sizes or weights for cleaned or otherwise cut fish equivalent to sizes or weights for whole fish. When Bill said that this did not say we could not clean a fish on shore, they tried to find another section that would say that. They could not find it, but said, “Trust us, that’s the law”!