Sacramento Angler Nails 44 Lb. Striper At Rio Vista   By: Dan Bacher November 30, 2006 More Articles by Dan

A striped bass over 20 pounds is a superb catch for an angler to celebrate, but a striper over 40 pounds is the fish of a lifetime. Robert Morris, a retired state worker from Sacramento, and Joe Aquilio of Papa Joe’s Fishing Guide Service teamed up to become members of the “Over 40 Club” when they brought in a 44 pound striped bass from the Sacramento River at Rio Vista on November 8.

“It was kind of a slow fishing day,” said Aquilio. “We started out trolling Bombers at 6:30 a.m. and caught a lot of shakers. We switched to bait fishing at the power lines and that’s when we hooked the big fish.”

After they put out the two rods with circle hooks baited with sardines, one of the rods got bit. Aquilio picked up the rod and handed it off to Morris once he felt that the fish had taken the bait. Morris started reeling in the 50 lb. Berkley Power Pro Line and began battling the big fish.

“We both thought it was a sturgeon at first because the fish stayed down near the bottom, but then it came to the surface at the back of the boat and I realized it was a big striper,” said Aquilio.

In spite of the fish’s size and the long 40 minute battle that it provided, Aquilio never had to release the anchor and chase the fish. Morris finally got the fish to the stern when disaster struck.

“The fish drifted back and became wrapped around the kicker motor,” said Aquilio. “I had to reach in-between the two motors to extricate the fish. I couldn’t net the fish; I had to grab it and bring it into the boat. I pulled the fish with one hand and held onto the boat with my other hand.”

Unfortunately, the fish‘s gills had been cut and damaged when it was caught around the kicker motor. Aquilio normally releases any fish over 20 pounds that he or his clients hook, but he couldn’t revive this one.

When they finally boated the fish, both anglers were amazed by the fish’s size. “When I saw the fish laying on the bottom of the boat, I realizes that it was the biggest striper that I had ever fought,” said Robert Morris. “I was so glad that we were able to land the fish, since we almost lost it at the end of the fight.”

Morris has been fishing northern California waters for the past 20 years, as well as making trips to Baja California and Florida. The only two larger fish he has landed were a 110 pound tarpon that he caught off Florida and a 125 lb. sailfish that he took in the Sea of Cortez.

“It was a really spectacular fish,” emphasized Morris. “I never dreamed that I would ever catch or see a striped bass that big.”

After boating the fish, the two anglers weighed the fish at Vieira’s Resort, where the fish topped the scale at 44 pounds. Morris is planning to mount the fish, but hasn’t found a taxidermist yet.

While Aquilio and Morris take the recent big fish honors on the Delta, other anglers are nailing large numbers of stripers while bait fishing, trolling and tossing out top water lures and Rat-L-Traps.

For example, Bob Sparre of Rocky River Guide Service reported from the water on Friday, November 10, a fabulous day of trolling for Delta stripers. “It’s 2:30 pm and we have already landed 40 fish while trolling the Sacramento River at Rio Vista,” said Sparre. “Half of the fish were keepers to 18 pounds and the rest were shakers. We have had doubles and triples on stripers all day.”

While I was talking to Sparre on his cell phone, his customers had a triple hook-up as he went through a school of fish. The anglers hooked the fish while trolling Rebels tipped with trick worms.

“Go get 'em guys,” he said to his clients and me simultaneously. “Who wants to take the fish on that rod? Hey Dan, I got to go!”

Sparre and crew fished for another 45 minutes and nailed another 10 bass before they left.

On Sunday, Sparre went back to the same area and his passengers caught over 40 stripers, topped by a 12 pounder, while trolling again with Rebels.

“The color of lure didn’t matter - the fish were on a great bite,” said Sparre. “When we left, we were still getting double and triple hook-ups.”

While this has been one of the slowest autumns ever for salmon fishing on the Sacramento, American and Feather rivers, the top-notch Delta striper action has definitely made up for it. If you want to catch fish in northern California inland waters, your number one prospect is Delta striped bass.

For more information, call Joe Aquilio of Papa Joe’s Guide Service, 916-686-5959, or Bob Sparre of Rocky River Guide Service, 916-863-5866. For other guides and captains fishing Delta stripers, refer to the Delta section of this magazine.  

More Articles by Dan