Striped Bass Finally Arrive – Strong Bit

The Striped Bass have finally made their migration up the river! After being noticeably late this year with almost no fish showing in April, they have now pushed all the way into the cool water section and all the way up to the dam. Numbers are increasing steadily each week, and even on my mixed-bag multi-species trips we are now catching a couple of Stripers on a regular basis. The fish are surprisingly focused on smaller Gizzard Shad right now instead of the bigger baits they usually prefer. Just today, a guest landed a beautiful 35-pound Striped Bass on a very small Gizzard Shad. The bite has been excellent whether the turbines are running or not. Due to the ongoing drought, the river hasn’t been generating much lately, but that hasn’t slowed the fish down at all. We are still a little below summer pool but getting very close, and these conditions seem to be triggering a really strong bite. If you’ve been waiting for the stripers to show up in good numbers, now is the time. The migration is in full swing and the fishing has been as good as we’ve seen so far this season. Whether you want a dedicated Striper trip or a fun multi-species day, we’re getting into them consistently. Tight lines! Captain Billy