Striper Island

Capt. Kevin DeGulis reports on 11.2.18

Angel Island 

Striper Island! (Angel Island)! October is known as the world series bite in the San Francisco Bay for Striped Bass. 

LCO hosted an educational surf clinic on Angel Island to celebrate the fantastic fishery we have right here in our backyard. 

But this was no ordinary surf clinic; it involved Capt. Gregg Holland from Featherdog Outfitters, bringing his 21’ Steiger craft center console boat.

 These east coast style boats are striper machines, initially designed for Long Beach, New York, it plays nicely throughout the bay and just past the gate. There are two things I look at when picking a boat to handle excellent striper fishing, either in rips right off Point Bonita, the swell off Ocean Becah, and the swallows of Tiburuon.

1) Weight and Beam: You need a heavy boat! The Ocean is no joke! You need a vessel that can handle chop, waves, and strong tides to stay safe. The Steiger is an 8'6" beam giving you the steadiest to cast a flyrod.

2) Draft: You need a boat that has a draft less than 4 feet, These big stripers can hold in less than 3 feet of water.

Now for the day on striper Island! The group met in the Tiburuon parking lot at 9:15 am getting organized for the 10:00 am ferry boat. Once on the island, we made the 2.5-mile hike to Perle’s beach on the southern side facing towards the San Francisco Skyline.

This beach was our education station, while groups of three would be picked up by Capt. Gregg to fly fish from a boat. We wanted to create an experience, that would allow participants to understand what it takes to fly fish the open surf and out of a moving vessel.

The day was a  success since some fished from 7:00 am to 5:20 pm, and were able to catch the different tides. The sizeable incoming tide in the morning produced the most fish during the day.  

A lot of the time I hear the most satisfying part of Fly Fishing is getting out of the city, and I agree. Taking advantage of Angel Island is a way to do that without driving four hours. 

Angel Island offers solitude and natural beauty, but this is not the only place you can escape while fishing the surf. Campsites are in abundance throughout the striper migration, Point Reyes, Big Basin, and Kirby cove are just a few examples.

This Spring we will do several Striper Island events but this time staying overnight, so make sure to pay attention to our fishing reports for further details.