The Bay Area Striper Angler Gift Guide

San Francisco Bay stripers run a loop. In spring, warming water pulls the bass up through the Delta and they spread along the river channels. Summer and fall are the peak in the Bay itself: Raccoon Strait, the south tower of the Golden Gate, the reefs in the middle of the Bay, Alcatraz and Treasure Island. When the anchovies push close to shore in summer, the bass follow them into the surf off San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin. Come October the run starts back through Suisun toward the Delta.

Most of it is current fishing. Pick the lane first, a strait edge, a reef, bridge current or breaking fish, then the lure. West Coast striper anglers found Hogy on their own, and what they tie on is the pair we lean on hardest back east: Protails and Epoxies. This is the bag I'd build for one.

1  Protail Paddle

WHEN  Spring in the Delta, when warming water pulls the bass upriver and they spread along the channel edges, and again on the October return. It's also the size that casts far enough for the surf and the jetties. Bone is my stained-water, low-light color.

FISH IT  Angle the cast across the edge and reel just fast enough to keep the tail kicking. Nothing on that edge after a few casts? Move to the next one. The Delta doesn't run one pattern from end to end.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  A channel edge is a slow swim, so the tail has to work at a crawl. This one thumps at any speed, molded from UV-infused virgin plastic around a VMC Barbarian hook.

“Solid weight and hook combo. Great action in salt water river.” Michael B.

2  Protail Paddle

WHEN  Summer and fall, the peak of the Bay season: Raccoon Strait, the central-bay reefs, the water around Alcatraz and Treasure Island. Bass hold on the current edges and wait for bait to sweep past. Black throws the sharpest outline in gray light.

FISH IT  Set the drift up-current of the edge first, then cast across it and swim the paddle through the seam. Rod tip high keeps it shallower, tip low gets it down. Hanging bottom or flying over the fish? Fix the drift before you add weight.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  A big bass that turns down-current tests every part of the rig. This is the toughest softbait on the market, molded around a 3X VMC 8/0 Barbarian, and at 2 oz it swims a current edge without dragging bottom.

“They cast far and I could feel the action in the rod tip.” Mark M.

3  Vintage Locker Protail Paddle

WHEN  The deep lanes when the current runs hard: the south tower of the Golden Gate and the deep channel edges, any day the bass hold under the boat and won't come up to a swimming paddle. Olive is the natural look.

FISH IT  Drop it to the marks and work short lifts, letting it fall back on a tight line. Keep the line close to vertical. When it starts sweeping away, reel up and drop again instead of piling on weight.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Back east, the heavy Protails are what Canal anglers tie on by default, and the Canal is all current. The Gate asks the same question. Three ounces on the 5.5 inch body gets down fast, and the tail never quits.

“Has great action and the plastic is the perfect toughness” Hunter T.

4  In-Line Epoxy Jig

WHEN  Summer in the surf off San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin, when the anchovies push in close enough to reach and the bass come in behind them. It comes and goes with the bait, so they watch for it. Silverside is the closest match to a bright little anchovy.

FISH IT  Throw it past the feeding edge, let it settle to where they're working, then swim it back steady with an occasional pause. Nothing on this stretch? Walk to the next trough instead of casting into one empty patch.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  The surf is a reach game, and 2 oz on a slim body reaches. It's the original EPO, properly keeled, and it sinks slower than most metal jigs, so it hangs in front of a fish instead of diving past. San Francisco surf anglers already throw it for stripers.

“1st time using this jig caught 3 stripe bass on the San Francisco coast. Works great and casts a mile.” Garth C.

5  In-Line Epoxy Jig

WHEN  Inside the Bay when bait shows on top within range: birds working, fish busting on calm water, a feed off a shoreline or a pier. Light line, small bait, fish that won't touch a big profile. The Anchovy finish matches what Bay bass are eating.

FISH IT  Cast past the feed, not into it. Skip it fast across the top, swim it slow and let it sink between twitches, or burn it when they're picky. Followers that turn off? Change the speed before you change the lure.

WHY THEY'LL LOVE IT  Fish on small bait spook at a splash. The 7/8 lands soft, hovers, and throws light like the real thing, and the in-line single comes out of a fish fast. A Bay Area customer calls it his new striper confidence lure.

“It cast to the heavens which allows you to fish near or far” C.A. M.

A 7-foot medium-heavy spinning rod throws the two smaller paddles and the 2 oz Epoxy, with 30 lb braid and a 30 to 40 lb fluorocarbon leader. The 7/8 Epoxy fishes best on a 7-foot medium. The 3 oz paddle wants a 7-foot heavy. Everything here comes pre-rigged on a single hook: nothing to rig at the ramp, and the hook comes out fast.

The Gate and the ocean beaches both run big. Watch the sets before walking out, never turn your back on the surf, and run the Gate with someone who knows that water.

Letting one go? Keep it wet, pop the single hook, and point it into the current until it swims off on its own.

Same jigs, same retrieves we fish on Cape Cod: The Hogy Epoxy Jig Retrieves and Methods for Striped Bass on Salty Cape and Epoxy Jig Techniques for Big Stripers on Hogy. For a Protail on the drop in hard current, the same question the Gate asks, read Stripers on the Drop in Vineyard Sound.