This Idaho angler finally earned his stripes. Here’s how he landed striped bass

New challenges are a huge part of what makes fishing great. While it’s fun to catch a bunch of bass or a big trout from your favorite local spots, I’m always hungry to unlock more of fishing’s secrets.

For me, one species has been on my list for a long time — the striped bass. Beautiful, aggressive and capable of reaching massive sizes, stripers are popular gamefish, but they aren’t found in Idaho. As a teenager, I caught some small ones (and a big surprise) off a houseboat at Lake Mead. A few years ago, I went striper hunting in California, but only caught largemouth and spotted bass. So, for this adventure, I targeted San Luis Reservoir, a striper hotbed that has produced fish up to 40 pounds.

I had the fortune of fishing with Roger George, a fellow fishing columnist and renowned striper expert in California’s Central Valley. When we arrived at the boat ramp, there were more jackrabbits than trucks in the parking lot — my kind of place! I joked that all the California anglers must be too busy fishing in Idaho, and we zipped off to check out Roger’s favorite striper haunts.

It was immediately clear this would be unlike any fishing I do at home. The only thing I can compare it to is catching rockfish off the Oregon coast — electronics are critical, as these schooling fish prefer deep water and are constantly on the move.

At our first stop, there were fish on the screen at 75 feet. We did some vertical jigging with spoons, but no dice. Undaunted, Roger set up a downrigger and began trolling with a large Rapala.

“They’re moody,” Roger explained. “A lot of times, if the vertical bite isn’t there, dragging lures horizontally will get them to go.”

Bingo! My rod popped off the downrigger and I lunged to grab it. Reeling in a big, strong fish from so far down takes time, but after a few minutes, I had my hands on a gorgeous, two-foot striper.

“There it is!” I beamed. “And it only took us 30 minutes.”

We caught two more fish before the bite died. As we buzzed across the lake, Roger pointed out that by striper standards, our day was already a success.

At 12,000 acres, San Luis is the largest off-river reservoir in the country. It lacks natural structure, which makes it relatively snag-free, but also means it can be difficult to locate fish. Luckily, I had Roger. At our second spot, the screen lit up with fish 100 feet down. We hurriedly dropped our spoons to the bottom.

“OK, so once it’s down there, what you want to do is…”

Roger’s voice trailed off as he looked over and saw me already battling a five-pound striper.

“Hey, there you go!” he hollered as he set the hook on a double-up.

For 10 minutes, we couldn’t keep the fish off. But after landing five, it was over. Roger immediately switched to trolling, and we caught another five fish off the same spot.

“Thirteen fish before lunchtime!” he announced. “What a day!”

I was impressed by Roger’s knowledge and instincts (definitely look him up if you want to road trip and catch some stripers!). It seemed like every move he made paid off, the product of hundreds of hours spent dialing in patterns and strategies on what can be a very finicky, technical species.

We enjoyed a sunny day with minimal wind — almost unheard of for San Luis. Late in the afternoon, a strong breeze finally picked up, the likes of which would send many anglers motoring toward the docks.

“For here, this is nothing,” Roger said, unfazed. “If anything, it might help us.”

Once again, he was spot-on. After an early afternoon lull, we finished with a bang in the wind, jigging up one fish and catching three more on Rapalas to finish with an even 20. Our stripers were all between three and six pounds — beauties, but not the elusive giants that are occasionally coaxed from the deep.

Unraveling that mystery, it seems, will have to wait until next time. Tight lines!

Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures, tips and tricks with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com or visit www.tightlines208.com.

Let’s catch a sturgeon!

Have you ever wanted to tangle with a white sturgeon, the prehistoric giant of Idaho’s Snake River Canyon? Check out my next fishing class, Sturgeon Seminar, on July 20 and 22! This special two-night class will feature one evening of classroom instruction and one night fishing for sturgeon at a private lake. All gear, bait and tackle provided — you just show up, learn how to catch a sturgeon and then put your new knowledge to the test!

Class will be held July 20 (6-8 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Boise Spectrum) and July 22 (5:30-8:30 p.m. at a private lake in Parma). For details and registration, visit www.tightlines208.com.