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Thread: How to fish at the aqueduct

  1. #1

    Default How to fish at the aqueduct

    Fishing the California aqueduct

    I would like to start off by saying I am not a pro aqueduct fisher I have only fished the duct for about 4 years I got really busy and haven't fished it for 2 years. Now I am starting again and I want to share with everyone who wants to fish the duct or has been fishing it with no luck I will share with you the tackle I use and how I use them I will not share any specific spots because fellow fishers and I have worked hard to find them trough trial and error and I really don't want every spot to become what the gates off of golf coarse rd. have become there are over 20 fishers at any given time at that place. again I am no pro but these are the things that work for me. First I will give a list of all the tackle I use.

    Tackle:
    KPN lipless crank bait

    KPN Top water

    Zoom flukes

    Lucky Craft pointer ( 95,100,128)

    Super spook

    Zara spook


    I fish the duct usually at nights I try to get there before sunset and fish all night to about 4 am that's when I have had the best luck there are people who fish early morning and afternoon and have luck also. The key to the duct is not to fish one spot for over an hour if you are not getting bites move on. What I recommend you do is plan out a couple of spots before your trip go to the furthest and work you way back. If one spot is producing then you should continue to fish it until the bite dies off then move on to the next spot. I usually like to fish when the gates are open and the water is flowing stripers love fast moving water. The fish I have personally caught from the duct have been stripers, large mouths, and catfish there are reports of carp and blue hills in the duct but I have never fished for them my main target are the stripers.
    I fish the duct year round hot summers and cold winters it will produce all year long with some months better then other months now let get back to the tackle and fishing.

    KPN lipless crank bait

    Cast it up stream about a foot or two from the other side and start reeling it you are working the lure as it is going down the other side to the middle to your side reel in slow reel in fast reel in medium until you figure out what the fish want that day. On really cold days reel very slow.

    KPN TW, Super Spook, Zara Spook:

    Cast to the other side of the duct let it sit until the ripples go away and start the walk the dog retrieve. The walk the dog retrieve is very effective when the fish are feeding from the surface or if your lucky you can chase boils. Walk the dog you pretty much retrieve and twitch your rod side ways this causes the bait to work its way back towards you in a side to side action you can watch YouTube video for more info practice makes perfect.

    Zoom Flukes:

    I fish the flukes in 2 different ways both ways have been effective for me on way I would hook the flukes weightless cast to the other side and start retrieving in a twitching way a lot of twitching.

    The other way I fish flukes is I rig them to a half ounce or a 1oz buck tail cast and wait for it to sink and I start hoping the bottom this is very effective when the fish are on the bottom of the duct usually when really cold or very hot stripers hate the heat.

    When you buy the flukes most of the time they bend in the packs they come in due to shipping all you have to do is boil some water put them in there for 15-20 seconds and that will make them straight do not leave them in for more then 20 seconds they will start to kind of melt one you do that they are fixed and I feel you get better action as it softens the plastic a bit.

    Lucky Craft Pointer:
    Cast to the other side of the duct and jerk it 2 times wait about 20 seconds jerk it 2 times again and so on. This I one of the most effective lures for me.

    Bait & Wait

    Chicken liver

    Anchovies

    Sardines

    Chicken liver:
    I would recommend a size 1 treble hook for the liver it stays on better depending on the water flow you can put some weight on your line or you can do it weightless both ways produce stripers and catfish.

    Anchovies and sardines :
    I cut them in half and hook them again depending on the flow you can add a weight or fish it weight less both catfish and stripers will go after your bait.

    Rod & Line

    I recommend 7' medium to heavy rod

    Minimum 15 pound line (mono or braid)

    For TW I use 30 pound braid


    That pretty much covers everything I know about the duct. Again this is what works for me people are successful using other methods and tackle go out there and get em.

    Most important people please pick up your trash we don't want the state to run us out.

    If you have any questions please feel free to contact me publicly or private message and please send me pictures of your catches.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    BAKERSFIELD
    Posts
    5,480

    Default

    All good and solid info KILO

    NICE!

    TRAIL BLAZER

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    South El Monte
    Posts
    67

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Kilo818 View Post
    Fishing the California aqueduct

    I would like to start off by saying I am not a pro aqueduct fisher I have only fished the duct for about 4 years I got really busy and haven't fished it for 2 years. Now I am starting again and I want to share with everyone who wants to fish the duct or has been fishing it with no luck I will share with you the tackle I use and how I use them I will not share any specific spots because fellow fishers and I have worked hard to find them trough trial and error and I really don't want every spot to become what the gates off of golf coarse rd. have become there are over 20 fishers at any given time at that place. again I am no pro but these are the things that work for me. First I will give a list of all the tackle I use.

    Tackle:
    KPN lipless crank bait

    KPN Top water

    Zoom flukes

    Lucky Craft pointer ( 95,100,128)

    Super spook

    Zara spook


    I fish the duct usually at nights I try to get there before sunset and fish all night to about 4 am that's when I have had the best luck there are people who fish early morning and afternoon and have luck also. The key to the duct is not to fish one spot for over an hour if you are not getting bites move on. What I recommend you do is plan out a couple of spots before your trip go to the furthest and work you way back. If one spot is producing then you should continue to fish it until the bite dies off then move on to the next spot. I usually like to fish when the gates are open and the water is flowing stripers love fast moving water. The fish I have personally caught from the duct have been stripers, large mouths, and catfish there are reports of carp and blue hills in the duct but I have never fished for them my main target are the stripers.
    I fish the duct year round hot summers and cold winters it will produce all year long with some months better then other months now let get back to the tackle and fishing.

    KPN lipless crank bait

    Cast it up stream about a foot or two from the other side and start reeling it you are working the lure as it is going down the other side to the middle to your side reel in slow reel in fast reel in medium until you figure out what the fish want that day. On really cold days reel very slow.

    KPN TW, Super Spook, Zara Spook:

    Cast to the other side of the duct let it sit until the ripples go away and start the walk the dog retrieve. The walk the dog retrieve is very effective when the fish are feeding from the surface or if your lucky you can chase boils. Walk the dog you pretty much retrieve and twitch your rod side ways this causes the bait to work its way back towards you in a side to side action you can watch YouTube video for more info practice makes perfect.

    Zoom Flukes:

    I fish the flukes in 2 different ways both ways have been effective for me on way I would hook the flukes weightless cast to the other side and start retrieving in a twitching way a lot of twitching.

    The other way I fish flukes is I rig them to a half ounce or a 1oz buck tail cast and wait for it to sink and I start hoping the bottom this is very effective when the fish are on the bottom of the duct usually when really cold or very hot stripers hate the heat.

    When you buy the flukes most of the time they bend in the packs they come in due to shipping all you have to do is boil some water put them in there for 15-20 seconds and that will make them straight do not leave them in for more then 20 seconds they will start to kind of melt one you do that they are fixed and I feel you get better action as it softens the plastic a bit.

    Lucky Craft Pointer:
    Cast to the other side of the duct and jerk it 2 times wait about 20 seconds jerk it 2 times again and so on. This I one of the most effective lures for me.

    Bait & Wait

    Chicken liver

    Anchovies

    Sardines

    Chicken liver:
    I would recommend a size 1 treble hook for the liver it stays on better depending on the water flow you can put some weight on your line or you can do it weightless both ways produce stripers and catfish.

    Anchovies and sardines :
    I cut them in half and hook them again depending on the flow you can add a weight or fish it weight less both catfish and stripers will go after your bait.

    Rod & Line

    I recommend 7' medium to heavy rod

    Minimum 15 pound line (mono or braid)

    For TW I use 30 pound braid


    That pretty much covers everything I know about the duct. Again this is what works for me people are successful using other methods and tackle go out there and get em.

    Most important people please pick up your trash we don't want the state to run us out.

    If you have any questions please feel free to contact me publicly or private message and please send me pictures of your catches.
    I'd like to roll up there soon. I'm not asking for your exact spot, but can you tell me "exactly" where to fish :)

  4. #4

    Default

    Fish structure bridges gates and siphons bends and open water the fish might be at one spot today and 5 miles away tomorrow they do not hold up in one spot if your lucky to get to the gates on golf coarse rd. when there isn't 20 fisherman that might do you good let me know how you do

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Santa Clarita
    Posts
    3,898

    Default

    Thank you. I'm always happy to learn new techniques.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Bakersfield
    Posts
    6,388

    Default

    Great write up. IMO the best on the duct page.

    Great work

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Bakersfield
    Posts
    6,388

    Default

    I just PM'd wing nut advocating this become a sticky

  8. #8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by cutbait View Post
    I just PM'd wing nut advocating this become a sticky
    Thanks TB and Cutbait

  9. #9

    Default

    hey guys just started to fish for stripers.. I've only been to pyramid and silver wood and had some luck. i have been wanting to go out and check out the aqueduct and this was some great info. thanks a bunch of the post and if there is anymore tips anyone would like to share the would be awesome! again hanks for the post.

  10. #10

    Default

    Thanks for the info.

    Can I ask which spots you like to frequent?

    I have fished the aqueducts only once. It was at a spot off the 15 towards Victorville. My coworker likes to go towards Bakersfield.

    The consensus seems to be that the Bakersfield area is more productive.

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