Just finished a 3 month journey working in northern California……lovely little town called Laytonville….no, I hadn’t heard of it either. It is this general area where all the hippies of the 60’s and early 70’s went to…..lots of silver pony tails, tie dye clothes and the proud cannabis capital of California. Very mellow people who eat an awful lot of potato chips……..

Anyway, in April I was able to drive over to the Sacramento River a couple of times and sample some of the striped bass fishing out of beautiful downtown Colusa, CA. The first trip was memorable in that it poured rain nonstop and the wind was howling up to 30+ mph…lovely fishing day. Guess it could have been worse…..we could have been dry fly fishing….hahaha. Was a bit disappointed in the fishing technique as we were soaking either live shiner minnows or pile worms….I always pictured striped bass as gregarious artificial attackers. Evidently not here at this time of the year. Caught several stripers both times but nothing large….this was my best:



I swear the guide, “Dakota”, must have been Irish as he was the spitting image of a leprechaun (he’s the one with the beard…..doh):



Managed to inadvertently catch 2 new species while fishing. The golden hued, magnificent Sacramento River Sucker (Catostomus occidentalis) and the elegant but underwhelming Sacramento River NorthernPikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis)……or squawfish for those of us less politically correct.





On researching the distinctive SR northernpikeminnow, I realized this is one of four species of pikeminnow……I have caught one other species so I am half way to the illustrious grand slam of pikeminnows!!!! Woohoo.

As I was leaving picturesque Colusa I stopped at the gas station where I was greeted by this lovely picture in the window:



I’m not sure if these guys were just trying to be cute or they were clueless. But, as I did consume a piece of their chicken all I can say is the picture statement is true.

Tight lines guys,

Brian