Bang Bang,
That would work. Adjust your hook size to the type of bait your are going to use. Big bait....big hook. Little bait little hook.

I've seen guys use small sand crabs with small #4 mosquito hooks and catch stripers with no problem. Circle hooks are the best in my opinion. Hooks them in the corner of the mouth every time.

Cool...Next time I go out, maybe I'll give it a shot. thanks a lot for the help.

Stripers are here just not down in the Marina area. Guys are cathing them here and there but the best beaches right now up north by Santa Cruz. It's a matter of time before the fish move down this way. Talked to guys scooping for soft shell sand crabs down here. They have been digging for sand crabs here then going to fish up at Santa Cruz. Head north for better luck! Don't worry the season is still early and the fish will make there way down to us very soon......
Glenn

Hello my name is Spike and i am a long time follower and reader of this site and forum.I have gotten a lot of help with my striper fishing here.Especially from Glenn who is very helpful.Anyways I would like to say that after 40+ visits to the surf. From Seaside to mosslanding I finally in june got a 6 lber on a pencil popper.Then on june 12th I got a 22 lber on a fishtrap at Marina beach.So I would like to say that stripers are being caught and I have been out a couple of times since then .But have been blanked..So maybey I was lucky. But what an exciting fight that was finally my persistence paid off ..so I totally understand about paying your dues... Anyways Tight lines and good fishing too all.

Great post Spike! Congratulations on the stripers. There is nothing like fighting a striper in the surf. Don't get discouraged Spike... I've been out about the same amount of times and have not even got a tap from a striper. I've seen some caught just ont at the end of my line.

The fishing has been hit and miss. I'm not sure if they're are even schooled up anywhere yet. We still have time for that to happen. Just keep trying. You will be rewarded for you efforts.

I went out to the mouth of the Salinas River and saw a couple of fish caught on sand crabs. They were caught close to shore. Nothing for me but I'm not going to give up.

Keep on posting Spike. I'd like to hear about your outtings even if no fish are caught.

Thanks Glenn I will definately post on my future striper trips.

Spike,

Post some pictures too!!!! Pictures are worth a thousand words. Keep at it my friend....It's just a matter of time before you run into the school of fish.....

Glenn

Thanks Guys for posting .... I enjoy your posts

Thanks for reading Sr! I can't seem to find the stripers. I've seen some caught.....just not by me! Hope to post some pictures soon.

Glenn

Fished the Dunes Colony late in the afternoon. Saw on guys with a striper in his back pack. He was using sand crabs. A couple of other guys were throwing fish traps.

The fish are still spread out over the peninsula beaches. The reports I've been getting is that the fish are further north in the Watsonville/Santa Cruz area. I talked to guys that were digging for their sand crabs down here but are going further north to fish. The fish are bigger but again not in large numbers.

It's slowly getting better. At least fish are being caught every day. I thought for sure that the fish would have been schooled up by now. There is still a lot of time for that to happen. Have your poles ready. When the bite is on you have to get out there!

I've been spending a lot of time fishing for perch but will transition back to throwing lures soon.

For those of you getting out post what's been happening whether you are catching or not. I enjoy hearing about the experience...

Glenn

I went to molera beach on friday. I walked and fished all the way to the salinas river and back with only two very fast bites,but could not hook up. Could of been perch.I was wading in the water about 11 o clock and I think I saw a big striper in the waves ,close to shore. It almost scared me as I was in two feet of whitewater. I fished from 7 to 12 o clock.I have only caught perch at Molera beach.I will go back to Marina or to Watsonville on my next trip. I will report again next week .tight lines and happy fourth of july.

Nice Report Spike,

I'm sure you saw a striper! I've been killing the perch at Manresa Beach. The local guys up in that area are telling me the stripers are up in that neck of the woods. I fished there on Saturday and killed the perch. I got a good hit, which I'm sure was striper, but I couldn't get it to stick. My line got tight and immediately shot along the beach like a bullet....Perch don't bite that way but stripers do. Needless to say I didn't get anymore stripers bites. The holes there are very nice. The guys have been hitting the beach early just before the sun rises. Unfortunately I don't know the area well enough to tell you guys where to park. I know there are a couple of spots just outside of the gate at Manresa but again, I'm not familiar with that area and have to wait for the parking lot to open at 7 am.

I think it's time for me to bring the surf rods out again.

No major news to report. Fish are all over the place but not concentrated in one area so you really have to put the time in to find them. Guys using sand crabs have been catching fish by the mouth of the Salinas River but nothing to go crazy over......yet!

I've been spending a lot of time up in the Watsonville/Santa Cruz area for perch. Nobody has called me with an incredible story. Post some info even if you didn't hook a fish. We still like hearing about your outings.

Thanks Glenn

I was at Carmel beach (Carmel by the sea) the last two sundays... there were fisherman working the area.. one was trying a fly on a fly rod while wading. Another threw a popper.
None had caught anything. Then as we were walking back to the truck, got to witness the guy get his bite and land a striper on sand crabs. It was his first cast too!! Geez, why not us.
and also I believe it was last saturday we were told there were aybe 8 to 10 guys out there fishing (bait), and they had a couple too...
All stripers no perch.