Re: How do you know how fast to go when trolling?
Trolling speed to me is no set speed. First just put you lure in the water and watch it action.
Adjust your speed for the best action on the lure and then check what speed your doing.
In general it is 2 to 3.5 mph. Now the you need to get your lure to the bottom by adding weight and adjusting your amount of line out and then if you must adjust speed.
Also trolling against the tide to make and movement may have to troll faster or move to slower water. Trolling against the tide I slow as much as possible and still have good lure action.
In the cold water of the winters you need to slow down. In summer speed up some.
I have not trolled the napa river area but have caught a lot of stripers near the mouth but mostly on bait.
Your boat may be a little small but San Pablo bay in the buoy 5 area and sturgeon triangle are usually good striper fishing near xmass an New Years.
Bull heads about the best for anchor boats. Mudsuckers and shrimp good for drifting on slow tides.
Over near the Borthers there is an area where often find bait fish near the surface.
If your see birds diving move over quickly and cast a lure with no weight or very little weight and catch the spripers right near the surface. Really fun and a good fight without any weight.
A good rig for trolling the area is a heavy hair raiser in yellow or red on the bottom then about 2 feet above that a 3 way swivel and a short line to a Rebel. Troll slow enough that the hair raiser hit bottom often. This is good for both Stripers and Halibut.
Call Loch Lomond bait and talk to Keith Fraser. He will give you some good tips but like all bait shops they will tell you about the good spots near their bait shop.
Also ask Keith when we will be giving his Sturgeon and striper semiars. Frist time can help you alot and he will share spots and even put them on your chart after the show.
Also at the San Mateo boat show Abe and Analgo cunaig will give semiars but they fished more in San Pablo and San Francisco bay.
I used to fish the San Pablo Bay area with a 14 foot Klamth Aluminum boat but now have a bigger boat. Between storm it can be very nice but if the wind starts to pick up do not stay too Long as it can get danergous for a small boat.
Some late but good infomation in link below also.
http://fishsniffer.com/reports/norcalsalt.html#Rich
Last go to Water4 Fish.org and sign the pettion to save the Delta.
As you know the Salmon Fishing has been closed for 2 Years and likely again next year for all of California. Striper fishing and Sturgeon also declining. Sturgeon is now down to 3 fish per year max.
Send all your Elected rep a message that you expect them to force the state of California to let enough water flow thru the delta to the ocean for fish to live and make it by the water and fish sucking pumps.
http://www.water4fish.org/
(bait, lunch, whatever)