PRINCETON – Late last month, a regular on the Sacramento River striped bass scene had a good feeling about a very specific spot on a stretch he knows well. That feeling was confirmed when a tanker lineside struck and was ultimately boated, and while that set a new personal best for the angler, it didn’t by much.
“She ate the Baitsanity Explorer glidebait in carp pattern,” said Carson Maxstadt of Chico. “I knew exactly where to cast for this fish as she had bent out the hooks on a different glidebait five days earlier, and I had been going back trying different things to entice another strike ever since.”
He went on to tell Western Outdoor News despite the striper’s size, the bite was very subtle and not much more than “a light tick.” Maxstadt swung hard, regardless, and knew right away he had a giant on the business end.
“She gave it her all trying to throw the bait, but she had engulfed the entire 9.5-inch lure and was not going to be able to throw it,” he said. “With all upgraded hardware and a fresh Palomar knot, I was confident she was not going anywhere other than in the boat for a few pictures. Once the dust settled and we were able to get a few pictures she was successfully revived and released.”
Maxstadt’s fish was caught “south of Princeton” and tipped the scale at 42 pounds, which actually only beat his personal best by a pound.
