Stripers are the bad boys of San Francisco Bay. Aggressive, abundant, hungry, and tough, striped bass are the biggest fish in the river and the most numerous. There are three groups of stripers: the "schoolies," which run up to 6 pounds; a large group of adult fish to 20 pounds; and finally, the lunkers to 40-plus pounds. The abundant suckers, shad, and small steelhead in the river in the late spring and early summer bring these big fish in to feed and create the opportunity for the fish of a lifetime.

The best striper fishing is in the spring, summer, and early fall.

Stripers live in the river year-round, although the best fishing is in the spring, summer, and early fall. The bigger bass are caught in the big deep holes below Watt Avenue, which is the takeout for most of the fly-rod fishing in the river. However, small to medium-size bass swim throughout the entire upper river, especially after midsummer when water temperatures rise. Like bass everywhere, they prefer to feed early and late in the day.

To catch these fish, that commonly run up to 20 pounds, fish Clousers and Deceiver-style flies with a fast strip retrieve on sinking-tip or lead-core lines.

A 7- to 9-weight single-handed rod is the best choice for bass, with a fast-sinking shooting head and a big green, gray, yellow, or chartreuse-and-white #2 to #2/0 Clouser or Deceiver retrieved to imitate a fleeing baitfish.

Many dedicated striper anglers use 26 feet of 300-grain lead-core line as their head to get the big flies down fast and keep them there during a fast retrieve. Casting this rig takes practice. An open, looping cast in which the lead head is essentially lobbed at the target is the best approach. That long section of lead-core flying through the air with a #1/0 streamer on the end gives a particular urgency to the old notion of "chuck and duck!" A stripping basket helps keep the shooting line from tangling.

John Peck holds a 30-pound-plus striper caught on a 300-grain sinking-tip line.