Salmon vs Striper on California’s Coastal Waterways | S3E03 | Cal in the Field

This week, Cal is back in California’s Sacramento Valley. This time he’s dropping below the surface of the Sacramento. At first it may look obvious that Salmon are at odds with stripers, but could that just be what’s on the surface? Join Ryan Callaghan as he fishes for Salmon and Striper while diving in deep on the water issues that have plagued this area for decades.
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Want to spend more time with Cal? Tune in every Sunday for Cal’s Week in Review, a podcast delivering a unique spin on outdoor news designed for folks that need to know what’s going on, and those who want to pretend they do. Listen here: bit.ly/2J4iQD4
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[@fishinwithfisher9680]

I ran into Ryan "Cal" at the Butte city boat launch last year while there were filming this episode and Id have to say he's a class act, it was getting late and he was eager to hit the water but was not to busy to stop and talk with my wife and i for a few minutes and share his knowledge and tell us about what he was learning on this adventure. It was great talking to him and he is a great advocate for the outdoor lifestyle.

[@MeatEaterTV]

Awesome, we'll pass this along to Cal!

[@columbiariverpussycat3769]

Yeah, well I walked past Rick Moranis once at Disneyland

[@taylormade2055]

@@columbiariverpussycat3769 good for you!🍪

[@soonerfrac4611]

Just about any other celebrity and it really wouldn’t matter. Rick is supposed to be a class act as well.

[@Synchronic8080]

Awesome story. Thanks for sharing. We need more Cal's around our waters.

[@coltonmullins2274]

Man it sounds cheesy but meateater’s educational harvest videos are why I’m going back to school for wildlife management. Can’t wait to try my hand at sustainable harvest management and education of future generations. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Love y’all

[@WillsGoneWalkabout]

That’s commendable dude. Good luck with the studies.

[@chrisoher]

That's awesome dude. To experience learning something and it inspires you to do something about it. It's not often we find meaning in our lives, but when it comes, grab it! Best of luck friend 🙏

[@chrisschertz203]

Thank you for producing this episode. It was great to see some of the issues the Sacramento river valley fisheries are facing being shared globally. Water in the valley is becoming more and more valuable every day here and the fish seem to get the back seat.

[@chrisgee848]

Thanks Cal. I love that you are bringing much needed attention to our water issues here on the Sac river I call home. It has been such a declining fishery since I was a kid and I hope with a greater audience with these videos we can achieve some forward progress on our issues.

[@WillsGoneWalkabout]

Chris, how much have you seen it decline? Has your experience been similar to what was mentioned in the episode in that it is cyclical with water levels?

[@christianfilloux]

@@WillsGoneWalkabout it is ALL water level and it is NOT cyclical!! We have seen a STEADY DECLINE in the past 30+ years and water flows are less than 10% of that level now! This is only getting worse. I fish salmon in the SF bay area and surrounding waters

[@eddiehoff5278]

One of my favorite series. Fishing, learning and eating. Gotta love it.

[@aparson2967]

That. I always love a meal at the end.

[@soonerfrac4611]

Another reason why Duck Dynasty was awesome.

[@kylevogt2252]

Love the Sacramento love. Definitely an amazing region, that has its challenges both ecologically and socially. Thanks for the great episode

[@BenZFishing]

As a commercial salmon guy and avid striper sport angler here I can say with confidence that striper get the most pressure. They’re accessible by about every level of angler in every area from stream to ocean from shore. I can also say what this video is getting it is spot on. Well put together guys and thanks for spreading awareness about our awesome but struggling fishery. More water for the sac!

[@mrsockeye]

Very cool. I love seeing the Meat Eater crew working in California. Both of these species are near and dear to me. I definitely prefer salmon to stripers, but stripes are a lot of fun too. One thing can't be overlooked, and that is that striper numbers have been free falling and in the same state of collapse as the salmon. It is hard to believe that stripers are the culprit when they too are in such a poor state. It also has been pointed out that stripers are not new comers to the Sacramento. They have been there for over 100 years, and Chinook numbers remained abundant until about 2009.

[@mayasplaytimelolsurprisedo4128]

When there is less food supply to feed on the population dips while the food supply rises over time. Vice versa

[@dogsense3773]

I'm 66,in the sixties in San Francisco the stripers give us city kids something to do,we never got into trouble with all the time fishing for these fish,and man there was a lot of stripers.now when I fish for them it's 5-12 fishing trips to get one 18 inch fish in the bay,there numbers are way down. Thanks!

[@Nik-gh6gz]

Agreed, I dont that its one or the other, because they are both important parts of the delta ecosystem. Salmon smolt predation is only a problem because of bad hatchery release strategies and because of low flows/not enough water, which prevents them from getting to the bay before they become a striper buffet

[@dogsense3773]

@@BF... my mother in law had a farm in Manteca,in the 1990s I worked this farm,we would pump water from the river in this water were baby stripers and salmon depending on the time of year you would see these fish more or less! Thanks!

[@Ty-fs9tp]

@@BF... do you live in California?

[@sempersquid5989]

Awesome to see you in California!

[@Alex-ol5pk]

Loving the spotlight on CA recently. We have a lot of good hunting and fishing opportunities but our water situation is putting it all in jeopardy. Too many straws in too small a supply.

[@jasonborne682]

YOU MUST BE A ROOKIE! CA HAS THE WORST HUNTING & FISHING OPPURTUNITIES IN THE U.S!!!

[@Alex-ol5pk]

@@jasonborne682 IDK about that man I've had plenty of good hunting and fishing In Norcal over the years. But hey the more people think it sucks the less competition I'll have.

[@roughcountry5913]

I agree. There is great deer hunting in California. We kill good bucks every year on public land over the counter tags.

[@soonerfrac4611]

As someone with a certain amount of disdain for Komifornia, I’m gonna have to argue against them having poor opportunities to fish and hunt. Is it heavily restricted, to the point of madness? Yes. Do the anti’s have control of the DNR? Sad, yes. Is hunting and fishing frowned upon by much the public? Very much so. Hell! They *FIRED* the head of their Fish & Wildlife Department for a hunt that was perfectly legal out of state but illegal in state. But ultimately, no, the don’t lack opportunities for hunting and fishing. Even as an out of stater I recognize that it’s got lots of potential, tons of public land, and some of the wildest trout fisheries in the country. Suffice it to say, if Komifornia were to split into Jefferson…..I’d go in a HEARTBEAT! If they pulled their head out of their 4th point of contact then even down in Southern Kali there’s great hunting and fishing. It is definitely wasted on schmucks that don’t appreciate what they have.

[@ericc3327]

Everywhere I’ve visited this year, from Klamath Falls down to the southern border, has been brutal dry. Shasta was 50’ lower than my last visit 3 years ago. Was lucky to get some access to flooded fields for ducks at the start of the year, but deer season will be a wash for a lot of folks once the fires start up again. Maybe I’ll try to hunt one of the b zones, can count on water near the coast at least. Really just hoping sometime in the next couple years we get a couple wet seasons back to back. Too many people using water, not enough new water falling down.

[@BadAtHunting]

Love the CA videos. Great work.

[@adrickvelasco570]

Love the spearfishing content. Keep it coming!

[@andymiller3541]

The rare California Meateater episode! Awesome!

[@415gman]

I did not know you can spearfish in the Sacramento River!!! Awesome videos Cal. Extremely happy to see the episodes you are making here in California.

[@playmeortrademe2835]

It’s a fairly new and only allowed for stripers in the American and sac

[@415gman]

@@playmeortrademe2835 thanks for the info!!

[@hubbcap77]

Been open since 2013 May 1st thru sept 15th Valley districts only

[@415gman]

@@hubbcap77 thank you very much!!!

[@aaronnorman8019]

Right in my backyard, I wish I would have got the honor to meet you folks in the flesh, your welcome in California any time!

[@charlieswimbait707]

Great episode! Better water management is what we need!

[@aaronpoloni]

Those Kwikfish are some old killers. No paint left! Those things are priceless.

[@DanielDunn]

As is normal, excellent work from Cal. Thanks!

[@DiegoAndrade-yz1ku]

This is awesome this is where I fish. It’s cool they’re filming this show so nearby

[@leemartin9579]

I lived in Northern California, and I was amazed at how poorly the forest management, and water management was conducted.

[@soonerfrac4611]

Gotta be gReEn!

[@LBVFISH]

I've been watching Meat Eater for a long time and I'm not sure how I missed this episode O.O...especially because I'm a local to this area. Great fishing video even though it was during Season 3 (regulations have changed since then).

[@ecv03]

This year (2023) Salmon season is closed do to bad water management. Thank you cal for such a great episode.

[@erikramirez324]

So awesome! They were in the same place I go salmon fishing. So cool to have the MeatEater team in my backyard

[@WillsGoneWalkabout]

Conservation is getting more attention and hopefully it resonates with more of us hunters and fishermen. It’s our obligation to not only keep but improve the resources, land and waterways we use. Well done Cal and team for raising the awareness.

[@soonerfrac4611]

We also have to be careful about our conservation efforts. Teddy Roosevelt would likely not approve of the Sierra Club today that he helped found. Many organizations started as conservation groups and have morphed into anti-hunting/fishing now. Or they make unrealistic demands such as removal of all dams, which would cause already starved farmers to further crumble, and major cities to have to ship tap water from further away. We definitely need to reduce or modify our dam systems, but we can’t get rid of all of them. Just like how the anti’s want to get rid of predator hunting, it’s not a good idea.

[@humbugvideos]

I'm so sick of California not getting enough credit for its fishing opportunities. Loved this video, great job guys!

[@C-24-Brandan]

Love catching 36+ inch stripers here in CT when In season. They're challenging, put up a great fight & taste amazing ! Great content as always guys, really enjoy & appreciate the variety of content you consistently put out for us!

[@Tanplays15]

I love it here in Texas to

[@C-24-Brandan]

@@Tanplays15 👍🎣

[@WillsGoneWalkabout]

I’m keen to get up your way and chase them.

[@C-24-Brandan]

@@WillsGoneWalkabout it's super fun from the shore or on a boat. Myself and friends have been super fortunate & caught absolute monsters in past years, they're super fun to go after. The fight ect they put up is really good & the legal size allowed to keep they taste really good pretty much any way you cook/prepare them. Where are you located / do you have them where you are?

[@WillsGoneWalkabout]

@@C-24-Brandan I am inland NC. I know they get down this way and spawn this time of year. I love traveling with rod and reel and always keen to see new places.

[@skeetermalcolm1655]

Love watching meat eater Cal, especially al the great information, thanks brother

[@fisheyedigital]

Digging the show Cal

[@dougyfresh9013]

The damn sea lions keep coming way up the river and eating all the fish also.

[@weselyminnikov1473]

I’ve been fishing sac river for 20 years, never have I knew that you can spear fish stripers

[@waddell7354]

Considering stripers are an invasive species I'm not surprised.

[@weselyminnikov1473]

@@waddell7354 yea, but we still have regulations on fishing for them

[@hatimnaji9589]

"He knows more about salmon thank I do mustaches" .. that's a pretty solid argument 🤣

[@joshuajennings5723]

I'm a big fan of Yalls show on Netflix I watched every episode on Netflix! Steve Your food is great, we have your cook book and love your chili and Bolognese! In fact were eating your chili tonight! Keep it up man ! Steve your the best professional hunter! Cal Is my favorite costar there as well! both yall keep it up!

[@eriks9576]

People forget that there were peak salmon and striper runs the same years in the past..... No water and diversion is the enemy

[@christianfilloux]

100%!! We have had 70lb stripers living with 70lb Salmons UNTIL we took their water away!!!

[@ichi_go]

Thank you for spotlighting this issue. With more mainstream attention maybe the allocation of water for FISH will become more of a concern as opposed to anything else.

[@fridge.4834]

So stoked to see freshwater spearfishing content! Great episode all around

[@devinpenfold2274]

What a great and educational series this is. Keep it up. Best content on KZbin. Should have at least 10M subscribers. Shocked it doesn't

[@jamesa823]

Fantastic show, thank you Cal and Meat Eater team for making this amazing content. Odd transition from water quality to being happy with the day at the end of the episode.

[@thechadillac1211]

I loved fishing on the Sac, just fun and worth it.

[@andrewwood3467]

I love the Sacramento River! Great video!

[@lewismooney3941]

Cal is an amazing dude!

[@moman4kids1]

the RESNICK name is where MEATEATER should be looking into

[@user-vo2cj3fx8s]

Just when I thought I had gotten myself such a treat to see Cal's manly figure, he shows off why his flavor saver is so precious. Keep being an amazing lady magnet Ryan! MEOWZA!

[@underdogoutdoors]

I've learned more from this video than from anywhere else.

[@brainn3057]

Great episode! Looks like a lot of fun.

[@AnnaLexi]

*_Hell yeah!! Sacramento valley in the house.. Much love to the 530 & the 916!!_*

[@clangzy]

I can’t believe cal has guided for a good portion of his life in BC and has never taken the time to hit the rivers here in fall when the salmon are up

[@s.k7770]

Funny in the north east striper is so popular, one of the best and most fun fish to go out and catch. Caught 40lb+ striper last fall

[@JoJo-os4wg]

I read "Salmon vs. Stripper" and clicked so fast. The vid wasn't what I thought but I wasn't disappointed lmao

[@subthousandoaks]

Thanks Cal! Don't work too hard

[@bearhuntingmagazine]

Great episode Cal!

[@Norcaloutside]

Love this Video. I fish for striper on the west coast in the Connecticut River and Long Island sound, and now fish for them on the west coast in the Bay Area. It's surprising to have these two species in the same river.

[@Fowlshooter]

The main problem with the water is sending it down to LA and SF , all the problem start with those two cities you get of rid them helps the water ways in the future .

[@pinetarsavage]

That's just not true. It's ag dude. It's always been ag and always will be ag.

[@jeremiahamacher453]

I wonder what Dave Jacobs would say when he sees the billboards all over Sacramento, the ones that day it's not a waste of water to farm food? Even if the "food" they are growing is cash crops for export like wine grapes, almonds and pistachios.

[@seanfitzpatrickk]

I don’t know why I never thought of spearfishing in rivers.. very cool.

[@LprogressivesANDliberals]

To fish well in the east bay you have to invest in a boat. I’ve been land fishing the Sacramento River/Bay Area/beach coast/ aqueducts and it’s very miss 98% and hit 2%. In from Minnesota so fishing wasn’t this hard but to have great success in the east bay of Cali, a boat is a needed investment 😭

[@andrewkiminki6841]

Skol buddy

[@G_F1]

If they’re talking about being on the Sacramento River 180-200+ miles from salt water, then they’re nowhere near the East Bay Area or even the delta. They’re way up above Sacramento even, toward Chico/Hamilton City. You definitely don’t need a boat to salmon fish up there. Not to mention fishing other rivers that have salmon like the Feather River.

[@ChooseFreshAtSubway]

Not necessarily man you just need to find good spots over time and tide plays a huge role (of course not in the aqueduct)

[@500dollarjapanesetoaster8]

Having done shore/pier fishing in my youth vs being able to be on a boat now, definitely score more often than from shore. Of course, skill enters into it--a dummy with a boat will still do badly compared to a knowledgeable guy from shore.

[@stillthesameEvans]

This was an awesome chance to see how Cali overthinks even fishing, but not to Proud to negatively effect the water system.

[@danielsloan5705]

I am urging my California friends and relatives to watch this.....nice job!

[@outdoorsmanal1759]

Awesome show Cal! Always learn something when I tune in. Thanks!

[@trollnu1356]

Aahhhhh....come on i love you guys wish i caught yall here that woulda been a hoot

[@Airsoftbonnybridge]

I absolutely love anything with Cal, but this episode was particularly good. I think you should have switched the release dates of this episode and the duck episode. This provides the context I was missing in that episode.

[@j.t.patton7820]

What a badass day of fishing...If this was all in 1 day.

[@jake9705]

4:02 -- What meat is the guide strapping to the lure? Looks like mackerel.

[@paulyoung7047]

Sardine

[@matburn88]

I love fishin for striper, good eating too.

[@wolf.the.forester]

Those striper are the size of my bait for them here in RI.

[@__Gw]

Shout to the pacific states fisheries commission, they are helping with Chinook salmon numbers

[@michaelmisczuk7570]

A guy fishing strippers told me once, "i use 22" to 24" skipjack for bait, you want a big fish, use big bait." I think they're going too small. Lol

[@craigfox6870]

It's crazy how striper(or rockfish in MD/Delaware etc) are a prized fish on the east coast and a "pest" on the west coast. Salt water striper is my favorite eating fish, period, and it's a damn good fight.

[@damiensingh4950]

I think you should go surfcasting for stripers in montauk for the fall run this year. or you can catch them next spring. would be fun to see cal or steve in a wetsuit swimming out to a rock to get into some good casts.

[@robertrodgers1423]

Look into the crop usage of water in CA, specifically almonds. They use incredible amounts of water to produce nuts to the point we aren't exporting almonds but the water to produce them. If water is scarce in CA then why give it to the most thirsty crop?

[@500dollarjapanesetoaster8]

We grow rice in CA too--it's completely stupid. Almonds as a mono crop also need huge amounts of bees trucked in to pollinate since you can't have bees live off 20,000 acres of something that only blooms once a year. On the water mgmt side, we also have some dumb decisions to let out masses of water when it would be more prudent to pace it out. CA gov has allowed growth without adding infrastructure. They do add lots of rules and taxes, but not enough resources to address new piping, electric grid etc.

[@robbrown3]

Everything needs water. Look up how many gallons of water it takes to produce an Iphone or a pair of jeans. It's not about what needs the water, it's about proper management of the water. Which has been done poorly in CA for a long time.

[@robertrodgers1423]

@@robbrown3 my point exactly.

[@aarotron1677]

I think if you look into who owns the highest amount of Almond Orchards in the state you will understand why and get your answer. There is a documentary about it as well mentioning how the rich and powerful get whatever they want. The money based politics that are influencing decisions is what make issues worse and worse such as the water crisis.

[@johnvangorkum5955]

HOW MANY GALLONS PER SALMON? Nuts are a great inexpensive protein that feeds the world that have brought a lot of good jobs and money to the valley

[@ws8061]

When I was in scouts we took a high adventure trip every other year and we went to Alaska one year, being young and dumb we had no idea Salmon don't feed on their trip up river so it was very frustrating seeing these massive salmon just stare at your hook

[@leebarnes393]

You are so right! First and foremost Cal needs to fix it's waters and like you said everything eats smolts!! Whether it's bass, trout, pickerel, or any preditor spices, you can't blame just one! Brown Trout are notorious preditors as are Bass!! Releasing larger size smolts or older would be better than blaming a certain fish!! But first and foremost Cal needs to clean up your water act!!

[@stevenlauzon7031]

Oops! I totally read the title wrong. Seemed like a odd turn to send Ol Cal to the Rippers

[@ricflair5956]

Lol hatcheries are not the solution. They are merely a symptom of the problem. No amount of hatchery fish would fix or solve the issue.

[@carplay5454]

as a bank fishermen of sac, i love fishing for stripers during the spring run. its the only chance i get in a year to catch these fish near me. any other time of the year, i typically have to drive to the delta to target legal size striper. as for salmon, i only floss for them in the fall run. i have my year planned out of what species to target during certain months in the sac river.

[@dogsense3773]

I'm 66, been fishing for stripers for 60 years,man have a caught some stripers in all my years of fishing I have never never found baby salmon in a striper, just saying thanks!

[@Lektrician]

Cals mustache vs the calif Stache

[@jamestessman1433]

I've witnessed very very large stripers in Connecticut and these fellas are adorable in comparison

[@paulyoung7047]

We get plenty of big ones. My personal best on the west coast is 57lbs. I've fished Rhode Island and Connecticut and was lucky enough to get a 60lber out east.

[@ronaldmcguire1581]

I used to live near there. Mid seventies were phenomenal for strippers. Limits then were 3 per day. Most often we fished for 100lb limits. When the cottonwood was floating you'd better be on the river.

[@invadernik]

a guy who knows more about salmon, than i do about mustaches". god damn, now thats qualified.

[@vitamind2387]

I grew up salmon fishing in WA and I miss it so much now that I live in OK but then I discovered striped bass, they aren’t salmon but the fishing is similar

[@averyhartvigson4893]

Collaborate with outdoor chef life!

[@raydlopez420]

I enjoy both species, but when it comes to cooked fish I will always take striper over salmon. Salmon raw or smoked is amazing though. Striper is typically so abundant, especially in land-locked lakes. Out here at Lake Mead, there is no limit on striper 20" of less. It's insane how many striper are in that lake.

[@bobbysweeney5377]

Man, this should be good! I've seen a stripper work an eel once, but a king salmon ?¿!🤯

[@bobbysweeney5377]

Oooooh. Striper .. 😒

[@tattoojosh1]

Cool video Unfortunately it's not very informative on this issue. I have spent my entire life fishing the American River system. I have never lived further than a few miles from the lower American. I feel like you could have spent your time while here looking into the the true threat to our beloved Salmon. Without a doubt the largest threat to these temperamental fish is LAS ANGELES. You see each and every year I have watched southern California take, take, take, take our water. It's not our fault that those people moved to a desert that has no freshwater. ( if I'm being honest that is a stupid human) they send people up here to infiltrate the water boards in a effort to eliminate the thing that is stopping them from taking all of our water. That thing is the Salmon. This topic is filled with players on both sides and it doesn't take long to figure out that Southern California is the villain in this story .

[@robertspivey8446]

We need to save the all the fishing spots

[@JoshuaH831]

One of my friends is a biologist that works with fish and game and if they really wanted to save the salmon run they could use their electroshock boats to stun the striper and bass in upper sac and they would all float up for a little bit giving them chance to net invasive fish. Would work best if they worked certain striper known hot spots in the upper river and work them the times of year salmon aren’t running. Obviously this isn’t going to work in the lower part of river where it’s wide af but typically when salmon get down stream there chances of survival go up tremendously

[@pescandoconelflaco1370]

Nice fishing You can spearfishing in Sacramento River?

[@marktate4466]

Somebody please buy Cal a new hat. Even Stihl cringes at that thing.

[@Joe-xm3fm]

5:13 cally buddy gotta correct you on that one, possession is how many you have in your possession -ie-boat/cooler/home/ect… which I know is bs but I’ve had a few a hole law try and use it against me. But I know you guys don’t have to worry about those guys with your connections (must be nice to be able to say that and not get in trouble)

[@jessicah7247]

Cal should check out Ikijime. The bonk is effective, but I've heard Iki has an effect on the meat because the death is near instant.

[@N2theBlue1]

Correct. By killing the nerves along the entire spinal column it creates a lot higher quality meat. And bleeding is super important as well. I helped ikejime a bluefin tuna once and we got a premium price because of it. Was interesting using a battery powered sawzall on a fish lol.

[@mryang3644]

Didn't know u can spear fish striper on the Sac river

[@karlmerhoff3858]

Your in childhood backyard I lived across from the bargehole

[@b1vids165]

Where about did they launch on the river?

[@semtechdeck13]

What size does the salmon have to be in order to keep them? I know stripers its 18 inches in CA

[@phillip9451]

I don't think it was mentioned it was I apologize, did they say how much weight they were putting on to properly stay in one place while freediving?

[@hubbcap77]

That depends on body weight. Only way to know is to adjust up or down while on the water. Conditions constantly change

[@JustinSkenandore]

Honestly curious, did you let that last fish go because you had your limit, or can you not harvest a snagged fish?

[@johnwayne564]

Hard to believe anyone knows more about anything than Cal knows about mustaches.

[@kpyangz916]

How are you able to catch these so easy

[@mryang3644]

Sacramento River is hott now.lol

[@bssaassin1900]

I grew up in eastern sacramento fishing the American river for salmon, stripers,american shad and steelhead. The american is a much prettier more natural looking river although it too is dammed and has water issues. The american is much clearer than the sac but the sac has more stripers,sturgeon and up north has one of the best wild trout fisheries in the country. A bad day in the redding area is 10 rainbows. The mountains have really nice trout streams like the McCloud, the upper sacramento, the feather, and the upper american has trophy browns in steep rugged country. But it's been pretty bad with our water situation hope things get better soon