How To Get Started Fishing Grates At The California Aqueduct

An angler can never predict the outcome of a fishing trip.  He can only persevere.

Fifty Thousand years ago, before the evolution of modern day society, we didn’t have all the luxuries we do today.  We had to hunt for our own food, avoid being eaten by Mr. Sabretooth tiger and had to track game over long distances and bring the kill home.  Life was hard.

So hard in fact, that through this thing called evolution, we developed something internal.  Something biologically engraved in who we are to overcome these hardships. It’s our ability to never give up, to persevere.

Perseverance is defined as doing something or setting out to accomplish something even in the face of difficulty with little or no prospect of success. Sound familiar?

We go out fishing knowing we won’t catch a single fish and yet we still go.  Perseverance.  We will fish in subfreezing temperatures or sweltering heat in hopes of catching that one fish.  Perseverance.  We will travel through rough terrain or endure rough waters to get to our fishing hole to try our luck.  Perseverance.

A Fisherman would endure such hardships just to catch a limbless, cold blood vertebrate that breathes underwater.  You can call us crazy, on the edge of psychotic or just plain stupid but the reality of it is, biologically, we haven’t changed through thousands of years.

The modern world is no different than pre historic times, given the uncertainty, ongoing change and constant competition we face.  Our prehistoric behaviors still surge through our body to overcome difficult times to help us persevere. 

On a recent fishing trip, I had a moment of perseverance.

I had been fishing this location for about 20 minutes when whaam!  My lure gets hammered and almost instantly my rod tip begins to bend down over the water.  The fish dives and moves away instantly as well.

The battle had begun.

It was relentless and I didn’t want to break it off by muscling it in.  I checked my drag and I let it run.  Again it took off and kept diving…relentless.

Then it happened, on the last surge, my fishing pole shot straight up and the line went limp.  The fish had taken my lure.  I had lost the catch.  That evening I was unable to catch another fish. I had officially skunked for the trip.

Most fishermen have experienced this before.  You hook into that one fish and it takes you on a journey.  It never surfaces so you don’t know how big it was but it fought like a monster.

It’s moments like these, that drives and motivates us on.  That was my moment of perseverance.

Despite my lack of success or just shear bad luck the previous day, I persevered and went back.  Here’s how I fished this location the next day.

In this post, I will explain:

• What are grates
• How to find grates
• Why grates are productive 
• How to fish grates at the California Aqueduct

What Are Grates

Grates are cutouts along the California Aqueduct.  They are enclosed in a metal screen that filters out floating vegetation.  Farmers use the majority of these grates to pump water from the ducts for their crops.

How To Find Grates

The easiest way to spot a grate is to use Google Earth to locate them.  Grates typically have a pumping station right behind them.  You’ll see the stations before you see the grate when looking from above.

Why Are Grates Productive

Grates can concentrate baitfish because they can provide shelter.  The screens that enclose the grates are too small for bigger predatory fish to enter and big enough to allow smaller fish in.  If you would like to know what types of fish can be found inside grates, Click Here to see a post that talks about that. 

How to Fish Grates

I typically start out with jerkbaits at any location on the California Aqueduct. Jerkbaits are a reaction lure.  Stripers will try to eat it or strike at it.

I was using a ghost minnow SpeedLure.  Through trial and error, I found that stripers that day were interested in different retrieves.  I found that a quick jerk followed by a short pause then repeating the pattern all the way back worked for stripers.  I also found that the most subtle changes in the retrieve can sometimes be enough to entice a striper to bite.  There was a moment when I looked up at the camera and for a split second changed my retrieve without even thinking about it.  This little change followed by a pause was enough to get a striper to take my lure.

The time of day can play a role in your success as well.  I began my trip late in the afternoon.  Traditionally, stripers will be more active when there are low light conditions.  I did notice however that my hookup ratio dramatically increased as the sun got lower and lower in the horizon.

I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same success fishing grates.  As a fisherman, it’s a natural feeling to try again and again until you succeed.  It’s your willingness to never give up.  It’s in your nature to persevere.  It’s just being human.