8 June 26, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 14
FRESHWATER REPORTS:
CONTINUED FROM PG 6
AMERICAN RIVER cont.
Pencil Poppers, Zara Spooks and other
top water lures early and late in the day.
Throughout the day, you should find the
top striper action while drifting live jumbo
minnows, live crawfish and cut anchovies
and sardines at Sailor Bar, Upper and
Lower Sunrise, El Manto, Rossmoor Bar,
River Bend Park, Gristmill, Watt Avenue,,
How Avenue and other locations.
- Dan Bacher
BERRYESSA LAKE
Kokanee, Kings and
Rainbows on Tap
NAPA – You can take your pick of
kokanee salmon, rainbow trout and king
salmon at Lake Berryessa.
“I made a guided trip today for Jacob
and Benjamin,” said Rich Crispi of TW
Guide Service. “The morning bite was off
the hook from 630 to 8 a.m. We boxed
4 kokes and we farmed 3 more kokes in
the time frame. Between the wind and
the aerial display the kokes put on, we
couldn’t keep then on.”
“We just slowly picked up a fish or a
bite about every 15 minutes. The 40 to
55 ft. depths were the best. We used
5.5 watermelon and the 5.5 orange
moonshine splatter paired up with RMT
UV Orange super squid with custom
orange tiger spinning blades,” he stated.
“We landed a total of 11 kokes to 16
inches .(4 released), 2 kings to 15 inches,
(1 released), and 2 rainbow trout to 15
inches. (1 released). We got blown off
the water at 1130 a.m. - not a bad day
for heavy winds and a short window of
ignored and all the strikes came on my
deep rod working at 10 feet.
The second Speed Spoon fish, another
husky rainbow, came off a rock studded
point. After releasing the fish, I worked
the point hard for no more strikes. What
the heck?
Around that time, the water went glassy
and the sun was fully over the mountain,
so I swapped out the spoons for dodgers
teamed with threaded worms.
15 to 20 feet was the depth and the
action was steady on 14 to 17 inch
rainbows. The trout were willing to hit,
but were not aggressive. The fish were
holding deeper than I expected and I often
had to play with a striking fish for some
time, speeding up and slowing down, to
get the rainbow to commit.
That’s one of the luxuries of trolling
rigged worms. When the fish are finicky
you can play with a tentative striker and
often hook up. With spoons, it’s typically
hit or miss.
This has been a recurring theme for me
over the past month or so. The trout have
often been a little off the bite and holding
deeper than I expect based on the surface
temp.
Buoyed by my success at French
Meadows, my next trip was to Stumpy
Meadows a few days later with Wes Ward
and his son Jake.
I started off with worms and got two
strikes right away at 15 feet, but missed
both fish. That set the pattern for the day
for me.
Jake and Wes on the other hand, enjoyed
wide open fishing on spoons landing
rainbows and browns one after the other.
Of course, I switched to spoons, but I
still couldn’t hook up. When all was said
and done I ended up with one small brown
while Wes and Jake released 1,841 trout
FRESHWATER
Trout are still on the bite at Lake Amador. For fish to 5 pounds trollers are working 30 feet
deep.
Photo courtesy of LAKE AMADOR RESORT, Lake Amador.
opportunity,” he stated.
On a recent trip to Berryessa, Alan Fong
of the Fisherman’s Warehouse and his
three fishing buddies landed 20 kokanee,
five Eagle Lake rainbows, 2 crappie
to 2-1/2 pounds and one 13 inch king
salmon. “Eight of the 10 kokanee were in
the 16 to 17 inch range,” said Fong.
Fishing on the following trip was a little
slower, due to the wind and impact of a
full moon.
“The three of us landed 10 kokanee
ranging from 13 to 15 inches,” said Fong.
“We didn’t catch any trout or salmon this
time. We trolled in the main body off the
GONE FISHING continued from page 1
Success! After losing two big fish, Cal managed to boat this 23 inch Jackson Meadows
cutthroat during his first ever visit to the lake.
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff.
to 17 inches or so…Or at least it seemed
like 1,841!
Moving on, Jackson Meadows had been
on my radar for weeks. One planned trip
was cancelled due to wind. Another trip
was aborted when the steady soaking rain
turned to heavy wet snow around Nyack.
Well on our third try we actually made
it to the lake after getting semi-lost.
Neither of us had been to the lake, so we
didn’t know what to expect.
Wes started out with Trigger Spoons
and when that didn’t work he switched to
a grub and dodger.
I started hooking fish right away at 15
feet on an orange Trigger Spoon Jr. The
first trout was a 2-pound rainbow and
the second fish was a smallish cutthroat.
It was my first kayak cutthroat so I was
pumped.
As the morning went on I continued to
land and release nice rainbows. Around
9 o’clock big fish started biting. Wes lost
a fish he estimated to be 24 inches on
his grub and I lost a big fish that struck
a fly and tore off a bunch of line before
shaking the hook.
Big Island in 38 to 60 feet of water.”
He noted that the bass fishing is “on fire”
at Berryessa. “Bass anglers are catching
and releasing a mixture of largemouth,
smallmouth and spotted bass while fishing
NED rigs at 10 to 20 feet deep,” noted
Fong. “One friend reported catching lots of
bass on rip baits also.”
Don Paganelli of Paganelli’s Bass
Fishing Experience reported catching and
releasing 20 bass, all largemouths except
two spotted bass, on his latest boating
adventure at Berryessa.
“Most of the fish were in the 1-1/2 to 3
pound range,” said Paganelli. “I caught
I hooked and lost
another monster
near the dam on a
huge 7-inch trolling
fly and then finally
landed a 23-inch
cutthroat on an
orange Trigger Jr. at
20 feet.
I found Jackson
Meadows to be an
amazing lake and I
can’t wait to get back
there!
Well that’s about
it for now. I’ve been
dealing with unstable
weather and often
finicky fish, but I’ve
landed lots of dandy
trout. There is plenty
of good fishing on
tap, pick your poison
and go get them. I’ll
see you on the water!
3904
3813
Mark Morrison fishing Guide Service
Salmon, Stripers, Trout, American Shad
NOW BOOKING STRIPER TRIPS
1-6 people - Full day trips
Fishing gear supplied
Sacramento, American and Feather rivers
916-308-3228
markmor14@gmail.com
markmorrisonfishingguideservice.com
BOOK EARLY
FOR BEST DATES!
the majority of my fish from 5 to 15 feet
deep on drop shot rigs and Senkos in the
main body.”
Lake Berryessa reopened access to its
boat launches located at Markley Cove,
Pleasure Cove, Steele Canyon, Spanish
Flat and Putah Canyon Recreation Areas.
Boaters will be required to have boats
inspected for invasive species before
launching.
- Dan Bacher
BULLARDS BAR/
ENGLEBRIGHT
RESERVOIRS
Trollers Battle Kokanee
Salmon
DOBBINS – If you want to hook a limit of
scrappy kokanee salmon, it’s hard to beat
fishing at Bullards Bar Reservoir now.
“Kokanee fishing is wide-open,” said
Craig Newton of Willfish Bait and Tackle.
“Experienced trollers should have no
problem catching their limits.”
Newton experienced great kokanee
action on his latest solo trip to Bullards
Bar, landing 14 and keeping 10 in two
hours of fishing. The larger fish were in
the 11 to 12-/1/2 inch range.
Newton used micro-hoochies, tipped
with white corn, at 45 to 60 feet deep. The
backside of Garden Point produced the
hottest fishing.
The Emerald Cove Marina facilities are
back open after being temporarily closed
during the coronavirus epidemic. The boat
ramp is open. For the latest information,
call 1-877-692-3201.
Bullards Bar is holding 876,529 acre feet
of water, 91 percent of capacity and 105
percent of average.
Boat launch facilities and dayuse
recreation areas are now open
at Englebright Reservoir. Use of
campgrounds and group picnic shelters is
prohibited and the project office remains
closed to visitors, according to the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers.
Engebright Reservoir is holding 68,122
acre feet of water, 97 percent of capacity
and 101 percent of average.
- Dan Bacher
CAMANCHE
Holdover Rainbows Go Deep
BURSON - Lake Camanche continues
to kick out limits of holdover rainbow trout
in the early morning hours for boaters
trolling in the deeper portions of the lake
from the main river channel to the dam.
CONTINUED ON PG 9
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(209)609-7034
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