22 Sept 11, 2020
FRESHWATER
VOL.39 • ISS. 19
FRESHWATER REPORTS:
CONTINUED FROM PG 22
RANCHO SECO cont.
recreational opportunities including
camping, boating, fishing, swimming and
wildlife viewing. The 160-acre lake is fed
by the Folsom South Canal and is a great
year-round day or overnight getaway
located in California’s Central Valley, just
25 miles from downtown Sacramento.
For the latest information on the status
of fishing and recreation at the reservoir,
call the Rocky Mountain Recreation
Company at (209) 748-2318.
- Dan Bacher
REDDING/RED BLUFF
Trout Fishing Solid, Salmon
Should Blitz Sac Soon…
REDDING- The upper section of the
Sacramento River opened to salmon
fishing about a month ago. Anglers have
landed some big chromers, but the action
hasn’t been red hot.
With big numbers of salmon feeding
beyond the Golden Gate, it’s just a matter
of time until big numbers of kings start
showing in the Sacramento River. For
salmon anglers, the months of September
and October will likely offer very exciting
action.
Trout fishing on the Sacramento is solid
for both fly guys and gear anglers. Fly
anglers are drifting multiple nymph rigs
teamed with indicators.
Gear anglers are back trolling with plugs
and side drifting with beads, roe and
crickets.
If you go you can expect to see lots of
14 to 16 inch rainbows with the larger
fishing pushing up to 22 inches.
Both Robert Weese and Mike Bogue
are top sticks when it comes to putting
anglers on big bad kings. To book a trip
with Weese of Northern California Guide
Service, give him a ring at (530) 755-
7196. To arrange a trip with Mike Bogue
of Mike Bogue’s Guide
Service reach out to Mike
at (530) 246-8457.
RIO VISTA
Smallmouth Bass
Bite Gets Going
RIO VISTA – If you
want to try something
different, give smallmouth
fishing on the North Delta
a try.
That’s what Don
Paganelli of Paganelli’s
Bass Fishing Experience
and two anglers did on a
recent trip on Steamboat
and Miner sloughs. They
caught and released
a total of 30 fish to 2
pounds, including 17
smallmouths, 5 spotted
bass and 8 largemouths.
‘We bounced around
different spots on both
sloughs,” said Paganelli.
“We caught them on top
water lures, including
poppers, in the morning.
Then we used wackyrigged
Robo Worms on
small lead heads. We
were off the water before noon.”
Mark Wilson, striper trolling expert,
reported solid fishing on the west bank
of the Sacramento River below Decker
Island, in Broad Slough and on the San
Joaquin. River. On his latest trip, he and
two other anglers caught 19 stripers,
including 12 keepers to 9 pounds and
7 shakers, while trolling Yo-Zuris at !2 to
15 feet deep. They kept their limits and
released the rest.
Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing
out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley
has returned to the Delta to drift live bait,
spoon, and troll for striped bass.
“The stripers are biting, and we have
been trolling along the West Bank for
early limits of linesides to 8 pounds,” he
stated. “Drifting live minnows has also
Jose was fishing at Lake Camanche this August hoping for a
channel cat when this chunky carp came to dinner.
Photo courtesy of JOSE BLANCO, Stockton.
been productive, and we put in limits on
Sunday morning before switching over
to trolling. There has been quite a bit of
grass in the water, and the best action has
been coming when the tides slow down
during the change. The smoke came in
pretty thick on Sunday morning.”
ROLLINS LAKE
Bass Fishing Slumps With Hot
Weather & Boat Traffic
COLFAX -Things are pretty slow at both
Rollins and Scotts Flat Lake these days.
Warm water temperatures combined with
heavy boat traffic have put both bass and
trout off the bite. The action is expected to
rebound with cool overnight temperatures.
“I’d been doing pretty well on bass at
Rollins, but now that bite has absolutely
died,” reported Jason Pleece of Meadow
Vista. “On my last trip I caught one bass
on a popper and missed a second strike.
It’s not really worth launching my kayak
for a pair of bites.”
“This is a pretty typical pattern at Rollins
and other local lakes during the month
of August. I expect the fish to start biting
well again once we get into some cooler
weather, especially once it gets chilly at
night,” Pleece commented.
At Scotts Flat, the bass action has
slowed to a stop and the lakes trout are
holding deep and playing hard to get.
Catfish are providing the most consistent
action at Scotts for anglers fishing early,
late and after dark.
The shoreline near the campground
has been producing well, but the other
spots like the corners of the dam are
holding whiskerfish too. Top baits include
anchovies, worms and mackerel fillets.
SACRAMENTO AREA
Night Time Is Right Time for
Cats
SACRAMENTO – King salmon fishing
is still slow, with heat and warm water
temperatures making most of the fish
heading upriver through the Sacramento
River in the metropolitan area rush
through without holding long at spots like
mouth of the American, Miller Park, Garcia
Bend and Freeport.
“Anglers are getting one fish here and
there while trolling with spinners and
plugs or casting out Mepps Flying C
spinners from shore,” said Dennis Pfanner
at Sacramento Pro Tackle. “I wouldn’t
expect to see big numbers of salmon
move through until around September 25
when the American fall Chinooks arrive.
I’ve owned the store for over 40 years and
that’s the date you can normally expect
CONTINUED ON PG 22
water.
At Lake Tahoe, the kokanee bite has taken off
for fish that range up to 14 inches. Mackinaw
are also going off at the big lake and there
have been some bonus cutthroats and browns
slapping baits and lures too. All in all, this is a
pretty good time to hit Tahoe.
The north state’s big three trout lakes,
Almanor, Eagle and Shasta are all booting out
quality fish.
At Shasta, the bite is early in the day. The
fish are 60 to 80 feet deep and will pop just
about any shad pattern lure. If you get an early
start and work the marks, limits are the rule on
rainbows that range up to 4 and browns that
Brian Garcia of Colfax and Gary Caruso of
Auburn show off a pair of big Eagle Lake
Rainbows.
Photo by Paul Kneeland, Fish Sniffer Staff.
WHAT’S HOT continued from page 1
can weigh 8.
Almanor is the king in terms of big trout,
but as is generally the case at the lake, they
aren’t easy to hook. Some guys are getting
rainbows and the occasional brown on
spoons, but the most successful guys are
slow trolling worms along the bottom from
25 to 40 feet deep.
Rainbows to 6 and browns to 8 are being
reported. If you’d like to experience Lake
Almanor at its best and learn to catch its
often finicky trout, Bryan Roccucci of Big
Daddy’s Guide Service is the man to call.
He’s the best angler on the lake and he’s a lot
of fun to fish with.
Eagle Lake’s rainbows are holding down
25 to 30 feet deep much of the day, but they
can be found shallower early. Limits have
been the rule for early morning anglers
pulling orange spoons. The rainbows are in
great shape and range from 2 to 4 pounds in
most cases.
Okay let’s take a look forward. I expect
very good striper fishing to take place in the
West Delta early in the fall and then those
fish should spread throughout Delta waters.
In theory, there should be a surplus of
bass. First, fishing was difficult last fall
due to weedy conditions so less fish were
harvested. That was followed up by the
spring Covid 19 shut down, which kept
many anglers at home and left a lot of
stripers in the system that would have ordinarily
been caught.
Look for the bite to get good in September
and it should extend right into early
December. Early on trollers and pluggers
will have the edge, but as the water
temperature drops cut bait and live bait will
produce well.
The situation is similar in terms of trout
fishing at valley, foothill and mountain
lakes. In short, we don’t really know what
our lake’s hold right now, but there is every
indication that there is a surplus of trout.
Remember that trout plants were
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underway during the pandemic shut down.
By the time we got back on the water most
of those fish had gone deep. They are out
there somewhere right now waiting for the
water temperature to drop so they can start
moving toward the top. When that happens,
things are going to get very exciting very
fast!
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