VOL . 40 • ISS . 8 April 23 , 2021

13 the water column most days this time of the year . As winter turns towards spring , Shasta will once again start to play tricks on you . Sunny , calm days and traveling fish can make for a tough day on the water . One tactic I have come to rely on is to not only work open water , but work the shorelines as the water begins to warm with the spring time sunshine when we tend get it . The browns will move towards structure and will often times sun themselves along the warmer shoreline areas , especially where structure is available . When trying to cover both deep water and shallow water near shore , there is no better technique than running side planers . You can cover both areas at the same time whereby increasing your odds of finding fish dramatically . Spring brings a little more predictability to the big fish scene . Most of the browns have migrated back to the arms of the lake downstream of their spawning grounds and the big rainbows are up in the rivers creating the next generation of wild rainbows in Shasta Lake . Because the big rainbows are a rare find in early spring , its the browns I focus on once again . A good percentage of the browns you ’ ll catch will be near shore now , especially on big points and rock walls . With more sunny days than not , I find that trolling right on the surface no longer gets most of the bites and I break out the downriggers again . I ’ ll still use the side planers , but I want some baits down a little deeper too . Deeper means 20-30 ’ and if I ’ m getting lots of bites at those depths , I ’ ll use some line weights to get my side planer lines down a bit as well . Trinidad Tackle makes a system perfect for that technique , called Eco Weights . They are a great tool for getting your side planer lines down to the browns in the spring March and April are my favorite months to catch big browns . They are very active and sometimes their stomach over rides their weariness making them a lot easier to catch .

Online Tackle Store

They have been back in the lake for a while now and most have fully recovered from the spawn . These browns have the appearance of ocean run browns and are very brilliant in color and shine . I will concentrate on browns solely during this timeframe and with browns over ten pounds caught this year , my calendar fills quickly and the big fish pics are hitting the internet daily . I will let you in on one of my success secrets for this time of the year . When I fish an area I know is holding big browns , I will troll through the areas with big Optimizer spoons at about 3.8 mph . When I work a section of shoreline and don ’ t get bites , but can see the fish sitting down below , I will size down and slow down . I find that aggressive browns will crush big baits trolled fast , especially early in the day . if they are not in an aggressive mood , I know they are in an opportunistic mode and will more likely grafter a smaller bait trolled at a slower speed . As May approaches , the browns will begin to move again towards the main body of Shasta Lake which can present some challenges when fishing for them . The good new is that the big rainbows are finishing up in the rivers and will be out migrating downstream making for another big fish alternative . If you ’ ve pounded the shores for browns and come up empty , push out over deeper water and you may be surprised when your side planer gets slammed and your reel starts to scream ! The big rainbows are back and they are on the surface again over deep water . Focus on the open areas of the lake at the entrance of the arms like Dry Creek , Big Backbone , Waters Gulch , and where the McCloud meets the main lake near Bridge Bay . I will often use a number of techniques to get my baits away from the boat because these rainbows will once again be high in the water column . Big spoons , small spoons , and stick baits from Bay Rat Lures are a good bet this time of the year . I like to troll

Kokaneemart . com is stocked with the wide variety of products designed to make your experience on the water the best it can be . We offer local , regional and national brands including :

Mack ’ s Lures • Brad ’ s • Glitterbugs • GVF Lures 4-Fins • Rocky Mountain Tackle • Paulina Peak Tackle Radical Glow • Crystal Basin • Lyman Lures Hot Spot Apex • Pro-Troll • Daiwa

Just to name a few . If you like Kokanee fishing , you need to visit us at Kokaneemart . com . We have the old standbys , new and original and hard to find brands and models of Kokanee Fishing gear !

Kokaneemart . com

a bit slower for the rainbows and find 2.5 mph to be a great speed for success . Be prepared for switching it up and looking for both rainbows and browns this time of the year . June continues to be a good month for both rainbows and browns , but the water temps are warming and the Thread fin Shad show up in numbers before their spawn . The Shad like the warmer temps so you will first see them tight to the shorelines where the water temps are the highest . This is the time of year when rolling Shad cured in Pautzke Bait Co . Fire Brine is absolutely deadly ! I like to use natural , blue , and chartreuse Fire Brine infused with matching color Fire Dye . Run the shad on a double hook rig , naked or behind a 4 ” Fish Flash and its fish on ! July brings the official jumbo summer rainbow trout season and it lasts through September when we ’ ve gone full circle and are looking at fall weather again . The most important factor to consider this time of the year is the thermocline . It changes nearly every week , starting from the surface to 30 ’ early and from the surface down to 125 ’ by late September . You will find the fish where the water temps are below 65 degrees . That is the top of the temperature range the trout will hang out in when they are looking for shad to feed on . The shad won ’ t go into cold water so the trout will have to come up out of temperature to find them . As the hot summer sun warms

• Cash Prizes ( Top 20 Teams ) • Maximum 300 Adult Anglers

• 4 Fish Weigh In Per Team Per Day –– Brown & Rainbow Trout and Kokanee & King Salmon only . Only ONE Brown Trout and TWO King Salmon per Team per Day

• $ 150 entry fee per person includes Special Gift and Bonus Pots for Rainbows , Browns , Kokanee and Kings !

For more information , contact :

Harold Jones , Sugarloaf Cottages ( 800 ) 953-4432

the top layer of the lake , the trout and Shad will gradually go deeper and deeper . By the time the trout are down below 80 ’ its a downrigger show and thats pretty much the extent of my technique for this last few months of the summer . Trolling Bay Rat Long Shallow stick baits , spoons ( large and small ), or spoon dodger combo ’ s are what I use to catch big trout . The Bay Rat stick baits are a killer lure for big fish , especially browns when trolled down deep . Optimizers and other smaller spoons are very effective too This pretty much sums up in light detail the tactics I use to find the big fish on Shasta Lake throughout the year . Of course there are tons of fine details to be mentioned , but for the sake of brevity , I think breaking down the specific techniques in other articles would be more informative for my audience . You all see the success my clients enjoy when it comes to catching big fish on Shasta Lake so take what I ’ ve laid out here and implement it into your own strategy when hunting big trout on your own . This is information I really on so I know it will help you as well . if you want to get the hands on course , book a trip with me and I ’ ll be happy to share what I know about catching big trout on Shasta lake . Please remember that these trophy Shasta Lake fish are a precious commodity so handle them with care if you intend on releasing them . Good luck and tight lines to you !

( based on 200 anglers )

Gary Coe , Derby Chairman ( 916 ) 985-4943 www . kokaneepower . org

2nd Place $ 1500 3rd Place $ 1000

Sponsored by : Shasta Lake Business Owners Association www . shastalake . org

4007