Fish Sniffer Magazine Issue 4010 | Page 12

12 May 28 , 2021

VOL . 40 • ISS . 10

Freshwater reports :

Continued from pg 9

EASTERN SIERRA cont .

snow melt . Smaller caddis larva patterns , SJ Worms , and midges , assassins light , and Pheasant tails can get you into fish .

The Upper Owens River has a few cutthroat now showing throughout the river . They are in one spot one day and in another the next . Please do not fish to the cutthroat that run in a pair as they are established on their redds and have already started the spawn . The pods of fish that are vying for position are the ones that will bite your flies . Be careful to keep an eye out for lighter colored depressions in the gravel as these are holding eggs and fry that are very fragile , so please take extreme care if you are crossing or wading here .

Crowley Lake has been excellent for fishing in water from 12 - 16 ’. Enormous midge hatches during the warmer days have continued to grow , and some unsettled weather patterns have brought some wind and precipitation at times but it has not shut off the bite . The fish are hungry and feeding heavily on midges in the 16 - 22 size range . Weed growth has already started on the bottom and the sandy areas between them are giving up some terrific fish . Best patterns have been the # 16 - # 18 SD Chironomidge , # 16 - 20 Tungsten Zebra , # 18 Gillie Light and Dark , # 16 - 20 Copper Tiger midge , # 16 Broken Back Copper Tiger Midge , # 14 - 16 Blood Midge , and # 16 -18 Mud Candy .

The Lower Owens River flows have stabilized at the 275 range which has made it good for fishing now . Warmer days in the Bishop area have set in now , but wading at this flow is tough with all the brush on the banks . There has been an explosion of ticks down here , so take care not to let your pets run around on the banks and make sure to check yourself after walking around here . Fish are spreading out and holding in the pools and in the riffle water now .

The San Joaquin River access is still closed to vehicle access but Caltrans is making good progress in clearing the road . We may get an earlier season here than normal due to the lighter snowpack and earlier run-off .

- Sierra Drifters Guide Service – Doug Rodricks

Ebbetts Pass / Carson Pass Region

Hit Spicer Reservoir for Beautiful Rainbows

ARNOLD – Shore anglers are catching

June 12 & 13 , 2021 $ 1000 in Prize Money

Must pre-register • Call for details !

4008

Edward Tomilloso was fishing Lake Cachuma located in the Central Coast . His bait of choice was a Strike King 3 / 8 oz swim jig with a Googan Squad bait trailer in shallow brush when he caught this post spawn 21.5 ” largemouth bass .

lots of rainbows in 16 to 20 inch range at Spicer Reservoir , now that the road to the lake is open .

“ Anglers are throwing out Kastmasters , Panther Martins , PowerBait and nightcrawlers from shore near the dam and the boat ram ,” reported Bill Reynolds at Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods .

The lake level is already below the ramp , so larger boats will have a difficult time launching at best . Anglers in small boats are hooking limits of rainbows while topline trolling with Wedding Rings , Speedy Shiners and other lures

Hobart Creek , which runs into Spicer Reservoir , will now open on the Saturday preceding Memorial Day and closes on September 15 . Previously , Hobart didn ’ t open until July 1 . The limit on Hobart Creek is two fish . Information : ( 209 ) 795- 1686 .

Lake Alpine is now open and fishing has been hot for rainbows ,

“ Numerous big fish and multiple limits have been caught lately ,” said Reynolds . Anglers should use PowerBait , Power Eggs , nightcrawlers , Kastmasters , Panther Martins and other offerings for the trout .

Anglers have weighed in some hefty holdover rainbows in the 4 to 8 lb . range from Alpine over the past couple of weeks , said Reynolds . You can launch a boat at Alpine , but the boat ramp isn ’ t in the water .

“ The North Fork of the Stanislaus River and White Pines Lake are being planted regularly with rainbow trout by the CDFW ,” said Reynolds , “ so fishing at both waters is good at this time .”

In the Carson Pass region , Bear River , Silver and Caples lakes are all open , but fishing reports were few and far between .

“ The 2021 season is starting up slow ,” according to Joe Voss of Caples Lake Resort . “ We are open – and taking reservations . The store and marina are open . A big batch of catchable brown trout was planted in the reservoir by the CDFW on May 7 .”

Right after ice out some quality mackinaw were caught by shore anglers and boaters . One shore angler , Michael Grosse , caught a 10 lb . mackinaw on a red / gold Panther Martin , and a woman in boat landed a 17 lb . mackinaw .

- Dan Bacher

Feather River / Knights Landing-Colusa

Night Trollers Bag Huge Stripers

YUBA CITY – The striper fishing has slowed during the day on the Sacramento River above Ward ’ s Landing , but a few guides , including Raith Heryford and Ryan Tripp , are finding success on big stripers while trolling F-18 Rapalas at night . “ Seven fish over 35 pounds have been reported caught lately , including a 45 pounder ,” said Aaron Searcy at Johnson ’ s Bait and Tackle .

Feather River fishing pressure remains light , although a few anglers are picking up striped bass in the lower river from Nicolaus to Verona .

“ A couple of friends caught four stripers in the 18 to 24 inch range on a recent trip while tossing out black plastic worms and lures from a boat ,’ said Searcy . “ They were able to get out in a boat after the water rose 1-1 / 2 to 2 feet after the Department of Water Resources increased water releases from Oroville Dam .”

Searcy said many of the stripers that were in the river have spawned and are on their way downriver .

“ Anglers are also catching a few shad here and there on the Feather at Shanghai Bend and the mouth of the Yuba River while throwing darts and jigheads with plastic grub tails ,” he noted .

Folsom Lake

Trollers Battle Rainbows and Kings

FOLSOM – Boaters trolling in the low waters of Folsom Lake are still catching good numbers of rainbow trout and a few king salmon .

“ At the risk of sounding like a broken record , Folsom rainbows are still chewing nightcrawlers behind the watermelon sidekicks on the top lines and pink GVF Draggins a little deeper ,” said Jerry Lampkin of T . N . G . Motorsports Guide Service . “ The one king we caught on our latest trip made it a baker ’ s dozen . The king hit GVF Pina colada spinner bug , of course .”

“ Most trollers at Folsom now are catching the rainbows from the South Fork to the dam at 25 to 35 feet deep and the kings at 60 to 70 feet deep ,” said Craig Newton at Willfish Bait and Tackle in

Auburn . Black bass fishing is also very good at Folsom . “ One customer reported that he and his fishing partner caught and released over 50 fish during one recent trip ,” said Newton . “ The fish were mostly spotted bass , with a few largemouths and smallmouths mixed in . He was fishing Ned-rigged Senkos .”

The low water ramp at Browns Ravine is the only ramp open at this time . The speed limit on the entire lake remains 5 mph .

Folsom Lake is holding 369,738-acre feet of water , 38 percent of capacity and 47 percent of average .

- Dan Bacher

Los Vaqueros Reservoir

Shore Anglers Hook Trout in South Cove

BURSON – The rainbow trout plants continue at Los Vaqueros , due to a combined 5,000 pounds of Mt . Lassen rainbows going into the lake over the past month . Plants will continue to be bi-weekly as weather allows .

Shore anglers are picking up good numbers of rainbows while fishing with PowerBait , Kastmasters and other offerings in the South Cove , the dock near the marina and Cowboy Cove .

For example , two brothers , Gary and Dan Brown , caught their limits of rainbows . 10 fish total , on their three last trips to the lake . They were fishing with PowerBait in South Cove , reported Miriam at the Los Vaqueros Marina .

“ We haven ’ t rented out a boat for a week because of the strong winds ,” she stated .

Stripers are also providing solid action at Los Vaqueros . Most of the keeper stripers being caught by rental boaters and boaters are in the 18-22 inch range . Your best bet for the stripers is to bait fish with anchovies , troll with Rapalas or other plugs or to cast out trout pattern swimbaits and top water lures .

For those wishing to target catfish , chicken liver and anchovies are the top baits . South Cove , Cowboy Cove and Oak Point have been mentioned by anglers as some of the better spots .

The water level is currently at 126K-acre feet . The water temperature is 62 degrees . The water clarity has been good except for windy days .

If you are looking to rent a boat it is always a good idea to call ahead to check current wind conditions . Remember ; rental boats are first come first serve . Weekends and some weekdays sell out quickly . For more information , call 925-371-2628 .

New Melones Lake

Trout , Kokanee and Bass Lead Late Spring Catches

ANGELS CAMP - New Melones Reservoir ’ s current water level is 997 in elevation and 91 ft . from full . The lake is holding 1,399,009 acre feet of water , 58 percent of capacity and 92 percent of average . During the current drought year , New Melones fares better than most lakes and reservoirs , being the 4th largest lake in California ,

TROUT : The trout bite has stayed relatively good recently as most of the fish are eating bait anywhere from the surface to 30 ft deep . The areas that have produced the most trout recently are Angels Creek , the spillway and dam and around the Highway 49 bridge as there is large groups of bait schooling up , up river . Some good lures to use right now would be Kastmasters , Rapalas , Apex lures , Speedy Shiners and hoochies , as many of the kokanee fisherman are picking up quite a few trout . The best colors to use lately have been silver , watermelon , orange and

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