Fish Sniffer Magazine Issue 4013 | Page 2

Up-To-Date and Published Locally ... By Sportsmen ... For Sportsmen !
Bodega Bay-Marin Coast Map Feature
MADE IN U . S . A
See Page 16

39 Years Serving Sportsmen

Vol . 40 - ISS . 13

Our 39th Year
Since 1982

“ The Magazine for West Coast Sportsmen !” INSIDE

Area Reports

Huge Berryessa Kokanee Reward Persistent Anglers

As we approach the tougher months of kokanee fishing , the reward on some lakes will be drag-ripping , trophy-sized footballs . Easy limits will not be the norm , but are you willing to risk a tough bite for the chance at a twenty-inch kokanee ? When I don ’ t have my sights set on Kokanee Power derbies , there is a big bull ’ s-eye on Lake Berryessa . Being only about ninety minutes from my house , choosing to fish Lake Berryessa this time of year is pretty much a no-brainer for me . The lake typically kicks out the biggest kokanee in the state . An elusive twenty-inch kokanee is swimming around out there right now , and I ’ m not going to pass up my shot at it ! Will your next trip to Berryessa yield a twenty-incher ? I ’ ve already seen three confirmed fish over nineteen inches landed this year . In recent weeks , I ’ ve been able to make three trips to Lake Berryessa . While we haven ’ t been able to put quick limits into the boat , we have been able to land several fish approaching eighteen inches . One of these trips kicked off early on a Friday morning with my kids Grace and Adam . On Friday May 28 , we got an early jump and had several

The Great Crew On The New Eldorado III Put Limits Of Salmon On The Boat

Fish Sniffer reader , Charles Brooks from Esparto , nailed this healthy king salmon while fishing with the New Eldorado III .
Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan

WHAT ’ S HOT by Jack Naves

fish in the boat right off the bat . It was not a hot bite by any means , but we grinded it out until 12:30 pm when the kids went for a swim back in Capell Cove . We had ten kokanee in the box , and the size was good . Six of the fish were over 16 inches , with two of those measuring over 17
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T he salmon season opener in the San Francisco region did not disappoint . The charter boats have been putting up easy limits and most private boaters have as well . These amazing fishing reports inspired me to book a trip with the New Eldorado III out of Berkeley , California . I will tell you all about the amazing fishing but first I need to take some time and tell you that the crew stole the show . Captain Shawn was behind the wheel and the two deckhands were Scott and JR . I have fished on a lot of charter boats and it is rare to see the

Grace Naves poses with a 17 ” kokanee she landed at Lake Berryessa on June 26 . The fish slammed a size 1.5 glowbelly Hot Spot Apex in fluorescent pink behind a 4.5 ” teardrop dodger . The fish was caught at 45 feet deep trolling 1.6 miles-per-hour .

GONE FISHING by Ernie Marlan

captain , and two deckhands work together as closely as these three do . Trolling for salmon on the ocean requires a tremendous amount of work for the deckhands . Preparing baits , keeping lines from getting tangled , untangling lines , tying leaders are a few of things that they do . I was most impressed watching the deckhands clear lines for anglers to eliminate tangles when another angler was hooked up on a fish . Over and under . Then under and over and
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July 9 , 2021

FRESHWATER REPORTS Almanor - American River Sacramento Area .. 12-13 Lake Berryessa - Feather River ...................... 14-15
Folsom Lake - New Melones Lake ..................... 19 Lake Oroville - Shasta Lake ............................ 20-21
SALTWATER REPORTS Fisherman ’ s Wharf - Monterey Bay .................... 24-25 Monterey Bay ........................................................... 26

FEATURES

Where ... When ... How ...
GO FOR IT : Staff ........................................................ 4 MAP FEATURE : Dan Bacher ................................ 16-17 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION : Dan Bacher ....... 23

STAFF TACKLE

What We ’ re Using

Ernie Marlan - fished with the New El Dorado III for salmon . Trolling anchovies proved to be productive with 46 salmon caught for 23 anglers . Ernie used custom rod built by C4 Custom Rods teamed up with a Okuma Tesoro spooled with 50lb FINS braid .
Paul Kneeland - fished Pyramid Lake with Joe Novelly , Steve Pestone , Paul Saviez and Brian Lockshaw in the Fish Sniffer Rogue Jet 21 Coastal . They caught Lahontan cutthroat trout to 10.4 pounds , using an Okuma 8 ’ 6 ” SST steelhead Rod with an Okuma Cold Water SS line counter reel loaded with 10 lb test Soft Steel line . They trolled 4 inch Silver Horde spoons in orange / Chartruese and Yakima Bait Mag Lips chartreuse with red dots , off Canon Downriggers at 25 to 45 feet deep and 2.7 mph .
Dan Bacher - fished for rainbow trout at Loon Lake in the Crystal Basin . He used a Berkley Ugly Stick GX2 6 ’ 6 ” medium action spinning rod , teamed up with a Shakespeare GX235 spinning reel filled with 6 lb . test P-Line CX Premium Fluorocarbon Coated Line . He fished with rainbow Berkley PowerBait , nightcrawlers and 1 / 8 oz . gold and black Panther Martins .