VOL . 41 • ISS . 15
September 16 , 2022
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GONE FISHING continued from page 2
we have sponsored ,” said Kaiser . “ One was celebrating her birthday . Girls who had never been on our trips or on a fishing boat before caught salmon . We ended up with 40 salmon for the girls , along with 8 fish for crew , including three deckhands and Captain Jared Davis .” Kaiser said she was very happy to have caught three salmon , ranging from 8 to 16 pounds , and educate the gals on the work the GSSA is doing for the salmon fishery . The fishing continued to be good on the following Saturday , with the Salty Lady returning with 36 salmon up to 24 pounds for 20 guys . On Sunday , the boat returned with 27 salmon up to 32 pounds for 24 anglers , and a handful of rockfish , while trolling anchovies in less-than-ideal weather , said Captain Jared Davis . The ocean salmon fishing has slowed over the past couple of weeks , but anglers are still catching quality kings while trolling off the Marin County Coast . “ We missed out on the hot weather again .,” said Captain Davis . “ The weather is flat calm with just a hint of cool sea breeze and a very pleasant 70 degrees at best .” “ We did have a hot salmon bite , but unfortunately it did not last long ,” said Davis . “ We caught eight fish within the first hour of the day - along with a few other missed opportunities - and one more in the box for the whole rest of the day . We ended up with nine fish for twelve customers up to 29 pounds .” Some may be wondering why we ’ re seeing such good ocean salmon action in the midst of a drought . John McManus , GSSA President , believes the improved overall fishing this year is a combination of a better juvenile salmon ( smolt ) release strategy and good ocean forage and water conditions . “ Survival of hatchery fish is much higher than it ’ s ever been ,” said McManus . “ This is in large measure because of the work of the Golden State Salmon Association that has pushed state hatchery managers to move the releases of these fish into friendlier waters near the Golden Gate Bridge .” He said baby salmon released near the Golden Gate survive at two to four times higher than those released at the traditional state release site in Vallejo . “ In both 2021 and 2022 , when authorities resisted increasing releases at Ft . Baker in Sausalito ( one of the best release sites ), GSSA used its connections with Congress to get releases doubled there the last two years in a row . This is already paying off big time in the ocean with more good fishing to come ,” he stated . Information : https :// goldenstatesalmon . org . In contrast with the hatchery fish , naturally spawning salmon , including endangered Sacramento winter-run Chinook salmon and spring-run Chinook salmon , have fared very poorly during the drought . Only 2.6 percent of juvenile winter Chinook salmon below Keswick Dam made it as far downstream as Red Bluff last year in low , warm water conditions resulting from the Bureau of Reclamation ’ s temperature management plan , according to fish advocates . Ninety-one percent of a record run of spring Chinooks on Butte Creek perished before spawning last year , due to the failure of PG & E to release cold water in time .
Trolling off the Marin County Coast at sunrise on a flat calm day .
Photo courtesy of Jared Davis , Salty Lady Sportfishing
Salmon fishing has been going strong outside of the Golden Gate , as these two anglers who caught these hefty Chinooks on September 8 aboard the Salty Lady can attest .
Photo courtesy of Jared Davis , Salty Lady Sportfishing
Ca Kaiser , the events director for the Golden State Salmon Association , shows off a big king salmon that she successfully battled aboard the Salty Lady during the “ Fish Like A Girl ” trip outside of the Golden Gate on August 18 .
Photo courtesy of Jared Davis , Salty Lady Sportfishing