12 October 6 , 2023 VOL . 42 • ISS . 14

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

CONTINUED FROM PG 9

DON PEDRO LAKE

and salmon are usually not too far from them .” The surface water temperature is starting to cool down , with the latest reading at 72 to 74 degrees . Anglers are experiencing cool mornings and mild midday temperatures . Don Pedro is holding 198.348 acre feet of water , 97 percent of capacity and 106 percent of average .

- Dan Bacher

FEATHER RIVER

Fish Hatchery Ladder Opens for Migrating Salmon

OROVILLE - Salmon spawning activities at the Feather River Fish Hatchery began with the opening of the fish ladder on Sept . 15 . Hopefully , enough fish will return to this and other Central Valley fish hatcheries this year to rebuild the salmon population so anglers can once again fish for fallrun Chinook salmon on the Feather , Sacramento , American and Mokelumne rivers and the ocean . Recreational fishing for salmon is closed this year on all California rivers , due to the collapse of Sacramento River and Klamath fall-run Chinook salmon populations . Recreational and commercial fishing is also closed in ocean waters off the California coast . “ Visitors to the Hatchery ’ s fish barrier dam overlook viewing area can view salmon congregating and jumping in the Feather River and see them up close through the underwater viewing window as they swim up the fish ladder ,” the California Department of Water Resources reported . “ The overlook is located off Table Mountain Boulevard across from the Hatchery . The fish ladder is expected to remain open through early to mid-July 2024 for viewing opportunities .” “ The Feather River Fish Hatchery ’ s spawning operations enable millions of Chinook salmon to be released every spring in the waters of the Feather River , San Pablo Bay , and San Francisco Bay to support Northern California and Pacific Ocean fisheries . DWR owns and maintains the facility and provides funding to the Department of Fish and Wildlife ( DFW ) for its spawning , rearing , and stocking operations ,” the agency stated .

- Dan Bacher

FOLSOM LAKE

Trollers Nail Trout , Salmon and Bass

SACRAMENTO – Folsom Lake is in transition now as the weather cools the water temperature down and trout , king salmon and black bass move into fall mode . Clients fishing with Wes Ward at fishhuntshoot . com caught 9 rainbow trout to 15 inches on his latest trip to Folsom . “ We had a full boat all weekend . On Saturday , we didn ’ t have a bite until after 11 a . m . We ended the morning by finding a mix of bass , trout and salmon on a postage stamp way shallower than I have been fishing for the last month .,” Ward reported . “ Today , I went right back to that shallow spot and had 3 in the boat by 8 a . m . We experienced fairly steady action with a mix of trout and salmon well into the morning . Our last fish was an average trout caught around 1 pm ,” he added “ All of my fish this weekend were caught in the top 30 feet of water . They seemed to move up as the day progressed with our last fish only 15 ’ down . Copper speed spoons trolled

at t 3.2-3.8 mph were the hot ticket ,” Ward noted . “ It ’ s changing out there daily . Patience and persistence have been the keys for me to produce for clients .,” he advised . Other trollers have been catching a mixture of rainbow trout , small king salmon and some black bass also . “ I had a great day today , September 26 , with 10 bites and 5 fish out of 7 hookups on the trout and 3 bass ,” reported Kevin Schultz on the Folsom Lake Fishing Report Facebook Page . “ I hooked the fish off Folsom Point with chrome / blue Speedy Shiners at 35 ’ going 3.2 mph . On my previous trip , I got 5 bites , landing 4 planter rainbows and a bass .” Folsom Lake is holding 677,939 acre feet of water , 69 percent of capacity and 135 percent of average . The lake level is 437 feet in elevation , 29 feet from full . Currently all five launch ramps on Folsom Lake are open . The surface water temperature was 70 degrees at press time .

- Dan Bacher

LOS VAQUEROS RESERVOIR

Catfish , Stripers Lead Angling Parade Until Fall Trout Plants Began

LIVERMORE – The Los Vaqueros Reservoir management will continue to stock channel catfish instead of rainbow trout until the water temperature cools down later this fall . The water temperature at the lake at press time was 77 degrees . The latest plant of 1,000 pounds of catfish from Tsai Enterprises went into the reservoir on September 7 . That makes for a total of 4,000 pounds of channel catfish planted in the reservoir since the first plant of the season on July 26 . Anglers targeting channel cats are fishing chicken livers in the South Cove and elsewhere on the lake . The catfish being caught average 2 to 5 pounds , but bigger fish are out there swimming in the lake . For example , Saul Aboyles landed a 19.86 lb . catfish while soaking an anchovy in the South Cove this summer . Bank anglers continue to hook striped bass while tossing out anchovies in the South Cove and off the fishing pier and south cove . The keeper fish average 18 to 21 inches long . Successful anglers include Jose Cortez and three family members , who caught a total of 7 keeper stripers while bait fishing

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at Los Vaqueros on their latest trip . The water level is currently at 128,000 acre feet . Boating has been limited due to wind . Please call the marina and check the conditions before arriving so you can plan accordingly . For more information , call ( 925 ) 371-2628 .

- Dan Bacher

Nelson Vineyard , from Vacaville , had non-stop action while trolling with Sierra Fin Addicts on Lake Tahoe . The mackinaw bite is red hot and there are very few boats on the lake .

Photo Courtesy of Chris Ditter

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