24 January 12 , 2024

VOL . 43 • ISS . 1

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

CONTINUED FROM PG 22

RIO VISTA / DELTA

Alaska Native Roy .” “ About half were keepers up to 25 inches and the rest were undersized . We got on the water at 7:30 a . m . and fished until 2:30 p . m .,” he said . Sturgeon fishing is also “ really good ” in the West Delta and Suisun Bay at Roe and Ryer islands and the Middle Grounds , reported Zack Medinas of Gatecrasher Fishing Adventures . “ The six anglers fishing with me caught and released 8 white sturgeon ranging in size from two in the thirties ( inches ), a couple in the forties and the rest in the fifties on our latest trip ,” said Medinas . “ We had one triple hook-up .” On his previous trip , five people landed and released four sturgeon , including one in the fifties , one in the forties and a couple in the thirties , said Medinas . Another trip with three children and three adults on donated trips for the Pittsburg Sturgeon Derby and the Diamond Classic Catch and Release Sturgeon Derby produced four sturgeon released , including a 7-footer and one going 56 inches . They fished off Pittsburg and at the Middle Grounds . Medinas has been targeting the sturgeon with lamprey eel and salmon roe . The fish have been showing at 20 to 60 feet deep . Anglers hooked the fish over the weekend despite small incoming and outgoing tides . Anglers are reminded that new emergency sturgeon regulations are now in effect : https :// wildlife . ca . gov / News / Archive / emergency-whitesturgeon-harvest-regulations-nowin-effect

- Dan Bacher

RUSSIAN RIVER

Steelhead Were Biting Before River Blew Out

GUERNEVILLE - Before the river blew out with the latest round of storms , anglers were catching some quality steelhead on the Russian River . “ Anglers caught a lot of 1 to 3 pound steelhead in November and December and then some adults started coming into the river ,” said Scott Heemstra at King ’ s Sport & Tackle . “ The river is 3600 cfs at this time and is supposed to go down to 1700 cfs ..” On December 21 , the Russian rolled over at nearly 8000 cfs . “ Needless to say , it is a muddy mess with this being the first flush of the winter ,” he stated . “ The good news is all those coho salmon we saw a few weeks ago will make it home to spawn . I expect conditions will be tough for a bit with plunking bait and a spinn-glow along the edge your only option .” Big fish honors go to Andrew Ahn of Villa Grande , who bagged an 8 lb 11 oz chrome steelhead while

Randy Berquist of Sacramento shows off a huge 17 lb . cutthroat from Pyramid Lake taken on a pearl green Apex while fishing with Cory Kellar . Cory will be giving a Pyramid Lake seminar at the Sacramento ISE Show Friday at 5 pm and Saturday at noon .

Photo Courtesy of Cory Kellar fishing between Guerneville and Monte Rio ., and Pete Taylor of Guerneville , who landed an 8 lb . steelhead while fishing a boss fly in the Russian . Richard Lamb also landed a quality steelhead while fishing in the Guerneville area of the Russian .

- Dan Bacher

TRUCKEE / LITTLE TRUCKEE RIVERS

Trout Respond to Worm , Egg and Stonefly Nymph Patterns

TRUCKEE - The Truckee has been fishing very well this week with both customers and guides reporting a good bite along most of the river . The warmer weather of late brought the water temperature up a few clicks , resulting in some hungry trout . The fish haven ’ t seemed to mind the larger offerings this week with reports of worms , eggs , and stonefly nymphs all putting fish in the net . The LBS still remains very important , particularly on the upper section of river above the Little Truckee Confluence .

Zebra midges , micro mays , and juju baetis are 3 must haves for winter fishing on the Truckee . We are starting to see the winter stoneflies emerge , which are much smaller than your typical stonefly ( See image ). These are a major player in the system during the lean winter months right up until the Skwala ’ s begin to make a showing around February . The streamer bite remains fair as well , with the water temps a few degrees warmer than they were two weeks ago and with the browns heading into post-spawn . Go-to streamers would be sculpin and trout patterns in olive , white ,

San Jose ’ s most “ COMPLETE ” tackle store ! With large selection & low prices for fresh and saltwater . THE LATEST BASS TACKLE FOR THE TOURNAMENT ANGLER

On your way to : Anderson , Calero , Coyote & San Luis 5 miles south of San Jose

South on 101 , exit at Bernal Road West , South on Monterey Road ( 408 ) 463 – 0711 www . coyotebait . com

Salmon • Trout • Kokanee • Striper

it ’ s all about fishing

Brett Brady

USCG licensed bonded & insured

NOW BOOKING

( 530 ) 272-7137 • ( 530 ) 263-4451 www . fishbarebones . com 4207 black or yellow . If fishing below the confluence , larger , flashier flies may be more effective while the lower flow areas may be better fished with small more drab streamer patterns with less weight . With most of the river fishing well , both on the California side and the Nevada side , there are a lot of great options for this time of year . We run our guide service all year and offer our gear rentals for the DIY fisher . So , if you ’ re in the area to ski but don ’ t like what you see on the mountains , stop by the shop and get geared up for a fun day on the river ! The Little Truckee finally saw a decrease in flows this week after crazy-good conditions the entire summer and fall . In our opinion , 50 CFS is the bottom end of what we would consider ethical flows for fishing out here . It ’ s certainly still an option , but if it drops any further , we would then recommend staying off the water here and giving the fish a break . With the decrease in flows the best method for fishing the LT would be using dry flies or a dry dropper set up . Euro nymphing or indicator fishing can be very tough when the water is low and these fish are even more spooky than normal . The good news is the dry fly bite remains consistent , as the baetis continue to come off predictably around midday . They are around a size 18-20 , but smaller flies may also be fished with a bit more success due to the pressure on these fish . 6x tippet will be a must , and 7x may be better for more hook ups , but may also result in more lost fish .

- Miles Zimmerman , Trout Creek

Outfitters

Internet Marketing Specialist The Fish Sniffer is looking for an Internet Marketing Specialist to help drive the digital Fish Sniffer Magazine into the future .

Knowledge of fishing is very helpful . FishSniffer . com needs to be totally rebuilt , and Internet marketing increased to build the numbers on the magazine and website .

Ownership status a possibility for the right individual .

Contact Paul Kneeland at 530-346-8696 or paulkneeland @ fishsniffer . com