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Spicer Reservoir Map Feature

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Our 43rd Year

Since 1982

A GRANGE - While salmon fishing is closed in California rivers this year due to the collapse of Sacramento River and Klamath River fall-run Chinook stocks , there is top-notch fishing for landlocked king salmon , kokanee salmon and rainbow trout available at Don Pedro Lake . Don Pedro , located on the Tuolumne River in the Southern Mother Lode , receives yearly plants of juvenile king salmon from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife , in addition to featuring a natural population of kings

he Fish Sniffer Magazine ,

Sheldon Bright and the Golden Eye 2000 planned a promotional trip for June 26th , 2024 . These trips are awesome because they often include giveaways and a chance to be in the magazine . They are often sold out and it is great to share time on the water with Fish Sniffer subscribers . I was definitely going to be on this trip and I was eager to fish the bay and get out on the water with Sheldon and Amy , my wife . Amy is an avid angler that loves to fish the ocean but has only fished the bay a couple of times . I was born and raised in Alameda so the bay is special to me and I enjoy that she is able to experience the water I grew up on . Sheldon Bright also grew up in Alameda so it was a homecoming for both of us . I don ’ t believe that Sheldon and I ever fished on the bay together when we were growing up even though we crossed paths in sports and other events in our hometown . The day was finally here and the fishing reports in recent

Ben Denice of Gilroy successfully battled this 8lb landlocked king salmon at Don Pedro while trolling with Captain Monte Smith .

Photo Courtesy of Gold Country Sportfishing kings in the lake in 2021 , 99,997 in 2022 and 96,008 in 2022 . The kings range in size on the lake from 1 to 5 pounds , but every trip produces the opportunity for hooking a larger king from 5 to 10 pounds . There is no official lake record , but

CONTINUED ON PG 12 the largest salmon I ’ ve heard of ever caught on the lake weighed 11 pounds . The largest king I ’ ve personally caught at Don Pedro back in 2008 weighed 8 1 / 2 pounds .

CONTINUED ON PG 14

Lisa and Rick Gonzalo , from Turlock , fished with the Fish Sniffer Staff aboard the Golden Eye 2000 and landed this nice limit of striped bass .

Photo by Ernie Marlan

FRESHWATER REPORTS Lake Almanor - Bucks Lake ...................................... 6 Davis Lake - East Bay Lakes ................................... 7 Folsom Lake .............................................................. 8 Klamath River ............................................................ 9

Los Vaqueros Reservoir - Shasta Lake .................. 13 Lake Tahoe .............................................................. 14 Truckee / Little Truckee Rivers ................................. 16

SALTWATER REPORTS Bodega Bay - Monterey Bay .................................... 18 Monterey Bay ............................................................ 20

Where ... When ... How ...

GO FOR IT : Staff ........................................................ 4 MAP FEATURE : Dan Bacher ..................................... 10 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION : Dan Bacher ....... 17

Ernie Marlan fished the SF Bay with Fish Sniffer Subscribers aboard the with the Golden Eye 2000 . Ernie used a Lew ’ s 6XD crankbait rod teamed up with a Lew ’ s Custom Inshore baitcasting reel loaded with 30lb braided line . He caught a nice halibut and his limit of striped bass with the biggest weighing in at the 14-15lb class .

Paul Kneeland fished Pyramid Lake with Mark Kalinowski of Concord and John Brassfield of Foresthill in Mark ’ s 23 ’ Rogue Jet They caught Lahontan cutthroat trout to 11 1 \ 2 pounds , using an Berkely 8 ’ 6 ” Buzz Ramsey Air Rod with an Daiwa Lexa line counter reel loaded with 10 lb test P Line . They trolled 3 inch Apex spoons in watermelon and and Lyman plugs in new Cui Cui color , off the Canon Downriggers at 25 to 60 feet deep and 2.5 mph .

Sheldon Bright fished aboard the Goldeneye 2000 charter boat in the San Francisco Bay and caught a mixed bag of halibut and stripers while drifting liveanchovies with a 7 ’ 10 ” 10XD Lew ’ s Rod teamed up with a Lew ’ s Custom Inshore casting reel .