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VOL. 36 • ISS. 13
June 9- 23, 2017
17
GONE FISHING Continued from page 8
We motored up to the confluence of the Yuba and dropped our baits of live jumbo minnows to the bottom. 1.5 ounces of weight was just enough to get a good drift. I was expecting to hook up immediately, but after drifting downriver about a half mile, it became evident that wouldn’ t be the case.
We also donated a lot of terminal tackle on the submerged willow beds. Live minnow fishing is quaint and fun, but it can become very expensive very quickly. Each minnow is going to set you back about 1.25 $, and a boat with 4 guys is going to probably need around 100 minnows; for a good day’ s fishing; likely more.
Eventually, Mario hooked up on a decent fish. It was a scrappy male in the 5 pound range, and on steelhead gear it put up a very respectable battle. We decided to drop anchor in the area, but then realized we didn’ t have an anchor.
Oops. Fortunately, we were able to tie off to a tree in the area where Mario had hooked up. We managed to scratch out a couple more fish and missed a few bites. Most of them were right around keeper size; the kind of fish that if you step on them while measuring them, they may make 18”.
None of us are big fans of keeping this grade of fish. We prefer the obvious fish that don’ t need to be carefully measured since there is so much more meat on them. Next year when somebody catches and kills these fish as 22” 4 pounders, they can thank us for our judicious selection of keepers.
All in all, the Feather wasn’ t great that day. The big horde of fish had moved elsewhere, and we felt good with what we had scratched out.
On day two of our trip we found ourselves on the Sacramento River in the Colusa to Princeton area. This is a neat section of river; especially when it’ s flowing at 30,000 CFS. It’ s a real river up in that area. It’ s not all leveed in like the lower Sacramento Ditch.
The river snakes its way through the oak lined banks as a real river should. The color of the water was turbid, and the wind was absolutely howling. The deck was stacked against our crew, but I managed to start the day with a nice male striper of about 6 pounds in just the second spot of the morning.
It was an interesting bite to say the least. I just kind of lobbed my minnow
Cast Or Troll With A Thomas Buoyant Spoon
T
he
Thomas Buoyant minnow is unsurpassed as one deadly trout and salmon lure! First issued a U. S. patent in 1946, the Buoyant is an erratic-action wobbler that imitates the darting motion of a frantic, fleeing baitfish. This action, combined with jewelry-quality finishes, creates a spoon that entices even the wariest of trout or salmon, and many other types of game fish, into striking. The large 5 / 8 oz. Buoyant is especially deadly on large predators such
over the side, and then felt like I was snagged on a willow. As I casually lifted to shake loose of the willow, I realized my minnow was inside of a striper’ s mouth. Despite my sloppy hookset, I was fortunate enough to bury the needle sharp Owner Mosquito hook into some good bone. Stripers fight damn well on a lightish steelhead spinning rod.
The wind really was a handicap for us that day. We caught fish in the soft water of almost every inside bend of the river. We also festooned a lot of submerged willows with our leaders and minnows.
The wind that blew up to 40 MPH was a constant adversary throughout the day. By 2:30 we had burned through another 100 $ worth of minnows. We had come to the conclusion that minnow drifting, while charming, just isn’ t the same as trolling Yo-Zuri’ s in the delta.
Days three through five found us on the big water of the San Joaquin River. The wind had died down and air had grown hot. The water was clearer on the San Joaquin than anywhere else we had seen, and the stripers were biting. The bite wasn’ t red hot, but the grade of fish was far superior.
The first fish we found was a respectable 7 pounder that absolutely hammered my plug. I’ ve caught plenty of stripers, and since my pal, Vance, had come all the way from Nebraska, I
The THOMAS as mackinaw! It is important to use a moderately slow retrieve or troll speed for the Buoyant to achieve its most effective action. An occasional sharp twitch of the rod tip can really draw hard strikes! Cast or trolled, deep or shallow, the Thomas Buoyant has been a favorite of successful anglers for over sixty-five years!
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Founded in the mid-‘ 40’ s, Thomas Lures
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It is King and Coho Salmon. constructed
The Speedy Shiner has a very effective action up to 4 mph. of quality solid brass, stainless steel rings and extra strong hooks VMC hooks. The light reflecting embossed scale design creates an enticing flash that attracts fish and triggers them to strike!
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is a small, privately-owned company with a handful of employees dedicated to providing American made, high-quality fishing lures at reasonable prices. Their time-tested baits have satisfied many generations of successful anglers. Over sixty-five years in business is proof-positive Thomas lures catch fish – consistently, time after time. You can always rely on a Thomas lure to bring you a lifetime of fishing success and enjoyment ThomasLures. com.
decided anything that hit my rod was to be retrieved by him.
He’ s a big boy, and he doesn’ t need handoffs, but who really catches the fish on a trolling adventure? It’ s obviously the captain of the vessel. Thus, whoever reels in the fish is really academic as long as bag limit laws are being observed. Vance got a great fight out of the fish and a nice photo.
Later that day Vance would hook into a very solid fish of his own. In fact, it would be the best fish for 5 days of fishing at 9 pounds. His goal on the trip was to catch at least one striper over 30”, and this fish was 30” on the nose.
The fourth day of the trip was a very good day of striper trolling. We kept 5 fish in the 22-25” range; ideal keepers. The action was steady throughout the day.
The weather was hot, and we all came off the water looking pretty red despite
Vance pulled this husky striper out of the San liberal application of sunscreen. Vance is
Joaquin River while fishing with Fish Sniffer some kind of a lizard, and he managed to Field Editor Mike McNeilly this spring. wear two jackets throughout the entire 90 Photo by MIKE MCNEILLY, Fish Sniffer Staff. degree day.
The fifth and last day of the trip was a and Jeremiah embraced each other and slow day of fishing. There was a somber sobbed like babies( not actually true.) mood in the air. We would soon part I lost a very large fish due to ways as Vance would be heading back to complacently disregarding a missing Nebraska and I to Reno. rod guide insert. My braid abraded and
We won’ t see each other until October quickly snapped, but it wasn’ t the end when we make our annual pilgrimage of the world. It had been a good trip. to the Clearwater for steelhead. Vance
SPEEDY SHINER
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