Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3616 July 21- August 4 2017 | Page 3

Up-To-Date and Published Locally... By Sportsmen... For Sportsmen! Fishing in the City Map Feature MADE IN U.S.A See Page 14 Vol. 36 - ISS.16 Our 35th Year Since 1982 July 21 - Aug 4, 2017 “The Magazine for West Coast Sportsmen!” Bridgeport Fish Enhancement Foundation Derby Sees Record Turnout! A total of 102 participants enjoyed fishing the Bridgeport Fish En- hancement Foundation Tour- nament in Bridgeport, located in the scenic Eastern Sierra in Mono County, on June 24. This was the largest turn- out of anglers in the history of the event.  In addition, over 140 people joined the group at the dinner/raffle. The foundation has purchased and planted 1200 pounds of rainbows in the 6 to 9 lb. class this year so far from Desert Springs Trout Farm in Summer Lake, Oregon. They plan to stock another 400 pounds of these trophy trout this month. “We put the tagged trophy trout in Upper Twin Lake, Lower Twin Lake, Robinson Creek, and Bridgeport Res- ervoir said Ken Hoffman, board member of the Bridgeport Fish Enhancement Foun- dation. “We plan to stock Big and Little Virginia Lakes also this month.” In November and December of 2016, they stocked 3400 brown trout averaging half pound each in West Walker, East Walk- er and Bridgeport Reservoir. All of the funds for the fish plants come from donations, tournaments and dinners. The annual tournament and dinner is the main fundraising event for the group.  The tournament featured three divisions – men’s, wom- en’s and children’s - in compe- tition for the biggest fish and the heaviest stringer of trout. Anglers caught the biggest fish in the event at Bridgeport Reservoir.  The 23 junior participants re- ceived their free brand new rod and reels donated by Berkley. Each one also received a plaque. Dylan Duncan won the Junior Divi- sion Big Fish with a rainbow weighing 2 pounds, 5 ounces. Tommy Morton won the Junior Division Heavy Stringer weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Gail Whisnand captured the Wom- en’s Division Big Fish category by nail- WHAT’S HOT by Dan Bacher I INSIDE Area Reports Where...When...How... Tommy Morgan caught the top stringer of trout, 6 pounds, 8 ounces, in the junior division of the Bridgeport Fish Enhancement Foundation Touran- ment on June 24. Photo by ROSE DELGADO-LIERLY, Bridgeport. ing a 5 lb. 13 oz. rainbow at Bridgeport Reservoir. Sabrina Benson captured the Women’s’ Division Heavy Stringer with 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Kevin Murdock won the Men’s’ Division Big Fish by catching a 5 lb. 1 oz. rainbow in Bridgeport Reservoir.  Ja- became apparent that electro fishing and gillnetting would be bandages for the amputation the lake would really need. Of course, there were a lot of naysayers that didn’t think the state should undergo yet another expensive treatment of the lake. Those people were on the wrong side of history. If you have ever fished in a lake where northern pike are the only gamefish because they have eaten everything else, the experience leaves a lot to be desired. They also were blind to the threat to the Sacramento/ San Joaquin River delta. Had pike ever established there, we may really have seen the extirpation of our endemic salmon and steelhead. I for one applaud the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for their hard work and resolution in eradicating northern pike. Fast forward to about 2010 or so. This is why you should keep a journal, because I can’t remember the exact GONE FISHING by Mike McNeilly Fish Sniffer Field Editor Mike McNeilly pulled these dan- dy rainbows out of Lake Davis during a recent outing. Photo by MIKE MCNEILLY, Fish Sniffer Staff. PAGE 26-27 FEATURES CONTINUED ON PAGE 6  In the spring we would catch all the bullhead catfish we wanted, or we’d catch them until we ran out of bait. I never even experienced the true halcyon days of the lake. I never fished it in the 80s and 90s when robust rainbows in the 3-6 pound range were an every-day event. In those days rainbows to 8 pounds with full fins and orange meat were a real possibility. Davis Lake was truly a blue ribbon trout fishery on the national scale.  I first started fishing the lake in the early 2000s. It was in the era between the all-out wars on pike when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife dumped Rotenone in the lake to remove the toothy and invasive predators. Even after the first unsuccessful treatment of the jungle plant based piscicide, the lake was a real jewel of a fishery. In 2006 I recall catching a whole lot of rainbows in the 3 pound range. However, the initial treatment in 1997 did not remove all the pike. By 2007 it SEE OUR NEW BAJA ROUNDUP SECTION ON FRESHWATER REPORTS Lake Almanor - Lake Berryessa............................4 Bullards Bar/Englebright Lakes - Clear Lake.........7 Collins Lake - Lake Don Pedro.......................... 8-9 Eagle Lake - Los Vaqueros Reservoir............10-11 New Hogan - Rio Vista.................................. 12-13 Rollins Lake - Southern Oregon Roundup..... 16-17 Stampede/Boca Reservoir - West Delta..............18 SALTWATER REPORTS Berkeley/Emeryville - Half Moon Bay....................22 Monterey Bay - Peninsula Shoreline....................25 DAVIS LAKE RISES FROM THE ASHES used to really love fishing Davis Lake. It’s close to my home in Reno. I could leave my house and be on an uncrowded lake forested in Ponderosa Pines in about an hour. It used to have a lot of really nice rainbow trout in it. 35 Years Serving Sportsmen CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 NOAA Fisheries Approves Permit To Construct Delta Tunnels See Page 19 BAJA ROUNDUP...............................................26-27 BULLETIN BOARD................................................... 4 BILL’S TIPS - Bill Adelman...................................... 17 FISH SNIFFER HOW-TO: Cal Kellogg..................... 8 GO FOR IT: Staff....................................................... 5 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR...................................... 3 MAP FEATURE: Dan Bacher.............................14-15 RV LIVING - Cal Kellogg........................................... 9 SALTWATER JOURNAL ...................20-21,23-24 SALTY TIPS Steve “Hippo” Lau.............................. 26 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION - Dan Bacher.... 19 WHAT’S HOT SALTWATER - Cal Kellogg.............. 24 STAFF TACKLE What We’re Using Cal Kellogg - fished for S.F. Bay halibut aboard the Cali- fornia Dawn using a 7’ Cous- ins Classic Fiberglass F870- 7 rod teamed with a PENN lever drag Fathom reel spooled with 65 pound test Yo-Zuri Super Braid in the blue color. Cal used three way live bait leaders constructed of 20 lb Yo-Zuri H.D. Carbon fluorocarbon leader material tipped with Gamakatsu live bait hooks. Paul Kneeland - fished Stampede Reservoir with Brian Garcia of Colfax in the Fish Sniffer 21’ Rogue Jet Coastal. They caught limits ofKokanee to 14 1/2 inches using a Lamiglas Fish Sniffer special 7’6” ultra light graphite downrigger rod with a Abu Garcia Revo MGX Extreme level wind reel loaded with 6 lb test Yozuri TopKnot fluorocarbon line. They trolled pink Paulina Peak spinner hootchies and Artic Fox kokanee flies behind silver Arrow Flash dodgers off the Canon Downriggers 25 to 45 feet deep at 1.2 mph. Dan Bacher - fished for rain- bow trout at Spicer Reser- voir. He used a Berkley Ugly Stick GX2 6’ 6” medium ac- tion spinning rod, teamed up with a Shakespeare GX235 spinning reel filled with 6 lb. test P-Line CX Premium Flourocarbon Coated Line. He fished with Berkley chartreuse glitter and fluorescent orangee PowerBait on #14 gold Eagle Claw hooks rigged with 4 lb. test Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon leaders on sliding sinker set-ups. He also tossed out 1/4 and 1/8 oz. Yakima Bait Rooster Tails in Brown Trout, Fire Tiger and Rainbow color patterns.