‘ bows to 4 pounds while pulling Ex-Cel Spoons and other shad pattern baits .

Bass fishing is good at the big lake . Finesse tactics like drop shotting and dead sticking Senkos works during the daylight hours , while cranks and poppers work early and late . The average bass is a 1.5 spot , but largemouths to 6 pounds are being caught .

As of press time Shasta was 24 feet from the top and dropping slowly .

SOUTH FORK LAKE

Fishermen Tough It Out For Trout

ELKO – There is very little change in fishing conditions at South Fork Reservoir .

“ The surface water temperatures have climbed into the mid to high 70 ’ s , and trout fishing has slowed considerably due to this ,” said Joe Doucette of the Nevada Department of Wildlife . “ Even boaters don ’ t seem to be having a lot of luck for trout .”

He said the trout being caught are averaging between 13 and 17 inches with an occasional 20 inch fish being caught . If fishing from a boat , use a deep diving presentation to get your terminal tackle to between 15 and 20 feet deep for trout .

Black bass are moving into vegetation at the south end of the lake and onto structure along shorelines . Some smallmouth bass have moved into the river above the causeway .

There are special regulations in the river including single barbless hooks , so make sure to read the fishing proclamation for this water before fishing here . “ Wiper fishing continues to be fair to good and many of the wipers appear to being caught at the south end of the lake near the buoy line along the old river bed ,” he noted .

“ Mayflies and damselflies are hatching , so flies such as pheasant tail nymphs , gold ribbed hares ears , pale morning duns , blue winged olives ( BWO ’ s ) and other mayfly as well as damselfly imitations should be used . Damselflies should be fished near vegetation and mayflies may be fished on more open water ,” he concluded .

South Fork has been stocked with a total of approximately 45,000 trout this year .

There is road construction south of the state park headquarters so those wanting to access the west side of the lake will need to go in through Twin Bridges . Expect this to continue throughout the rest of the summer .

SOUTHERN OREGON ROUNDUP

Trout Fishing Highlights Late Summer Action

ROSEBERG - According to the ODFW , trout fishing has been good at most of the high lakes . They caution that water temperatures are jumping with the scorching heat this week . Anglers must practice good stewardship . Fish early in the day . When trout fishing in lakes , avoid catching and releasing large numbers of fish especially when using PowerBait . It ’ s better to keep a limit and not stress numerous trout .

Diane and Chuck limited out on husky kokanee when they fished Whiskeytown Reservoir with Capt . Anthony Cox in early August .

Photo courtesy of AC GUIDE SERVICE , Redding .

At Diamond Lake , trout fishing continues to be excellent for this time of year . A significant portion of fish caught have been larger than 12-inches . Trolling lures and bottom fishing with PowerBait across all depths continue to be productive angling methods . Diamond Lake has been stocked with tiger trout . These fish are intended to assist in controlling illegally

introduced tui chub . Tiger trout are catchand-release only and need to be released immediately and unharmed if caught .

Fish Lake is stocked with rainbow trout and fishing has been good . One angler caught good numbers of trout using pink PowerBait recently , along with yellow PowerBait eggs . Anglers are cautioned to limit catch and

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

we headed up the north side in sloppy conditions motoring for the shelves above Duxbury Reef .

At the fishing grounds the conditions didn ’ t seem too rough when the boat was running , but when Chris cut the engines and lined up for the first drift , we learned that there was actually a nasty roll that was accentuated by the fact that what current there was , was running in opposition to the wind . Folks that were inclined to seasickness were quickly miserable and those of us that felt okay soon found out that there was very little drift .

When it comes to catching rockfish and especially lingcod its important to have a moderate drift . This allows you to cover ground and the movement of your gear tends to make the fish act aggressively because they have no time to look your offerings over . They either need to snap or let the opportunity to feed pass by .

On the 11th we found ourselves in a situation where the boat was doing lots of side to side rocking and rolling , but there was little if any drift .

Captain Chis would position us on top of prime real estate , we ’ d drop down , a few rockfish would come over the rail initially and then the bite would die .

To counter this Chris would pulse the boat forward using the motor to expose our gear to new ground , but whenever you use that tactic a side effect is tangled lines . Luckily with three young and quick

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moving deckhands roving the rails , tangles were quickly and efficiently dealt with .

I offered up a brand new Fenwick rod and an Abu Garcia Silver Maxx baitcaster as the prize for the first angler that scored a keeper lingcod . With no drift the prize was up for grabs for over an hour before someone claimed it .

I tried working with jigs from the Hooker ’ s bow . I caught a few rockfish , but was unable to connect with a lingcod so I switched to Plan B and dropped a lively 8 inch olive rockfish to the bottom pinned on a trap rig , teamed with a 16 ounce sinker .

Presently , I felt a lingcod grab the bait . The fish wasn ’ t very aggressive , so I didn ’ t try setting the hook . Instead I shifted my PENN Fathom reel in low gear and slowly inched the “ hitch hiker ” to the surface where Captain Chris nailed it with the gaff .

I ’ d broken the lingcod ice with a nice 12 pounder , but since I wasn ’ t about to win my own tackle , the rod and reel were still up for grabs . With my fish in the box Bob Graham got a keeper on the boat ’ s stern several minutes later . Bob ’ s fish wasn ’ t as big as mine , but it was big enough to claim the Fenwick / Abu combo !

As the morning continued , Chris and I kept telling folks to stay focused and stay in the game .

“ Just as soon as we get some drift , we ’ ll start smacking some fish ,” we repeatedly told the anglers aboard .

By 1 o ’ clock we had scrapped up ¾ limits of mainly black rockfish and a handful of lingcod and then conditions changed . What current there was switched around and started flowing in the same direction as the wind .

As soon as the boat started to drift we rigged folks up with trap rigs and large natural baits . The results were

immediate , as a parade of keeper to medium size lingcod started hitting the deck .

While I obviously can ’ t win my own tackle during a Cal Kellogg School of Fishing event , like most anglers I ’ m an enthusiastic gambler so I always jump into the big fish jackpot and have no problem winning that prize and giving the proceeds to the deckhands as a jumbo tip .

My first lingcod held up as the jackpot fish for most of the day , but late in the afternoon a couple strong challengers came over the rail … And then I iced the contest , with minimal skill and lots of luck .

Chris had given us the 10 minute warning . Wanting another rockfish or two , I pinned a big Gulp ! grub on a three way rig and started walking it along the bottom .

Wham , I got a nice gopher and an even nicer vermilion . Dropping the grub a third time I felt some taps and hooked what felt like another quality rockfish .

I ’ d turned the reel handle about 20 times when the rod bent sharply and loaded against heavy weight .

“ I need the gaff . I ’ ve got a hitch hiker and it feels like a big one ,” I yelled back to Captain Chris .

Slowly I turned the reel handle . Long seconds later a huge brown mass came into view about 50 feet off the starboard side of the bow . Chris got into position with the gaff as I turned the reel handle ever so slowly and watched the brown mass transform into a huge lingcod locked onto a husky black rockfish .

When the big fish came into range , the gaff flashed forward and the next thing I knew a very big , very angry lingcod was flopping on the deck . Initially I figured the fish was about 17 pounds , but upon further

David Burke displays a dandy Marin Coast lingcod that he fooled during the Cal Kellogg School of Fishing event aboard the Happy Hooker on August 11 .

Photo by CAL KELLOGG , Fish Sniffer Staff .

inspection I ’ m convinced it was well over 20 . Regardless of the weight , the big fish took the big fish jackpot , the deckhands earned a nice tip and I had the centerpiece for some great meals .

My big ling capped a sold day of fishing that had gotten off to a sloppy and uncertain start . Luckily for us Captain Chris ’ s knowledge and experience turned what could have been a pretty tough trip into a good if not great Fish Sniffer adventure !

Our final score for the day was ¾ limits of quality rockfish along with 29 beautiful lingcod … With the right approach , those sour lemons sure do make for some sweet lemonade !

The Cal Kellogg School of Fishing will be back aboard the Happy Hooker on September 15 . I ’ ll bring a bunch of prizes and I ’ m anticipated flat calm fall weather and big enthusiastic lingcod . If you ’ re schedule allows I hope you ’ ll join us for a day of big fish excitement . To secure your spot , give Captain Chris a call at ( 510 ) 322-0493 or ( 510 ) 223-5388 .