King salmon are once again in the American River , providing sport for Sac metro area anglers . Fish Sniffer field editor Mike McNeilly landed this jack on October 7 .

Photo by MIKE MCNEILLY , Fish Sniffer Staff .

The August run timing is uncommon for typically mid to late October returning American River Chinook . Anecdotally , Coleman fish tend to be larger than American River fish as well , or at least that ’ s what many old timers and my own observations have shown over the years .

If I had to choose only one method for fishing the American from a boat , it would be to slowly back a quarter sized piece of bright red salmon roe into a waiting salmon ’ s mouth via either back bouncing gear or a jet diver setup . I like back bouncing in the American ’ s deeper holes , think 10-20 ’ deep , and particularly where there is a good steady walking speed current .

When I back bounce , my goal is to gently and minimally lift the rod every two seconds and feel the sinker lightly tap on the bottom . Since I am also the guy running the boat , I try to keep the boat ever so slowly slipping downstream .

With a jet diver setup , the diver uses the river ’ s current to pull the offering down to the bottom . Jet divers are super slick , and they often out produce the back bouncing gear .

The reason jet divers work so well is that they are essentially just like a deep diving bass plug , and since they are diving and being worked downstream , they almost never hang up . Imagine a bass plug gently going in reverse along the bottom , and you can picture how a jet diver functions . Jet divers glide right over gnarly clay ledges and washing machine sized boulders .

With either divers and bait or back bouncing gear and bait , the offering will slowly be backed into the fish ’ s face , and the fish will have ample time to smell it and look at it . It ’ s a tantalizing technique .

I ’ d liken it to putting a plate of brownies on the office table . Nobody ’ s hungry , but sooner or later , if they sit there long enough , somebody is going to make a mistake .

One other shrewd piece of advice for fishing with jet divers is to put the rod in a holder . I just lost a fish the other day ago because I was holding the rod when the bite developed . The key is to let the fish eat the bait and turn . If the fish doesn ’ t turn , and you set the hook , you definitely will not hook the fish . The hook will be pulled right out of the fish ’ s mouth .

Plugs like K-14 and K-15 Kwikfish and M-2 and T-50 Flatfish also have a place on the American . These plugs tend to work best in low light conditions like early dawn , but they certainly can catch fish all day long . The big bummer with using plugs on the American is the mandate to use barbless hooks . With barbless hooks , the landing percentage on plugs is usually sub 50 %, so one must be willing to love and lose .

If I was restricted to just one bank fishing tactic , it would be to find a deep run along a steep clay bank featuring water depths of 10-20 ’ and fish roe under a slip bobber . Set the bobber stop at depth where the gear occasionally ticks the bottom , and present a nice nickel sized piece of bright red salmon roe on a dead drift .

Depending on the flow of the river , water depth and how much weight is necessary to

quickly reach the bottom , a slip bobber rated for ¾ to 3 ounces of weight may be necessary . A long handled net would also come in handy for landing fish in such a spot . A few years ago , we found some excellent bank fishing utilizing this technique . In fact , the bite was so good that the boat was left at home .

Once a good hole is located , it ’ s pretty likely that it will produce fish on a daily basis and for the duration of the season . As the season progresses , the fish will often find a spot they are comfortable in and take up residence until they are ready to spawn .

New fish will keep entering the hole and stacking up , while older fish continue their journey upriver to their spawning grounds and ultimately their death ’ s . Over the years , I have noted individual salmon in certain holes that eluded me .

For example , back in 2011 , there was a giant buck in the 30-35 pound range that I would see roll on the surface every outing . He started as a reddish hued gentleman , and by the time I last saw him he was brick red and black .

I never could get him to bite , but just knowing he was swimming in that hole kept my interest maxed . He was so big and out of proportion , that he was impossible to miss . I ’ ve seen similar things since then .

If you mothballed your salmon tackle over the last few seasons , it ’ s really time to consider dusting it off . From all the jacks being caught this season , it might be a good idea to keep it handy for 2018 as well .

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