8 Nov . 24 - Dec . 8 , 2017 VOL . 36 • ISS . 25
FRESHWATER REPORTS :
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
AMERICAN RIVER cont . fall-run Chinook salmon that hatched in the Coleman National Fish Hatchery ( CNFH ) in Battle Creek in 2014 , according to the CDFW . The hatchery at press time hadn ’ t started spawning American River River salmon .
Eggs from fall-run Chinook salmon that stray to Nimbus Hatchery will be returned to CNFH to ensure a healthy population of these fish for commercial , recreational and ecological purposes .
Returning now as adults , many of these salmon will stray into the American River and not return to their home waters to spawn . The lack of returning fish will make it extremely difficult for the CNFH to reach their goal of producing 12 million fall-run Chinook salmon this fall to release in the waters below Lake Shasta .
“ Fish that are not yet ready to spawn will have a colored tag attached to their dorsal fin and will be returned to the American River . While anglers are able to catch and keep fish marked with these tags , the tags have no monetary value and do not need to be returned to CDFW ,” according to the CDFW .
- Dan Bacher
• Trout
• Bass
• Crappie
• Bluegill
• Catfish
Largest Trout Stocking Program North of Sacramento
Lakefront RV Camping
Call for Reservations
800-286-0576 www . collinslake . com P . O . Box 300 . Oregon House . California 95962 3625
BERRYESSA LAKE
Drop Shot or Spoon For Fall Bass
The bite is on at Lake Almanor . This big rainbow was landed in late October .
Photo courtesy of BIG DADDY ’ S GUIDE SERVICE , Quincy .
SACRAMENTO - Want to hook some black bass at Lake Berryessa ? Well , the bass are finally in their fall pattern at the popular reservoir as they feed on schools of threadfin shad and pond smelt .
“ Fish the top 20 feet in submerged trees with drop shop rigs with worms in shad patterns ,” advised Don Paganelli of Paganelli ’ s Bass Fishing Experience . “ Then go spooning with 1-3 / 4 oz . Bladerunner spoons in the main at 35 feet deep . Those are the two methods I used to catch bass on my most recent trip there .”
“ We caught and released about 15 bass , including largemouth and spotted bass and one smallmouth up to 3 pounds ,” Paganelli said .
For crappie , anglers should fish Mini Jigs and other small jigs around docks in the coves , as well as feeding on bait schools in the main body . Expect to hook mostly fish in the half to 1 lb . range , along with some larger fish going 1 to 2 pounds .
Fishing pressure for rainbow trout remains light . As the surface water temperature cools down and the lake turns over , expect to find holdover rainbow trout in shallow water feeding on schools of threadfin shad and pond smelt . Shore anglers fishing nightcrawlers and minnows under bobbers can often find as good fishing as boaters this time of year .
- Dan Bacher
LAKE CAMANCHE
Boaters , Bank Anglers Battle Rainbows
BURSON - The trout plants have started at Lake Camanche , and in addition to the 4800 pounds released on October 27 , another 3600 pounds was released into the lake on November 2 , split evenly between the North Shore marina , the South Shore marina , and the South Pond . Another 2400 pounds was planted the week of November 6 , for a total of 10,600 pounds within two weeks ..
Robbie Dunham , aka ‘ The Koke Machine ,’ who will be guiding at Lake Camanche during the coming season was out on the lake scouting with his
FRESHWATER
EAGLE LAKE CABINS Home of the Eagle Lake Trophy Trout
* Furnished Cabins from $ 50 night or $ 300 week
* Awesome Trophy Trout Fishing * Hiking and CONTINUED Biking ON PAGE * Great for Relaxation
For Reservations ( 530 ) 825-2131 686-920 Spalding Rd ., Susanville , CA 96130 www . eaglelakeheritage . com
Phil and Adam were pretty pumped after landing this hefty cutthroat at Pyramid Lake this fall . Photo courtesy of MARK CHRISTOPHEL ’ S GUIDE SERVICE , Truckee .
wife , Kim , on Friday , and he said , “ We wanted to try Camanche after a couple of plants to see how it is , and we launched right at daybreak and dropped four grubs right outside of the North Shore Marina . We worked this area for awhile for nothing before moving over to the mouth of the Narrows , and we finally had a solid grab on the planer board . However , it was a crappie that was released .”
“ We turned back towards the marina , and the inside rod got hit so I fed him some line and the rod loaded up with a nice rainbow . After releasing a bass , we went back into the Narrows towards China Gulch , and I noticed the inside rod was acting weird so I once again fed it some line and the rod loaded up . Kim was on this fish while I landed another 1.5 pounder , and after clearing out lines , she brought the huge 26.5-inch / 6-pound rainbow to the net . After this , we headed in happy with our four rainbows .,” he concluded .
Dunham has consistently produced limits of rainbows for his friends , and he said , “ Guiding will be a new venture for me , and I am most interested in teaching others my techniques as opposed to just catching fish .” Camanche held at 71 percent .
- Dave Hurley
CLEAR LAKE
Water Cools , Largemouth Action Improves
CLEARLAKE – Largemouth bass fishing is starting to pick up , now that the water temperature has cooled down to 56 to 58 degrees on Clear Lake .
“ We are finally seeing the end of a couple of the worst months of bass fishing at Clear that we ’ ve experienced in years ,” said Dave Brabec of Clear Lake Outdoors . “ A couple of 7 to 8 lb . bass were reported caught on Huddlestons this week . Other anglers are using drop shot rigs with plastics , LV- 500s and swimbaits
2315
to hook bass . One recent tournament produced a winning five-fish bag weighing over 21 pounds .”
The catfish action is also showing signs of life . “ Anglers are hooking the cats while fishing nightcrawlers and other baits in the deep water off Shag Rock and Henderson Point ,” Brabec revealed .
The crappie bite hasn ’ t started yet , but that should happen soon .
COLLINS LAKE
Improved Bass Bite Expected With Cooler Weather
OREGON HOUSE - Using a loaner boat , Larry Hemphill , fishing guide , visited Collins Lake for the last 3 hours of light on a recent afternoon .
“ The lake is in beautiful shape and higher than normal for this time of year ,” he staed . “ The fires stopped short of the lake property and everything looked fine . The ice cream is still being scooped for visitors - I had some !
“ The bite was slow - one bass hit on a jig ,” he said . “ I threw a D & M white buzzbait after the sun went down and got a great blowup and a great spotted bass , almost 3 lbs . That was fun !! I had another great blowup from a quality bass but she missed it . Weather needs to cool for the bite to pick up .”
“ If you are running around the east side of the lake , watch the buoyed areas . There are some shallow areas to watch out for . I would fish the main body now . I saw lots of fish and bait from 50 to 60 feet deep ,” Hemphill tipped .
CONTINUED ON PG 11