VOL . 37 • ISS . 02

GONE FISHING Continued

great day , catching plenty of tuna for the icebox .

And they had an unusual story to tell as well . In Dave ’ s words ,” We were in the school of tuna and I knew I had hooked a good fish as it peeled off line . I heard a shriek of excitement as Wanda hooked another hard-fighting tuna off the starboard corner . The captain and deckhand shouted words of encouragement to both of us as we did our

A gorgeous striped marlin about to be released . Photo by Paul Kneeland , Fish Sniffer staff

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

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SOUTHERN OREGON ROUNDUP cont .

island near the Takelma boat ramp , and shallower areas of the main reservoir . Bank anglers have good success on either side of the dam , but are reminded to not block access to the Takelma boat ramp .

Rainbow trout “ pounders ” were stocked in October in Bradley Lake , Powers Pond , Butterfield Lake , Upper Empire Lake and Saunders Lake . Lower Empire Lake was not being stocked this fall because of low water levels . Anglers are catching trout fishing bait near the bottom of the lakes or by trolling spinners .

LAKE TAHOE

Fish Sniffer Readers Smack Macks !

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - “ My brother Rex , his wife Jill , my wife Anne and I had a unique Christmas this year ,” disclosed Doug Wiseman . “ We spend three days of our Christmas vacation on Lake Tahoe , boating and fishing from my brother ’ s Parker Boat .”

“ We landed a total of 17 mackinaw to 12 pounds , 2 brown trout to 3 pounds and a 14 inch rainbow using a variety of different techniques . We had the best results on the macks while pulling Arctic Fox Flies behind 6 inch UV Sling Blade dodgers near the bottom from 100 to 150 feet deep . That ’ s the rig that produced our 12 pounder ,” exclaimed Wiseman .

“ The deep water trolling was so good that we actually didn ’ t spend too much time trolling deep . We wanted a big brown so we spend a lot of time top line trolling Rapalas , Bombers and Yo-Zuri minnow plugs along the shoreline . This approach produced a few macks along with our browns and the lone rainbow ,” continued Wiseman .

Mickey Daniels of Mickey ’ s Big Mack Charters has been enjoying solid action at the north end of the lake . Mickey ’ s clients have been hooking mackinaw up to 6 pounds . Some fish are being kept for the table while the others are tagged and released .

Mickey hooks his fish on a variety of offerings including Shasta Tackle Kok- A-Nuts teamed with Sling Blade Dodgers .

best to control this double hook-up !

All of a sudden the captain voice came to a higher pitch as he yelled to Wanda , “ Reel , reel , reel ”! The deckhand jumped to Wanda ’ s side and began yelling “ Reel , reel , reel !.”

As I looked into the crystal clear water — a shape about thirteen feet long with a huge hammer-like head just enveloped the twenty-plus pounder on Wanda ’ s line ! She screamed an expletive as her line went limp and the deckhand and captain sighed in disgust . She lifted her rod to expose HALF of her hook ! That damn shark bit through almost 1 / 4 ” of steel and stole her fish ! I wouldn ’ t have believed it if I didn ’ t see it happen !”

The Sea of Cortez is one of the premier saltwater fishing destinations in the world . It offers great fishing for blue and striped marlin , dorado or “ mahi mahi ”, tuna , wahoo , roosterfish and a dozens other species . Hotel Palmas de Cortez is a beautiful hotel that caters to the needs of the fishermen and their families . It features large , spacious rooms with air conditioning , many of which look right

TRINITY RIVER / LAKE

Hatchery Fall Chinook , Steelhead Counts Up This Season

WEAVERVILLE - There appear to be plenty of steelhead showing now in the Trinity River , but they don ’ t seem to be making it into the hatchery in any numbers . Let ’ s hope for some significant rain and snow to prod the fish to move into the hatchery and the upper 20 miles of river .

The latest steelhead count at the hatchery has fallen below that of last season , with 801 fish trapped compared to 1,5474 last season .

The total number of Chinooks , including both spring and fall-run fish , is 7011 , including 2,197 grilse and 4,814 adults . That compares to 3650 chinooks , including 731 grilse and 2919 adults , in 2016 .

Even though that number is better than last year , it ’ s just a fraction of the 24,415 chinooks counted at the hatchery in 2012 . The hatchery did meet their fall Chinook egg take this season .

Coho salmon numbers remain below last season ’ s counts . The hatchery trapped 418 Coho this season , compared to 527 last year .

Steelhead fishing still remains “ fair ” on the Trinity River , reported Tim Brady at Trinity Outdoors . Fishing pressure has dwindled since the beginning of the year .

Jan 18 - Feb 2 , 2018

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Dena Salazar of Colorado with a 30 pound wahoo taken trolling out of Hotel Palmas de Cortez . Photo by Paul Kneeland , Fish Sniffer staff out on the Sea . Great food at 2 restaurants and wonderful cocktails , snacks and hors d ’ oeuvres are all available at the beautiful bar over looking the ocean . Rates are very reasonable , with fishing packages starting at only $ 540 per person for 3 nights and 2 days of fishing .

Mark Wiza wanted a mackinaw for dinner on December 10 , so he headed out onto Lake Tahoe and reeled up this 8 pounder while trolling .

Photo courtesy of MARK WIZA , South Lake Tahoe .

“ There ’ s fish everywhere , but not a lot of fish anywhere ,” advised Brady . “ Guys who think they need to hook 10 fish to have a good day are disappointed .”

Anglers are using an array of offerings , including flies , roe , spoons and

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The Speedy Shiner is a highly effective trolling bait for all types of gamefish , especially rainbow and brown trout , lake trout or mackinaw , and landlocked

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 !

The Speedy Shiner is available in 2 1 / 2 ”, 3 1 / 4 ” and 4 ” sizes and 20 fish catching colors . Proudly Made in USA .

For more information on Hotel Palmas de Cortez , see them at the Sacramento ISE show , visit their website at www . vanwormerresorts . com , or give them a call at ( 877 ) 777-8862

nightcrawlers , to catch steelhead ranging from 2 to 8 pounds . The top fly patterns include brown rubberlegs , golden stoneflies , copper johns , pyscho princes , hare ’ s ears

AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL TACKLE DEALER .

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