VOL. 37 • ISS. 02 |
FRESHWATER |
Jan 18- Feb 2, 2018 |
27 |
extent. I still love catching them, but I can’ t get very excited about beating up on a bunch of snaky down-runners during March.
In January, you probably won’ t see a fish that isn’ t chrome and in its prime, and that’ s what excites me. Furthermore, biologists often note that the largest males of any anadromous salmonid population are the first fish to move up the river.
These fish don’ t tend to spend a lot of time lingering around either. They tend to make a bee-line for the spawning grounds awaiting female company. As is the case with most species on the planet, the male steelhead is far more eager to breed than the female.
Another factor to keep in mind is that on almost any river in the state of California, you will not be allowed to fish anywhere near the spawning grounds. Thus, your one and only shot at that 20 pound chrome buck is while he is quickly making his way up the river. Once he gets above Bridge X or Creek Y, he’ s off limits.
Yet another reason why January is so great for steelhead fishing is the bulk of California’ s hatchery fish will be making their way towards the fish ladder in this month. If you’ re like me, you probably like whacking a hatchery steelhead or two, and the best eating ones are definitely the ones freshest out of the ocean. In fact, winter steelhead deteriorate very rapidly, and they only are prime for eating for a week or perhaps two after leaving the salt.
Speaking of hatchery steelhead, which reminds me of another point that needs mentioning. If I was looking for a hatchery steelhead to put on the table, this is what the
WHAT’ S HOT Continued from page 1
When The Going Gets Fast, Rig Up With Speedy Shiners!
While minnow plugs are an obvious choice for fast trolling, many of us overlook a
small array of spoons, both new and old that can make things happen on a fast troll.
The most famous and most readily available of these spoons is the venerable Speedy Shiner. Of course, the name of this spoon alone is enough to tip you off that this is a high-speed offering. The“ Speedy Shiner” style of lure originated in Maine in the 1930’ s”, says Peter Ridd of Thomas Lures, makers of the Speedy Shiner.“ Thomas began producing its version in the 1960’ s. Back in those days a lot of companies were turning out spinning gear.
It was customary then to offer a line of lures to go with your gear. The Speedy Shiner style lure was knocked off by a lot of different companies and there have been a lot of slightly different configurations of the spoon we market today.”
These days Speedy Shiners are offered in three different sizes and a wide array of colors. Overall, I’ d say that color is less important when trolling quickly in the 2.5 to 4 mph range then when moving slowly at traditional trout speeds of 2.0 mph or less.
If water clarity is anywhere near decent, I like to go with natural colored lures. That means chromes paired with hues of blue or purple for spoons. If the water clarity is poor, super bright stuff like florescent orange can give you an edge.
When the light level is low either early or late or when the sky is overcast, black can be an absolutely deadly color that few anglers ever think to try.
For more information about Speedy Shiners, visit them online at www. thomaslures. com.
depth chart would look like: 1) The Mad River 2) The Smith River 3) The Russian River 4) The American River
The Mad offers by far the best hatchery steelhead fishery in the state. 99 % of the fish are going to be adipose clipped on this river. A handful of wild fish are present, but they are definitely in the minority.
The Lower Mad River has a lot of access for anglers, and the hatchery has the most consistent returns in the state. When the conditions are right on the Mad, these fish eagerly chomp on a nickel sized piece of roe. Drift fishing pink worms on the Mad can also draw strikes. Plugs like Brad’ s Wee Wigglers, Hot Shots and Tadpolly’ s also have a place on the Mad.
The Smith is primarily a wild steelhead fishery, but it definitely has some slab hatchery fish as well. Every year somebody will land a clipped 17-20 pound hatchery fish on the gem of the North Coast. If planning a trip to the Smith, plan on seeing a beautiful river in a beautiful setting, maybe catching some beautiful fish, and lastly maybe getting lucky with a chrome fish to take home for the table. The Russian River has had some good returns of hatchery steelhead in recent years. The big problem with this system lies in its often-muddy waters that take forever to clear and tons of private proper-
Only
Only
While decent action can be had up until and often into the month of March on large rivers, there is no month like January in terms of the number of big bright fish available and the number of systems, both large and small, that offer good fishing.
Photo by MIKE MCNEILLY, Fish Sniffer Staff.
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ty along the river that severely limit access.
With all of the fires in the Russian Drainage this year, expect even worse water conditions than usual. The Russian’ s returns of hatchery steelhead are also extremely variable. Some years the river is loaded with fish, and other years you may not find an adipose clipped fish all season. Miraculously, the severely altered Russian River Drainage still has a fair run of wild fish.
Lastly, the urban American River can offer decent fishing for primarily hatchery fish. This river offers urban anglers a shot at close to home steelhead. However, the brightest fish on the American will not compare to those on the coast.
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on the upper portions of the American. In recent years, the steelhead run has faltered on this river, and fishing has been poor to fair at best.
The best steelhead rivers in the state weren’ t mentioned by name in this article. Those rivers and streams beg for the angler reading this to do a little exploring. Furthermore, it’ s fair to say that January may be the best month of the year to make that expedition.
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