20 Feb 16 - Mar 2 , 2018 VOL . 37 • ISS . 05

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

CONTINUED FROM PG 18

QUARRY LAKES cont . will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays . When the kiosk is closed , please have exact change and use the yellow ticket machine behind the kiosk . “

“ You will need separate tickets for the $ 5 parking fee ( to place on your dashboard ) and for the $ 5 fishing permit ( to take with you ). If you bring in watercraft , it will still need to be inspected or , in the case of trailered , banded boats , it will need to be un-banded and then re-banded when you leave ,” he stated .

If you would like to launch watercraft when the kiosk is closed , please contact the ranger office at ( 510 ) 544-3132 in order to be un-banded , inspected , or re-banded .

REDDING / RED BLUFF

Fly & Gear Anglers Prosper Amid Light Crowds

REDDING - According to the team at The Fly Shop , the flows on the lower Sacramento remain steady at 4,000 cfs . The river is holding and fishing pretty

breaks that connect the water of the islands with the rivers and sloughs that surround them . Any time you have two large tidal bodies of water separated by small openings you are going to get heavy current at certain times . Baitfish get caught up in the current and as a result stripers gravitate to areas featuring abrupt current changes in hopes of nailing disoriented baitfish .

In summing up about locating fish , think submerged islands , think shallow water structure and think abrupt current changes and you ’ ll be well on your way to bumping into a wolf pack of bad tempered stripers .

Water temperature also plays a big role in plugging success . While you might be able to nail a few stripers while plugging when the water temperature is up , you ’ ll have the best results when the water temperature hovers around the 50 degree mark .

“ When the temperature get cold , it really seems to make the bass get more active and ultimately the more active the fish are the better you ’ ll do while plugging ,” asserts Paganelli .

Okay , now that you ’ ve got an idea of where to find stripers , let ’ s take a look at the tackle and techniques used for catching them . We ’ ll start with rods , reels and lines .

Medium to medium heavy weight spinning tackle can be used for striper plugging , but bait casting gear does a much better job . You could get by with one rod , but two are a much better choice , since you can rig one for subsurface fishing and one for topwater action .

Your light rod can be spooled

well from midday through the afternoon .

In addition to the Blue Wing Olives , on sunny days anglers are seeing significant Hydropsyche Caddis hatches . This insect usually comes off big during the summer , so it is hoped this bodes well for later in the season . Meanwhile , anglers are taking advantage of these hatches now . Some smaller Brachycentrus Caddis , the black ones , are also coming off in good numbers . Midge patterns in No . 16-18 , Baetis nymphs , Black Silvey ’ s and Cinnamon Poopahs are all working well .

Guys fishing the river with spinning gear have been enjoying success drifting with cured roe , salmon eggs , glo bugs and live crickets . Some anglers have also been scoring while back trolling Flatfish and other crankbait style plugs .

The average trout being landed is a wild rainbow in the 14 inch class , although fish to 20 inches are caught daily . In addition to the rainbows , there continues to be a trickle of fresh steelhead entering the system . These fish average about 3 pounds and can range up to and beyond 6 .

If you ’ d like to catch some wild rainbows and perhaps a steelhead or two up in the Redding area , give Robert Weese or Mike Bogue a call . They are two of the best sticks on the river and will work hard to get you fish . To contact

with 15 to 20 pound mono or 30 pound braid . This is the rod you ’ ll use for throwing crankbaits , small plastic swimbait and bucktail jigs . Your heavy rod should be spooled with 50 to 65 pound braid . This is the rod that you ’ ll primarily use for tossing topwaters , but it will also be useful for large swimbaits and wakebaits .

Lure selection for Delta striper plugging is actually pretty simple . There are a lot of baits that stripers will hit , but you only need a few to cover all the bases . First , you ’ ll want some 5 inch hollow body or Fish Trap style swimbaits . Pearl colors that imitate shad are the way to go and you ’ ll want to rig these baits on ½ ounce jig heads . I really like the Blade Runner Tackle Spintrix heads . They feature a small willow leaf blade that adds vibration . For variety , you can also grab a couple white ½ ounce bucktail jigs .

For hard baits , you ’ ll want a few shad or chrome colored half ounce Rat-L-Traps or equivalent for subsurface work . When it ’ s time to throw topwaters you ’ ll want a couple Pencil Poppers in chrome or white colors and a few large walking baits in chrome , clear and baby bass .

When working these baits , whether we are talking subsurface baits to topwaters , the key is to keep them moving . Stripers have notoriously bad aim and they often miss on their first strike . If you keep the bait moving they will usually keep on striking until they get hooked .

With the soft swimbaits , jigs and Rat-L-Traps simply cast them out and slow roll them

Big Delta stripers have been hitting the deck of the Dragon this winter . This monster was landed in early January .

Photo courtesy of DRAGON SPORTFISHING , Pittsburg .

Weese , call ( 530 ) 755-7196 . To reach Mike Bogue , dial ( 530 ) 246- 8457 .

RIO VISTA

Bait Fishermen Nail Striped Bass

RIO VISTA - Bait fishing continues to produce action for anglers in search of striped bass , while sturgeon anglers put in time

back to the boat . Be sure to retrieve all the way back to the boat as the strikes often come right at your feet . If a bass misses your bait beside the boat , don ’ t raise it out of the water , instead start pulling the bait in a figure eight pattern just below the surface with the rod tip . Many times , this will provoke a second strike that results in a hookup .

To effectively work either Pencil Poppers or walking baits , you ’ ve got to learn how to “ walk the dog ”. This is accomplished by rhythmically twitching the bait on a slack line while slowly retrieving line . With a bit of practice , you ’ ll get the hang of moving the bait across the surface with a hypnotic side to side walk .

When a bass rushes a surface bait you ’ ll want to haul back and set the hook . Don ’ t do it ! Keep the bait moving until you FEEL the strike and then drive the hooks home . Many times , a bass will miss a surface lure two or three times before being hooked .

“ Keep the bait moving !” Repeat this mantra in your head as you fish …

for bites .

Shad and sardines were the top recommended baits this week by Craig Kamikawa at Fisherman ’ s Warehouse in Sacramento for anglers fishing from Sandy Beach down to Sherman Island .

“ Fair days , little to no wind , bait fishing - what more could you ask for ,” Kamikawa related .

“ A lot of the fish are in the schoolie range between three and six pounds . They ’ re still hitting fairly light , so you have to be quick when the pull the rod down on a

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balancer ,” he tipped . “ A few guys are trolling the ( west ) bank and getting a couple . Troll deep during the morning hours then shallow in the afternoon . It ’ s a scratch bite but if you ’ re bored of sitting on anchor , trolling is an option with the water still being pretty clear ,” he stated .

Sturgeon fisherman worked Sherman Island , Decker Island and Cache Slough , according to Kamikawa .

“ Guys are literally sitting on

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