well before you reach it . “

“ This time of year the kokanee are spread out and there is no need for 20 boats fishing in the same spot . When there are 5-6 boats working the same area as me , I start trolling in a different direction . I normally will catch more because I am working an area by myself ,” he stated .

“ I am a very slow troller , but early in the season , I normally will fish 1.2-1.4 mph . And I use my Lowrance to find fish , record my trails , and plot waypoints ,” he said .

“ My fishing depth will change throughout the day . I often get asked ‘ How deep am I fishing ?’ That is very hard to answer honestly because I am constantly changing my depths . I look at my fish finder and where I see fish is what depth I ’ m fishing ,” he said .

Netzel is trolling with Paulina Peak ’ s pre-bent dodgers with micro hoochies and spinners in “ Purple Haze ” and “ Lemonade .”

- By Dan Bacher

TAHOE

Macks Provide Sport And Great Eating For June Anglers

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - “ The fishing has been really good at Tahoe and I ’ ve been eating a lot of mackinaw meat ,” exclaimed Russell Blake of Carson City , Nevada . “ Not only are macks a lot of fun to catch , they are also really good to eat .”

“ I ’ ve been launching at Cave Rock and running up to the rocky structure off Cal Neva Point . Most guys that do well on Tahoe macks run minnows and dodgers . I ’ ve been doing really good with the

Now Fishing Striped Bass on the Sacramento and Feather Rivers Now Booking Spring and Fall Run Salmon on the Klamath River ! same rig , but instead of a natural minnow I ’ ve been running 3 inch Gulp ! Minnows threaded on a No . 4 ring eye hook . My dodger of choice is a 6 inch Gold Star model in glow white . I ’ ve been fishing from 100 to 150 feet deep , so I charge up the dodger with a little LED flashlight for maximum glow power ,” said Blake .

“ I ’ m getting 6 to 10 macks per trip with the largest fish weighing upwards of 10 pounds . For eating I prefer to keep fish in the 3 to 6 pound class . Mostly I barbeque the fillets , but I ’ ve smoked some of the fillets too and they are excellent ,” added Blake .

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 7 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 / Mack ’ s Lure Kok-A-Nuts teamed with Sling Blade Dodgers .

TRINITY LAKE / RIVER

Rainbows , Kings Highlight Catches

WEAVERVILLE – Rainbow trout are providing the most consistent fishing , although anglers are also bagging some big king salmon at Trinity Lake .

“ A friend reporting catching two rainbows measuring 18 inches each on a trip to Trinity Lake ,” said Tim Brady at Trinity Outdoors . “ He trolled with Optimizer spoons at the mouth of the tributaries .”

Alex Ross of The Trinity Guide Co . reported that one angler fishing with him landed two salmon weighing 7 and 8 pounds on a recent trolling trip , as well as losing two others . Most of the kings are hitting salmon hoochies behind flashers at 100 to 150 feet deep in front of the dam .

Jason and his fishing partner teamed up to battle this huge 22 pound striper while fishing at Los Vaqueros Reservoir on May 25 .

Photo courtesy of the LOS VAQUEROS RECEATION AREA , Los Vaqueros Reservoir .

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Capt . Brad Bugica

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Andrea and Ron visited Stampede Reservoir with Captain James Netzel on May 27 and limited out on kokanee salmon while pulling gear from Paulina Peak Tackle .

Photo courtesy of TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE , Loomis .

“ It ’ s a tough bite ,” he said . “ A good day is one or two fish . But it ’ s definitely worth it if you want to spend the time pursuing these quality fish .”

Bass fishing continues to be productive , with boaters hooking largemouths and smallmouths while using everything from swimbaits to Hula Poppers . The dredger piles at the north end of the lake , as usual , are producing some of the best action . The fish range from undersized to 4 pounds .

Brady said that a few anglers are hooking spring Chinooks on the Trinity River below Grays Falls and Burnt Ranch , but it can be a dangerous hike up and down into the canyon to fish .

The Bureau of Reclamation will ramp down releases from Lewiston Dam until the summer base flow of 450 cfs is reached June 30 . The releases for this “ critically dry ” 2018 water year will result in an annual total volume of 369,000 acre-feet . Trinity Lake is holding 187,225 feet of water , 77 percent of capacity and 89 percent of the 10 year average .

- Dan Bacher

Come visit

• Fully equipped cabins with decks overlooking the lake

• Free Boat slips at private dock

• Gameroom , volleyball , pool , horseshoes and more !

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WEST DELTA

Striper Fishing Slows , Sturgeon Action Steady With Rising Water Temperatures

ANTIOCH - There are still keeper and better stripers being caught in the West Delta , but the action is slowing down quickly as the water temperature climbs and more and more fish head for San Francisco Bay .

To hook stripers while trolling , the San Joaquin River remains the best bet for anglers pulling deep running clown pattern Yo-Zuri Minnow plugs tipped with white worms .

If you want to fish with bait , you ’ ll catch fish on both the San Joaquin and Sacramento sides , but you ’ ll have to deal

with a bunch of shaker action to land a CONTINUED ON PG 19

• Discounts for Cash •

• Large or Small Groups • Group Discounts • Gift Certificates Over 50 Years Experience on The Lake

P . O . Box 488

Carnelian Bay , CA 96140

E-mail : bigmack-2 @ att . net • www . mickeysbigmack . com

* Trolling Motors * Fishfinders

ONE DAY SERVICE on Installations with appointment

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* GPS * VHF Radios * Radar * Batteries and Chargers

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