Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3714 June 22-July 6, 2018 | Page 23

VOL. 37 • ISS. 14

FRESHWATER REPORTS:

CONTINUED FROM PG 17

WEST DELTA cont.

keeper. Shad and anchovies are the top baits.

Sturgeon fishing in the upper reaches of Suisun Bay remains good to very good on eel and roe. However, wind has been a major problem on most days. For the best shot at success, plan on fishing when the tide is running in the same direction as the wind. Most of the fish being hooked are coming from water 30 feet deep or deeper.

Catfish are wrapping up spawning operations and are on a good evening bite. Work water 15 to 25 feet deep with anchovy chunks or night crawlers and you should have no problem putting together a good fish fry.

Black bass action is widespread and excellent. Small swimbaits, Senkos, creature baits and chatter baits are all hooking fish. Bass in the 2 to 3 pound class are common and fish to 9 pounds have been reported.

The frog bite hasn’ t kicked into high gear yet, but that bite is right around the corner if the hot weather we’ ve had continues.

Virginia Salvador holds up the huge West Delta sturgeon she battled on June 1. Photo courtesy of GATE CRASHER FISHING ADVENTURES, Sacramento.

WILD HORSE LAKE

Bait Anglers, Fly Tossers Nail Quality Trout

ELKO – The water level at Wild Horse is still holding above 95 %, surface water

temperatures are in the high 50’ s and fishing continues to be good with clear water conditions. However, algae is starting to grow and will probably bloom with the forecast sunny warm conditions over the coming days, according to the

June 22- July 6, 2018

23

Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Trout are averaging 14 to 17 inches with the occasional 20 + inch fish being taken. Anglers report success all along the state park shoreline, Hendricks arm, Penrod and north to the last cove before the canyon to the dam, though the Hendricks Arm east of the highway has been producing limits of fish regularly. Sherbet and rainbow PowerBait seems to be working well, but anglers report catching trout on worms, spinners, small spoons and evens small minnow imitations.

Fly rodders should be using most common nymph patterns such as hares ears, prince, PT’ s and damselfly nymphs. Other flies to try include black leeches, balanced leeches, and wooly buggers.

Approximately 55,000 eight inch trout have been stocked in Wild Horse this spring. The dock is in the water for boaters to use at the State Park boat ramp. No black bass may be kept until July 1.

does not eat them first.”

Dr. David Steen identified the unlucky snake eaten by the bullhead as a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus ssp. Oreganus It is found in North America from southwestern Canada, through much of the western half of the United

( similar to illustration)

3710

States, and south into northern Mexico. In Canada, it is found in southern British Columbia. In the US, it occurs in Washington, Oregon, western and southern Idaho, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and likely west-central New Mexico. In northern Mexico, it

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Hollister hooked a big trout during the trip but lost it before he could get it in the boat.

While most of the trout being caught now at New Melones are hefty rainbows in the 2 to 8-pound range, Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing reported that Butch Betschart landed a brown trout weighing 9 pounds, 10 ounces, while trolling with him on Thursday, May 25.

The two anglers tried for 45 minutes to help revive the fish after releasing her, but the brown succumbed to the battle. Butch decided to contact a taxidermist and have his fish mounted.

The big brown is not the only fish they hooked on that trip.“ We lost two large rainbows and hooked and released two crappie, a 13-inch smallmouth and a 12-inch kokanee while trolling shad at 30 to 50 feet deep in the main body,” said Smith.

“ On our previous trip, we caught two rainbows weighing 4 pounds, 10 ounces, and 5 pounds, 10 ounces while trolling with Ex- Cel lures behind Sling Blades at 40 to 50 feet deep in the main body.”

On his next adventure at the lake after the trip producing the brown, an angler fishing with Smith landed a 5-1 / 2 lb. rainbow trout measuring 24 inches long, as well as 4 crappie to 12 inches.

For more information about trout trolling adventures on New Melones, call Monte Smith at Gold Country Sportfishing,( 209) 581-4734.

Gene Hildebrand of Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp summed up the recent trout fishing at New Melones.

“ Over the past week, Glory Hole Sports has seen an abundance of beautiful rainbow and brown trout that anglers have landed while out on New Melones Lake. From a 3 lb. 6 oz. rainbow to a 9 lb. 10 oz. brown, the bite here continues to improve weekly, with a couple limits being landed this week,” said Hildebrand.

The main lake has produced many of the trout at the dam, as well as near the Highway 49 Bridge.

“ Put your time in on the water and you will be successful. Some of the hot baits on the lake for trout have been hoochies in different

Ryan Hollister got a big surprise when he boated this brown bullhead catfish with a Pacific rattlesnake in it during a trout trolling adventure at New Melones Lake on May 27.

Photo courtesy of RYAN HOLLISTER, Turlock.

colors along with dodger or flashers, rolling shad with a dodger, or Apex lures in a rainbow trout pattern,” he advised.

Maybe you’ ll get lucky and even catch a catfish with a rattlesnake inside of it like Ryan Hollister did while trout fishing at New Melones Reservoir.

The rattlesnake inside the catfish that Ryan Hollister caught was as long as the 14 inch fish itself.

Photo courtesy of RYAN HOLLISTER, Turlock.