Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3716 July 20- Aug 3 | Page 5

VOL.37 • ISS. 16 July 20 - Aug 3, 2018 Hey Cal! — Letters To The Editor COVER STORY 3 Established 1982 What’s on your mind? Do you have something you’d like to share with us and our readers? A picture... a story... a question to ask, or an answer to another? Let’s hear your compliments, or your gripes! Whatever it is, send it to: HEY, DAN!, c/o Fish Sniffer Publications, The Fish Sniffer - P.O. Box 776, Colfax, CA 95713, or you can now e-mail it at danielbacher@fishsniffer.com. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of pictures or text. Thanks! California-Nevada Edition “The No.1 Newspaper Dedicated Entirely To Northern California Sportsmen!” Published By NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ANGLER PUBLICATIONS, INC. The Fish Sniffer P.O. Box 776, Colfax, CA 95713 Toll-Free (833)-347-4661 www.fishsniffer.com CAL KELLOGG’S E-MAIL: calkellogg@.fishsniffer.com EDITORIAL E-MAIL: danielbacher@.fishsniffer.com SF Bay Charter Fishing Hey Cal! Ron Barret here. I met you at the ISE Show in Sacramento last winter. I’m going out of the Golden Gate on a charter boat for salmon. This is not my first charter trip, but it is my first salmon trip. I know you spend a lot of time fishing the coast. What sort of gear do I need and what should I expect? ~ Ron Barret Hey Ron! There are two schools of thought When fishing from the decks of a charter boat you’ll likely about landing king salmon on a mov- ing charter boat. Some guys say, fight be trolling with tray baits rigged by the boat’s skipper and the fish gently, keep the line tight and deckhand. Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. the barbless hook will stay in place. Other guys advise putting maximum pressure on the fish with heavy gear in order one of tines will skewer the eye of the sinker, to get them into the net quickly. This fraternity holding it in place. When a salmon hits, it pulls believes that the longer your fight a salmon with on the cotter pin, the tines retract and the sinker a barbless hook the more likely it is that you’ll falls out. lose the fish. Day in day out nothing outperforms anchovies I’ve used both approaches and I’ve come to and herring for tempting king salmon off the firmly believe that the maximum pressure ap- California coast. The deckhand and the captain proach puts more salmon fillets on the grill. are the only people on a charter boat that have a For this style of fishing you want a 7, or better hand in rigging the baits. They watch the bites yet, 8 foot fast action rod designed to handle line progress from day to day and know exactly the from 15 to 40 pound test. type of spin the bait has to display for the best The rod should be balanced with a reel that is results. strong enough to handle heavy weights with a Your bait is run at the end of a 4 to 6 foot long smooth drag. The reel should be able to hold at leader that attaches to the rear end of the sinker least 200 yards of 50 to 65 pound braided line. release. Sometimes a small inline flasher is If you’ve got a high speed reel with the added. Most of the time the baits and lures are strength and capacity required run with that. run without dodgers or flashers. When a salmon rushes the boat a fast reel can Once at the fishing grounds, the skipper will help keep slack from forming. instruct how deep to lower your bait and 3 Every charter boat fishes the same way basi- pound sinker. Don’t just free spool your rig cally, but the fine points often vary from boat to down, rather lower it to the specified depth with boat. one foot “pulls” of line. This will ensure you’re At the heart of the California salmon trolling at the proper depth, while preventing tangles. rig is the sinker release. The most widely known After the bait or lure is at the proper depth sinker release is the copper tube variety called engage the reel’s clicker and place the rod in the the “dog whistle”, since it looks like a silent dog holder. whistle. Pull on the rear of the release and the When a salmon strikes don’t grab the rod too tines of the cotter pin in the rear of the release quickly. Let the fish fight the rod tip for about and the tines retract and slide behind a slot in the 10 seconds before making a move, this ensures tubing. The eye of the sinker is placed into the that the salmon is firmly hooked and allows the slot, the tension is relieved on the cotter pin and sinker time to fall away. ~Cal Kellogg THE FISH SNIFFER (833)-347-4661 • FishSniffer.com FISH SNIFFER GOES DIGITAL!!! Check us out on magazine.fishsniffer.com Digital subscription now available to the Fish Sniffer. Download the app Download the app from iTunes or Google Play. Email digital_subscriptions@fishsniffer.com The KFBK OUTDOOR SHOW 3507 1 Rated with your Outdoor Radio Show host for 26 years! # Bob Simms Fishing • Hunting