Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3717 Aug 3-17, 2018 | Page 9
FRESHWATER
VOL.37 • ISS. 17
Notes For Delta Kings
Aug 3 - 17, 2018
9
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Big chrome
bright king
salmon
are one of
California’s
most sought
after fish.
Great river
fishing takes
place in the
Sacramento
Valley
near towns
such as Red Bluff, Oroville and Colusa. If you live in the Bay Area or
Sacramento area, the Delta provides a viable river fishery right in your
backyard!
presents
Your Guide To Delta Salmon Fishing
W
e all know that during the
late summer and fall, the upper
reaches of the lower Sacramento River and
the Feather River play host to pretty good
salmon fishing, but one thing a lot of us tend
to forget is that before the fish
reach these much heralded up
river haunts they must pass
through the Delta. For anglers
with the know how, the Delta
offers a great opportunity
for trollers to hook big hard
fighting king salmon.
The Sacramento River
above Rio Vista is the most
popular part of the Delta for
salmon trollers, so for our
purposes we’ll focus on the
water from Rio Vista up to
Walnut Grove, but be aware
that action takes place both
above and below this stretch
of water and in other locations such as the
Mokelumne River.
Every once in a while, a guy tossing lures
for black bass or stripers will hook a king in
these waters, but you can’t hang your hat on
such an accident happening to you. The tried
and true approach for hooking kings in the
Delta is trolling. I’m going to describe three
basic rigs. Two have a proven track record in
California and one is purely theoretical for
our waters. However before I get into these
rigs I’ll speak a bit about tackle.
Salmon are big hard fighting fish with
a relatively soft mouth. For this reason a
fairly long 7 to 8 foot rod with a soft tip
is a good choice. Graphite rods will work,
but fiberglass sticks are even better because
they are more forgiving. The soft tip plays a
duel role. On one hand it cushions the fight
of the salmon, keeping them from ripping
out hooks, but it also allows you to monitor
the function of the lure to ensure that it
is working properly and hasn’t picked up
debris.
The rod should be topped with a quality
level wind baitcaster spooled with 50 to
65 pound braided line. While not 100%
necessary, a line counter reel is a good
choice.
On the business end of your rig everything
runs off a three way system. To start rigging
take your main line and attach it to a three
way swivel. On the lower eye
of that swivel attach an 18 inch
dropper made of 20 pound mono
and tip it with a snap. That’s where
your sinker will attach. To the
remaining eye of the three way
attach a 4 to 5 foot 25 pound test
mono leader that will ultimately be
tipped with your lure.
The best lure is a large spinner
such as a Silvertron or Mepps
Flying C. It seems everyone has
their favorite color when it comes
to spinners. Proven producers
include hot pink with a silver or
glow blade, chartreuse with a silver
blade or orange with a silver or
orange glow blade.
Another lure that can pay dividends is a
Flatfish or Kwikfish. As a general rule you
don’t want to use a monster size lure like a
T-55, instead downsize to something that
is in the 3 to 4 inch range. The best color is
chrome with a chartreuse butt, but hot pink
and orange models work at times too.
Using miracle thread you’ll want to wrap
the belly of the bait with a strip of sardine
or the meat stripped from a crawfish tail. If
you’ve never wrapped a lure before it takes
a bit of practice, but when the lure works
properly beside the boat you’ll know you’ve
done the job correctly.
The only other thing you’ll need in terms
of terminal tackle is a selection of torpedo
weights ranging from 2 to 6 ounces.
In terms of accessories you’ll want to
have some bait scent on hand. Anise is a
good choice as is garlic. A lot of guys wear
rubber gloves when rigging up. They believe
that the more human scent you keep off