Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3718 Aug 17-31 | Page 25

“Crappie are still being caught at Calero around the boat ramp. At Anderson, try fishing by the dam. Like the bass, the action is better during low light, so fish the mornings and evenings,” he added. Catfish anglers continued to be sent to either Uvas or Chesbro. “Like the crappie and bass, low light is best, but the afternoons and evenings are better. Try using chicken livers, mackerel or nightcrawlers in the coves where the water is the warmest,” he said. - Roland Aspiras SHASTA/WHISKEYTOWN LAKES Thermocline Bite Starts Amid Backdrop Of Devastating Fire REDDING - Fishing is not the focus in Redding these days in the wake of the devastating Carr Fire that ravaged the Lake Shasta region. Having said that, outstanding trolling for rainbow trout and a few big browns is forming up nicely as the trout and bait concentrate in the thermocline. Look for the trout to be holding 60 to 80 feet deep. Find the marks using your sonar and then drop shad imitators such as Kastmasters, Needlefish, Hum Dingers, Wiggle Hoochie and small Rapalas down to the fish. The rainbows are running 2 to 4 pounds. The browns range up to 7 and don’t be surprised if you pick up a few jumbo spotted bass too. The lower ends of the lake’s major arms are good spots to start the search. Speaking of bass, the lake’s spotted bass are on a strong bite. Like the trout, they are orienting to the schools of shad big time. To score look for areas where the bait comes in contact with rocky structure. Spoons and drop shot rigs are all you need to hook big numbers of 1 to 3 pound bass. Early and late you can pick off a few fish on rip baits and top water lures. As of press time Shasta was dropping about 7 inches per day and was about 50 feet from maximum pool. At Whiskeytown, the kokanee have dropped down into the 60 to 80 foot range, but the bite remains solid. Paulina Peak blades and lures are working as are blades and lures from the Yakima Bait Company. The average kokanee is over 16 inches and the biggest salmon range up to beyond 18 inches. STAMPEDE RESERVOIR Stellar Kokanee Fishing Continues TRUCKEE – The banner kokanee salmon fishing continues at Stampede Reservoir, where experienced trollers are bagging limits of landlocked sockeyes. Three anglers bagged limits of kokanee salmon by 9:30 a.m. during a trip to Stampede with James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service on Thursday, August 2. The fish were in the 15 to 16 inch range. “We trolled at 65 to 70 feet deep near the island with Paulina Peak clown pattern Micro Hoochies and green dream spinners, behind gold plated crush glow dodgers,” said Netzel. Netzel’s previous trip produced limits of kokanee up to 17-3/4 inches, also while using Paulina Peak Micro Hoochies and Spinners. On a previous trip, Netzel reported, “It’s a banner day today for boat limits of fat kokanee to over 17 inches at Stampede,. We could have quit at 8 am but kept a few off our limits to continue to fish. The guys paid for a full day trip, no need to go home after only a couple hours of fishing.” “These active duty Army soldiers were greeted with multiple flyovers from 2 beautiful bald eagles diving and grabbing fish, even stealing one from an Osprey,” Aug 17 - 31, 2018 FRESHWATER VOL.37 • ISS. 18 said Netzel. “The top producers were Paulina Peak Tackle clown pattern and pink/ purple micro hoochies, fished behind both gold plated and nickel plated crush glow dodgers. Glitterbugs. org orange and chartreuse micro hoochies did very well too.” - Dan These anglers visited Stampede Reservoir in late July and headed home with limits Bacher of kokanee. Several of those fish are over 17 inches! Photo courtesy of TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE, Loomis. TRINITY RIVER/LAKE TAHOE High Sierra Anglers Tangle With Mackinaw & Kokanee SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - The team at Tahoe Sportfishing is putting their clients on both mackinaw and kokanee. The salmon are running 11 to 13 inches, while the mackinaw range up to 30 inches and about 10 pounds. For kokanee, you’ll want to work the south end of the lake with dodgers teamed with either Wedding Ring Spinners or hoochies. The mackinaw are eating rigged minnows and minnow imitating spoons rigged behind either dodgers or flashers. The macks are scattered from 80 to 200 plus feet deep mainly. Fish Sniffer reader Ray Giddings took a kayak fishing trip to Tahoe last week and caught 5 mackinaw to 6 pounds north of Cave Rock. “I tried trolling with my crank downrigger, but couldn’t seem to get hit. I could see fish on my sonar unit, so I started experimenting with a Duh Spoon that I bought at the Sacramento ISE Show last winter. I’d never caught a fish while vertical jigging. I was able to hook a 2 pound mack on my first drop. That fish gave me a lot of confidence. Over the next two hours I got 5 more fish. Most of them were 3 to 4 pounds, but my best mack weighed just over 6. I kept that big fish for the smoker,” reported Giddings. Mickey Daniels of Mickey’s Big Mack Charter continues to enjoy good fishing at the lake’s north end while pulling a variety of offerings in deep water. Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters is putting his clients on limits of mackinaw while trolling dodgers and rigged minnows. St. Denis is trolling from 150 to 250 feet deep off Sugar Pine, Dollar and Calneva Points. The fish are running 1 to 5 pounds with the occasional larger fish to 9 pounds mixed in. Trinity Flows Go Up With ‘Operational Challenges’ Spurred by Carr Fire WEST DELTA Trollers Hammer Stripers, Bait Soakers Hook Sturgeon & Cats BRANNAN ISLAND - The weather is hot and so is the striper action in the West Delta. Not many people are targeting them,