Six Tips for Better Buzzbait Success
VOL . 37 • ISS . 21
caused by The Carr Fire near Redding ,
“ The drift boat and raft anglers are catching limits of Chinooks while fishing plugs , spinners , roe and tuna balls ,” said Tim Brady of Trinity Outdoors . “ Most of the kings are in the 8 to 12 lb . range . They are also picking up some steelhead , mostly wild fish going up to 5 pounds .”
“ With the extra water in the river , the salmon aren ’ t as concentrated in the usual holes as they are normally , so the shore anglers aren ’ t doing as well as the boaters ,” explained Brady .
Brady said anglers are focusing most on the stretch of river above and below Junction City . Fishermen should also see increasing success on salmon and steelhead below Del Loma , where spinners are very effective .
Brady hasn ’ t heard any bass , trout or salmon reports from Trinity Lake over the past couple of weeks , since there has been so little fishing pressure , due to smoke moving in and out of the area with the wind .
Anglers interested in hooking rainbow trout should try fishing nightcrawlers , PowerBait , spinners and flies on Lewiston Lake .
- Dan Bacher
WEST DELTA
Striper Bite Gets Better And Sturgeon Are Available Too !
BRANNAN ISLAND - Fishing in the West Delta is solid at this point for both stripers and sturgeon . That ’ s the good news , the better news is that the action is going to get even better in the coming weeks .
“ Weather is cooling and the water temperature is now down to about 68 in the morning ,” related Captain David Hammond of Delta Pro Fishing . “ The fishing is crazy good right now . Yesterday was really good . We had 34 keepers and did a lot of catch and release fishing . We could have been off the water by 8 with limits . Our first 21 fish were keepers .”
“ I ’ m expecting solid fishing through November 1 and it might continue right on through Thanksgiving depending on the weather .”
“ Weeds have been an issue . You ’ ve got to move around and do your best to avoid the weeds . There are fish in both the San Joaquin and Sacramento . Work hard during the ends and beginnings of the tides . Those are the key bite windows right now ,” added Hammond .
Hammond is getting his fish while trolling shallow and deep running Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows . Bait anglers are getting lots of action , but if you are using cut baits you can expect lots of shaker action . If you want to hook something bigger than average while bait fishing soak a live bluegill , pike minnow or split tail . You ’ ve got to have a good deal of patience while waiting out bites on these large baits , but the rewards can be great !
Sturgeon anglers are scoring well in the upper reaches of Suisun Bay while soaking both salmon roe and eel . Shrimp will work too , but there are a lot of bait stealers around that love to gobble shrimp baits before the sturgeon get a chance to bite .
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Sutter Basin Duck Calls are Available at these Locations :
PACIFIC EXTREME SPORTS Sacramento , CA ( 916 ) 646-3474 SWEENY ’ S SPORTS Napa , CA ( 707 ) 255-5544 UNION ACE HARDWARE Marysville , CA ( 530 ) 743-4621 KITTLE ’ S OUTDOOR SPORTS Colusa , CA ( 530 ) 458-4868 SUTTER ORCHARD SUPPLY Yuba City , CA ( 530 ) 673-8068 FINS FUR & FEATHER SPORTS Paradise , CA ( 530 ) 876-8800 SPORTSMAN ’ S WAREHOUSE – Chico • Rocklin • Redding – 1-800-286-3076
FRESHWATER
BASS FISHING SPOTLIGHT By Mark Fong
Six Tips for Better Buzzbait Success
Nothing is more exciting than a vicious top water
strike and buzzbaits have a well deserved reputation for generating giant blowups and big bass . Buzzbaits
have been around for a long time but with the flood of newer and flashier baits , buzzbaits have lost some of their luster in the eyes of many anglers .
Northern California Bass Guide , Ron Gandolfi of Paradise relies on buzzbaits to put fish in the boat for his clients . Recently I made a trip with Gandolfi to Lake Oroville where we got on a good topwater bite and it was the buzzbait that took center stage . Just in time for some great fall topwater action , we share six quick tips for better buzzbait success . Ron Gandolfi On Choosing the Correct Buzzbait “ Buzzbaits work great in all types of water ,” explains Gandolfi . “ I think it is the noise factor that draws so much attention . Whether it is around matted vegetation or tules or clean water you can fish buzzbaits in all types of water , it is such a universal bait .”
In clear water Gandolfi relies on a ½ oz white Persuader American buzzbait in the blade in blade or clacker style blade . Both these blade styles produce a subtle sound . If there are a lot of bait fish around , he likes to add a plastic swimbait such as a Keitech as a trailer .
When the water is stained or muddy , Gandolfi switches to a chartreuse Persuader Double Buzz in chartreuse and in low light conditions he favors darker colors like a combination of black and red . The two side by side counter rotating blades make the Double Buzz a noisy flashy bait that draws a lot of attention from aggressive bass .
Presentation Matters
As with any bait , the proper presentation creates more opportunities for success . When target fishing with buzzbaits , casting accuracy is extremely important . When possible , cast past the target and make sure the bait is up and running as it enters the strike zone . Also it is important to get the bait up and running on the surface the instant the bait hits the water . “ By throwing the buzzbait properly and to the right spot , the success rate will be much higher ,” advises Gandolfi .
Attention to Detail
Retrieve speed depends on how active the fish are . Generally speaking , the warmer the water temperature means that the fish will be more active . “ If you are
Sept 28 - Oct 12 , 2018
getting bumped quite a lot , it probably is because you are not going fast enough ,” explains Gandolfi . “ A good tip is to add a trailer hook and speed the bait up a bit .”
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Fall Fishing
While it is true that buzzbaits take their share of summer time bass , don ’ t put your buzzbaits away when summer gives way to fall . Fall brings about shorter days and cooling water temperatures . Weed growth that flourished during the heat of the summer begins to thin out as bass aggressively put the feedbag on in preparation for winter . This combination of events can set the stage for some of the best buzzbait opportunities of the entire year . Once the water temperature into the low 50 ’ s the buzzbait bite goes away .
Positive Connections
When bass are less aggressive , they have a tendency to swipe at a buzzbait without getting the hook . As such I always use a trailer hook when fishing a buzzbait . I thread a 3 / 0 Gamakatsu trailer hook over the buzzbait ’ s main hook and fasten it with a short piece of the supplied rubber tubing . When fishing open water , I will substitute a size 2 Gamakatsu treble for the traditional single hook . This works especially well for both smallmouths and spotted bass which have a tendency to slash at the bait .
The Last Cast
Do yourself a favor and don ’ t forget about buzzbaits . Get on the water now for some great fall top water excitement .
To learn more about Ron Gandolfi or to book a trip , please visit his website at www . lakeorovillebassguide . com / about . htm or contact him directly at . Ron guides on a number of Northern California Lakes and works hard to create fishing memories for his clients .
Sportsman ’ s Warehouse Waterfowl Weekend Set For September 29 & 30
man ’ s Warehouse California locations on September 29 and 30 . The festivities will include free seminars and product demos from top waterfowlers and manufacturers . There will be hot buys on selected waterfowling gear . For more
Closer and closer they come . You can hear the wind in their feathers . The shotgun automatically finds your shoulder . Your eye sorts through a half dozen potential targets before focusing on a lone greenhead . The shotgun roars and the bird crumbles … Welcome to the 2018 California duck season ! The waterfowl season is right around the corner and now is the time to check out your gear and make sure you have everything you need for a successful 2018 duck campaign . Luckily for you if you do find yourself lacking critical gear or even critical knowledge , Sportsman ’ s Warehouse is hosting a special Waterfowl Weekend events at their stores around Northern California . Waterfowl Weekend is slated for Sportsinformation about Waterfowl Weekend see the advertisment in this issue of the Fish Sniffer ! Sportsman ’ s Warehouse has several locations around northern and central California . The Rocklin Sportsman ’ s Warehouse is located at 6640 Lonetree Blvd . For more information call ( 916 ) 782-9900 . In Chico , 765 East Avenue , ( 530 ) 897-0500 . In Rancho Cordova 2344 Sunrise Blvd , ( 916 ) 635-7800 . In Redding , 1659 Hilltop Drive , ( 530 ) 222-5500 . In Fairfield , 1590 Gateway Blvd ( 707 ) 389-7400 . In Fresno , 8468 N . Friant Rd . ( 559 ) 261-2900 . In Rohnert , Park 5195 Redwood Dr . ( 707 ) 585-1500 . In Eureka , 3456 Broadway ( 707 ) 298-6100 . In Stockton , 10536 Trinity Parkway ( 209 ) 851-7400 . In Vasalia , 1650 W . Visalia Parkway ( 559 )
308-7100