Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3801 Dec 22-Jan 4 | Page 13

FRESHWATER VOL.38 • ISS. 1 Dec 21, 2018 - Jan 4, 2019 FRESHWATER REPORTS: CONTINUED FROM PG 8 FEATHER RIVER Steelhead Follow the Chinooks into River EAGLE LAKE OROVILLE – Around 400 steelhead have come through the Feather River Hatchery and have been returned to the river to date. “We won’t start holding the steelhead in the hatchery for spawning until December 12,” said Penny Crawshaw, hatchery manager 2. The promising steelhead run follows a “’very good” fall Chinook salmon run, according to Crawshaw. The facility has collected over 15,000,00 green eggs, more than enough to meet their mitigation goal of 9,000,000 smolts. In addition, they have enough eggs, 202,000, to produce at least 125,000 salmon for the landlocked Chinook program at Lake Oroville. The hatchery counted over 17,000 salmon at the hatchery this fall. This includes 5,848 nontagged males and 1,795 tagged males and 3,798 untagged females and 1,037 tagged females. That number also included 1,682 nontagged jacks and 5264 tagged jacks For the inland Chinook program, the hatchery counted 1,551 nontagged males and 1,657 tagged males. They also saw 1,625 nontagged females and 1,654 tagged females. The jack count was 496 nontagged and 538 tagged. The hatchery this year trapped 2,103 spring run Chinooks, compared to just 686 fish last year, the worse season on record. The facility has also taken 3.2 million eggs million spring run eggs, much better than the only 600,000 eggs they took last year. - Dan Bacher Fishing Great as Season Enters Final Weeks SPALDING- “What a fall season it has been at Eagle Lake,” exclaimed Captain Bryan Roccucci of Big Daddy’s Guide Service. “For anglers fly fishing or fly trolling the bite is on. The season ends on December 31 and if ice doesn’t form in a major way, big rainbows should be available right up to the close of business.” “The lake level is still low but much better than it was several years ago, and fishing has been fantastic over the last two fall seasons. With a larger than average population of tui chubs in the lake, the trout haven’t had to push into the shallows in a major way to look for food. Many of the fish we have landed this year have been out over the deeper open water but still close to the surface,” Roccucci disclosed. “The weather has been relatively mild for this time of year, which also might also be a factor in the trout still holding over deeper water. It has really been a pleasure running trips at Eagle Lake this fall and the customers have been pretty pleased with both the quality and the quantity of these hard charging, rod doubling rainbows. The Eagle Lake Rainbow is also on the list for people undertaking the California Heritage Trout Challenge, this fall season we have checked the box for a number of happy customers,” Roccucci concluded. EASTERN SIERRA 13 Big kings continue to show up for late season anglers on the Sacramento River. This 20 pounder was landed below the I Street Bridge on November 20. Photo courtesy of TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE, Loomis. Fly Anglers Prosper! reported Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Guide Service. “We are now seeing a release of 100 cfs out of PVR. This is making access to all the good runs and pools very easy and we are now able to really put our drift boats into the best positions to target these fall fish.” “There are some Captain Bryan Roccucci afternoon hatches taking place on the Lower Owens as the Blue Wing Olive mayflies are Call for Best Dates – emerging daily. Streamers like Loebergs, Spruce- a-bu’s, and Punk Perch have been fooling some nice fish recently,” said Loe. “Some larger fish have found their way into the Upper Owens this month. With the continuation of cold nights, this will Now Catching keep the fish in the STRIPED BASS river as they move upstream to choose TROUT their spawning CATFISH locations. They • LARGEMOUTH SALmON • TROUT BASS are spread out • STRIPED BASS currently and the The New Marina real large numbers • Building CATFISH & Boat Rentals of migratory fish will • NOW LARGEmOUTH BASS show up once the OPEN!!!! water temperatures $25 boat get cold enough,” rentals predicted Loe. every “Solid midge and Monday mayfly hatches Los Vaqueros Recreation Co. thru Friday have been taking 9990 Los Vaqueros Rd. (non holidays) place in the Byron, CA, 94514 afternoons. The www.NORCALFISHING.COm section from the 2907 A Contra Costa Water District Facility 3125 Lake Almanor Now Booking Fall Trout at Eagle Lake Lake Almanor Lake Davis and Eagle Lake Bucks Lake Lake Tahoe www.BigDaddyFishing.com (530) 370-1001 Benton Crossing Bridge down to the fishing monument is now closed. Flows are now at 87 cfs. The cooler water has prompted the fish to feed in the deeper runs now and target nymphs and egg imitations. Look for rising fish in the late- morning and afternoons as the daytime temperatures climb. They will be found in the slower water around the bends in the river,” Loe concluded. Reduced Speed Limit Results in Light Boating Pressure SACRAMENTO – Very few boat anglers are venturing on Folsom Lake, since there is a 5 mph speed limit on the entire lake because of the low water level. The low water ramp at Granite Bay and the Hobie Cove ramp at Browns Ravine are the only 2 ramps in operation. The lake is holding 330,969 acre feet of water, 34 percent of capacity and 71 percent of average. The lake level is CONTINUED ON PG 12 BISHOP - “Flows have really come down on the Lower Owens recently,” FOLSOM LAKE Nestled between Los Vaqueros Los Vaqueros Brentwood Reservoir Reservoir and Livermore off Vasco Road Nestled between Brentwood and Livermore off Vasco Road First Time Anglers Welcome! Beautiful Spring Wild Flowers (925) 371-2628 John Kitta (shown here) and his buddy John Alves visited Los Vaqueros Reservoir on November 29 and landed full limits of trout, stripers and channel cats. What an incredible haul of fish! Photo courtesy of the LOS VAQUEROS RECREATION AREA, Los Vaqueros Reservoir.