Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3802 Jan 4-18 | Page 26

24 January 4-18, 2019 FRESHWATER VOL.38 • ISS. 2 FRESHWATER REPORTS: but the steelhead fishing is holding its own,” said Tim Brady of Trinity Outdoors. “Most anglers are fishing from Lewiston to Cedar Flat. The weather systems that have moved through haven’t impacted the clarity of the water yet.” Fishing guides and anglers are reporting catching wild and hatchery steelhead while fishing roe, jigs and nightcrawlers under a float and flies, including Rubber Legs and golden stone patterns, Fish to 7 pounds are showing. Fishing pressure for black bass, rainbow trout and king salmon remains very light on Trinity Lake. Trinity Lake is holding 1,454,986 acre feet of water, 59 percent of capacity and 90 percent of average. - Dan Bacher CONTINUED FROM PG 20 SHASTA LAKE cont. While some anglers have been struggling, Goodwin has been able to find biters while working big spoons just below the surface, although he confides that some anglers have been getting hit while working as deep as 20. The best trout action has been taking place in the lower ends of the Sacramento and McCloud Arms. As of press time bass fishing for spotted bass was a better option for Shasta anglers than chasing trout. The spots are holding anywhere from 20 to 75 feet deep and are feeding heavily on baitfish. Bill Twain of Rancho Cordova visited Shasta on December 14 and caught 11 spotted bass to 3 pounds while trolling Gulp Minnows rigged behind 6 inch Sling Blade Dodgers around structure in Shasta’s main body. “I’d never fished Shasta before, so I hauled my Jackson Kayak up there to give it a try,” said Twain. “When I spotted the fish and bait on my sonar, I figured they were rainbows, but they turned out to be spots. I’m not complaining. They fought great and I kept two for dinner. They tasted just as good as the rockfish I get in the ocean,” said Twain. While the bass come pretty easy for trollers that target them, most guys are using either drop shot rigs or jigging spoons. For skilled bassers 30 to 40 fish days are common. Shasta is currently holding steady at 100 feet from maximum pool and the surface temperature has dropped down to 54 degrees. SMITH/CHETCO RIVERS Steelhead Fishing Should Bust Loose After Water Clears SMITH RIVER- Until the recent storms arrived, king salmon and steelhead fishing was slow on the Smith and Chetco Rivers. However, the steelhead fishing should shift into high gear after the water clears from the latest storms. “We finally got rain,” reported Phil Desautels of Phil’s Smiling Salmon Guide Service. “The river came up 10 feet two days ago and, boy, did it need it. The leaves were bad for the plunkers who got out; they had to clean the leaves off their lines every 10 to 15 minutes.” “I know of five steelhead that were caught by the plunkers on the Smith River,” said Desautels. “This rain is the kick off to the winter steelhead season.” WEST DELTA Stripers Now On Bait Bite! Big smiles and dandy lakers, that’s been the story for folks fishing Lake Tahoe with the Tahoe Sportfishing Team this fall. Photo courtesy of TAHOE SPORTFISHING, South Lake Tahoe. TAHOE Great Mackinaw Fishing Rewards Christmas Season Trollers SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - Limits have been the rule for anglers fishing aboard the Tahoe Sportfishing Fleet in recent days. The average mackinaw being landed is 3 to 5 pounds, but larger fish can show up at any time. Minnows rigged behind flashers remain the top offering for Tahoe Sportfishing skippers. Tahoe Sportfishing has an extensive fleet and lots of local knowledge. If you book a trip with them you’ll be fishing with some of the best skippers in the game aboard some of the most comfortable charter boats on the big lake! Mickey Daniels of Mickey’s Big Mack Charters has been taking clients out on his charter boat that features a fully enclosed, heated cabin. Mickey’s clients have been hooking several fish per outing while pulling Kok-A-Nuts, Sting Kings and other lures. The fish are running from 3 to 7 pounds in most cases. His clients have been keeping some fish for the table. The rest are tagged and released. Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters has been fishing Cal Neva Point and Sugar Pine Point for limits of 2 to 7 pound macks. Gene is getting many of his fish with rigged minnows teamed with his white homemade flashers. Stick baits and Flatfish are working too. The fish are holding in water ranging from 100 to 160 feet deep. Gene related that there are some larger fish around and that the occasional mack in the 9 to 15 pound range is being hooked. TRINITY RIVER/LAKE Steelhead Provide Top River Action WEAVERVILLE - Steelhead returns to the Trinity River Fish Hatchery have improved over the past couple of weeks, going up to 583 fish according to the latest CDFW trapping survey. The total that returned to the facility in the 2017 season was 2,049 fish and 1,574 fish in the 2016 season. “There’s not a whole lot of anglers going out on the river now, BRANNAN ISLAND - With water temperatures dropping and muddy stained water on the Sacramento side of the system, trolling for stripers is pretty much over for the season. The bass are still there, however, and anglers are rounding up limits of keepers to 15 pounds while soaking bait. For anglers fishing at Decker and Sherman Islands, filleted shad, chicken livers and live mudsuckers are all drawing strikes. Fish are being caught during the both outgoing and incoming tides, but the outgoing has been the most consistent. Captain Hayden Mullins of Dragon Sportfishing has been successfully fishing for both sturgeon and trophy stripers in the upper reaches of Suisun Bay out of the Pittsburg Marina. For the stripers, Mullins is soaking large live baits. One of his clients bagged a fish well over 30 pounds in the past couple days. Sturgeon have been the main course for Mullins’s anglers. Several keepers hit the deck of the Dragon this week and some oversize fish were released beside the boat. The bite has been up and down on a daily basis, but with patience keepers are possible nearly every day and some days produce multiple slot size fish. Eel and salmon roe remain the baits of choice. The word is that with dropping water temperatures the sturgeon are starting to spread out and moving into shallower water areas. TAHOE SPORTFISHING est.1953 Lake Tahoe’s Largest Fishing Fleet year-round fishing Half & Full Day Charters single fisherman to large families & private parties Best Selection — Best Service — Best Prices 3720 (916) ROCKLIN 773-7333 6455 PACIFIC ST. We supply everything you need to fish! Mackinaw Kokanee Salmon Rainbow Trout Brown Trout AUBURN (530) 888-7825 11844 ATWOOD RD www.trucksmart.com Call or Book Online (530) 541-5448 tahoesportfishing.com|@tahoesportfishing These folks hit the Delta with Captain James Netzel this December and caught a bunch of stripers while drifting live bait and ended up keeping limits of quality eating size fish. Photo courtesy of TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE, Loomis.