Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3802 Jan 4-18 | Page 7

January 4-18, 2019 FRESHWATER VOL.38 • ISS. 2 5 Spotlight On Kayak Fishing... Sponsored by Kayak City in Citrus Heights, CA Kayak City.Com 916.565.1400 Sometimes They Bite, Sometimes You Get Skunked… By Cal Kellogg ultra-light Flash I’m sorry to report that my long string of skunk-less kayaking trips came to Lite flashers trailing an end last week at Folsom Lake. a 2 inch section of With the water level extremely low at Folsom and a 5 mph speed limit in threaded night crawler. place, reports from the lake were few and far between. But Topline rod No. 2 featured a smelt pattern with the surface temperature Arctic Fox trolling fly in the middle 50’s I figured paired with a Wiggle the Fish Sniffer’s Wes Ward Disc and a small bullet and I could pick up some weight such that it rainbows and perhaps a king would run at about 3 while trolling from our Hobie feet deep when trolled kayaks. from 1.5 to 2 mph. Wes couldn’t head over to I’d just gotten my the launch area at Granite Bay rods back into the until he’d dropped his kids water when I got a at school, so Lucy and I beat The spotted bass bite at Folsom Lake has been phone call from an him to the lake by about an better recently than the trout bite. To hook up work excited Wes. hour. soft plastics in 15 to 30 feet of water. “Dude I just put a Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. After sliding my Pro Angler Fish Sniffer staffer Wes Ward nailed this 17 inch Folsom Rapala into the water Lake rainbows almost immediately when he hit the lake with 14 into the water near the Cal Kellogg recently, but in turned out to be the one and and it got slammed extreme low water ramp, Lucy and I started fast trolling up the North Fork only fish of the day. by a killer 17 inch toward the Peninsula Launch Ramp varying our speed from 2.5 to 3.5 mph. Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. rainbow. It’s a Our topline rod was armed with a half-ounce really clean chrome and blue Hum Dinger, while the leadcore fish with a nice square tail,” Wes exclaimed. rod featured a copper Speedy Shiner working 15 After chatting a bit, I told Wes I’d grind around the Peninsula ramp and feet deep. For the first hour or so I hopscotched my wait for him to catch up and then we’d head up the North Fork to the big way north working tight to steep banks and around rock pile known as Anderson Island. submerged rock piles. A half hour later Wes arrived. We trolled and trolled and trolled. All of A lot of bait showed on the screen of my Lowrance our go to stuff got wet, but we along with some hard marks here and there. In short had zero success save for Wes’s everything looked perfect, but the fly in the ointment initial rainbow. was that the trout weren’t cooperating! By the time, we got back to When I arrived at the cove off the big peninsula our trucks our GPS revealed ramp, I pulled in my lines, pulled out my Thermos that we’d trolled for a total of of coffee, gave Lucy a piece of jerky and proceeded 9.24 miles, yet we only had to break out another pair of rods rigged for slower This Folsom Lake king was one strike and one trout to trolling. landed by Fish Sniffer reader My corner stone strategy at low elevation baitfish Kevin Schultz in early December. show for our combined effort… Sometimes they bite, sometimes fueled lakes like Folsom is to start out with a fast and The fish smashed a small they don’t… aggressive troll and then slow down if and when the Rapala. It was the sight of this fish that prompted Cal Wes and I will be back on trout demonstrate that they aren’t interested in a fast feisty When the going gets tough at Folsom, and Wes to hit the lake with their Folsom soon to even up the Arctic Fox Trolling Flies will often produce presentation. It was time to slow down! Hobie Kayaks. when trolled from 1 to 1.5 mph. My second leadcore rod sported a set of Mack’s Photo courtesy of KEVIN score! SCHULTZ, FishSniffer.Com. Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. Plan On Attending Cal Kellogg’s Kayak Trout Fishing Seminars At Sacramento ISE! Trout ~ Kokanee ~ Salmon ~ Shad OFFICIAL SPONSOR 18 Proven Kokanee/Trout Dodgers! 240 different size/color combinations! 82 YEARS of Catching TROUT & KOKANEE 100% Made in the USA Without a DICK NITE... You’re Not Fishin’ Right! www.dicknite.com • fs@dicknite.com T he Kayak City Fishing Team will be delivering a long list of hard hitting kayak fishing seminars at the Kayak City booth between the Pavilion Building and Building C near the food court throughout the ISE Show! The Fish Sniffer’s Cal Kellogg will be speaking about trout fishing, kayaking and more at 3 o’clock Thursday, 11 o’clock Saturday and 12 o’clock on Sunday. During his seminars, Cal will be taking questions, signing books and giving away fishing tackle. As a special bonus one attendee will be randomly selected by Cal during each of his seminars and that lucky person will be given a rod and reel combo, courtesy of Cal Kellogg and the Fish Sniffer Magazine. Meet Cal, gain knowledge and perhaps take home a free rod and reel…You won’t want to miss Cal’s seminars at the big Kayak City booth!