Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3819 Aug 30-Sep 13 | Page 25

WEST DELTA Salmon Absent So Far, But Stripers & Sturgeon Cooperate! PITTSBURG - Salmon trollers had high expectations when the season kicked off in mid-July, but so far, it’s been slow going simply because the kings are still beyond the Golden Gate chomping on anchovies and few of them have started pushing upriver. When the run gets going, it should be really good. In the interim, Delta anglers have plenty of options to choose from. Black bass fishing is good as you’d expect late in the summer and so is catfish and panfish action. However, the real excitement revolves around striper and sturgeon fishing. Neither of these bites really shut down this summer. Anglers simply left the fish to target other regions and other species. Trollers like Captain David Hammond of Delta Pro Fishing are having very good success while pulling deep running Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows in both the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The fish are moving in small pods so you’ve got to invest some time locating the bass, but once you locate them the action can be very good. The average bass are going 18 to 24 inches, but much bigger fish into the high teens have been showing. Some of the pods of bass seem to consist of schoolies, while other pods are made up of fish in the 8 to 15-pound class. Bait anglers are catching bass too, but you’ll have to deal with lots of shakers to get a keeper. While striper fishing pressure is light, sturgeon fishing pressure is nearly non- existent. Yet, the sturgeon bite for those that invest the time and effort has been outstanding. The sturgeon are holding in deep areas in the upper reaches of Suisun Bay and are very willing to dine on both eel and salmon roe. Most of the fish being hooked run 36 to 50 inches, but there have been some oversize monsters in the mix too. WESTERN NEVADA Big Rivers and Small Streams Are Fishing Well RENO - All of the rivers and streams that drain the east slope of the Sierra and the Carson Range are fishing very well at this time. The snowmelt from the giant winter of 2018-19 is no longer a significant factor in fishing success or access. All of the rivers and streams in this region are flowing higher than normal with good flows of oxygen rich cold water- the stuff that trout need to thrive. The Truckee, Carson and Walker Rivers are all fishing well at this time. Fly fishermen are picking away at wild and planted trout while nymphing. A classic tandem fly rig is a golden stonefly imitation with another smaller nymph like a caddis pupae imitation. Meanwhile, spinning rod anglers are finding success on recently planted trout with night crawlers, salmon eggs and Powerbait. The planters tend to get hit hard in easily accessed places like the Booth St Bridge on the Truckee River. However, the fish that don’t get caught typically disperse up HOW TO less Chartreuse or Chrome FishScale are proven producers. For trout and kings, I like to stick with standard baitfish colors to start with and then I’ll go brighter if the fish don’t respond. If I had to run only one color Apex I’m tempted to say it would be watermelon, because that finish is so deadly on trout, kings and ‘kokes, but a Cpt. Jerry Lampkin – 25 years of experience fishing Salmon, Steelhead, Stripers, Trout & landlocked Kings on the Feather, Sacramento, American Rivers and Folsom Lake Photo courtesy of THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RECEATION COMPANY, San Pablo Reservoir. continued from page 6 a piece of 8-pound test fluorocarbon leader material and tip it with a No. 6 or 8 bait holder or mosquito hook. Insert the tip of the hook into the tip of the grub and then slide the grub over the bend of the hook and pop the hook point out near where the grub’s tail attaches to the body. When you are finished, the grub should be straight on the hook shank. I prefer to fish my grubs without dodgers or flashers for a super natural presentation. No matter how straight you get the grub on the hook it’s going to spin as you troll it. For this reason, you’ll want to link the leader to your main line via a bead chain trolling swivel to prevent line twist. When trolling grubs, you’ll get the most Blodgett Lake • Rancho Cordova • CA Fishing & Hunting At It’s Finest Annual Family Membership Pass Starting At Only $150 T.N.G Motorsports Guide Service (530) 320-0994 • www.tngmotorsports.com 20% OFF ALL-DAY BOAT RENTALS AT SAN PABLO RESERVOIR SHADOW CLIFFS LAKE LAKE DEL VALLE LAKE RANCHO SECO (510) 223-1661 (925) 449-5201 Over Stocked With Bass, Catfish, Bluegill & Crappie. Duck & Goose Hunts Available! Sign-Up Online Today! WWW.SACFISHING.COM FISH LAKE SHASTA Come up for some Great Fall Fishing! 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The tiny creeks that drain the Carson Range are also a great option for anglers looking to get away from the mass of humanity that is the Truckee Meadows. These little creeks like Galena, Thomas, Whites and Hunter creeks all have healthy populations of rainbows and brook trout. The preferred bait will always be a worm on a size 8 baitholder hook with a little split shot to get it down. Soon, the brook trout will be developing their finest colors of the season as they prepare to spawn. The creeks offer stellar scenery in the Humboldt Toiyabe National forest. Typical flora is Ponderosa Pine, Jeffery Pine, Quaking Aspen, Elderberry, Mountain Mahogany and Big Sagebrush. This part of Nevada stands in stark contrast to the lowland desert country to the east. - Mike Dimitri Shocron paid San Pablo Reservoir in early August McNeilly and put together a stringer of tasty channel cats. By Cal Kellogg few years ago I stumbled on a pattern that is even more effective…It’s the clear/UV finish from the Kokanee Special lineup. It’s a clear piece of plastic! I have no idea why the fish respond to it so well, but they do. Trout, kings, coho, kokanee, spotted bass…everything loves my clear Apex! Curly Tail Grubs There are few if any species of gamefish that you can’t catch Now Booking KLAMATH RIVER SALMON! curly tail plastic Also Fall Run Kings on the Sacramento River grubs. Trout love them and landlocked Custom 23’ Rogue Jet kings will grab them with zeal. Rigging grubs is super simple. Take 3813 Aug 30 - Sept 13, 2019 FRESHWATER VOL.38 • ISS. 19 action when trolling from 1 to 1.5 miles per hour. In terms of color I run the entire array from earth tones, to baitfish colors and at times bright pinks and oranges. The tried and true orange tail, brown body Berkley Power grubs have become a standby for me and it seems like I catch trout on them just about everywhere my travels take me. Hoochies In lakes such as Folsom where the trout and salmon feed heavily on slim profile baitfish such as Japanese pond smelt, I rely heavily on hoochies in a variety of baitfish imitating colors. For the uninitiated, hoochies are nothing more than soft plastic imitation squid that first burst onto the fishing scene as a go to bait used by commercial ocean salmon anglers. These days scaled down trout size hoochies have taken the freshwater trout and salmon trolling scene by storm. It seems that everyone has their own method of rigging hoochies, here’s mine…. Snell a pair of No. 8 octopus hooks about a 1/2 inch apart on a section of 8 or 10-pound fluorocarbon leader. Next slide a pair of 1/8-inch glow in the dark beads onto the leader. Finally, thread the leader through the tip of the hooch and slide the bait down the leader. Work the beads into the hoochie to fill out the body and you are left with a minnow shaped bait trailing a pair of hooks that puts off a subtle glow in deepwater. At times, I’ll ditch the double octopus hooks in favor of a treble. Honestly, I have not noticed a real difference in the lures ability to hook and hold trout and salmon. Hoochies don’t have any action, so it is essential to fish them in combination with a dodger. There are guys that swear by bright colored hoochies and they do work well, however for me hoochies are a baitfish imitation when I’m hunting for rainbows and kings. Therefore, I like to run with white, UV clear and dark over light color patterns. If it looks like a baitfish and moves like a baitfish, it’s going to get smacked by any trout or salmon lurking near shad or pond smelt!