Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3820 Sept 13-27 | Page 13

HOW TO... VOL.38 • ISS. 20 Sept 13-27, 2019 11 Sac River Salmon Knowledge < Norcal anglers are looking forward to an excellent river salmon season. Salmon scores have been ramping up, so now is the time to gear up for success. This massive 30 plus pounder crushed a sardine wrapped Flatfish. > Spinners are the No.1 offering for anlgers trolling for kings in the Delta and throughout the lower valley section of the Sacramento River. Yakima Bait’s Bob Toman Spinners have undergone many years of research and development. They offer just the right thump and vibration to create aggressive strikes from kings. Powder coated UV finishes, and special brass alloys insure the spinners will maintain their luster and effectiveness over the long haul. < Here we see a couple sardine wrapped Flatfish. Note how the sardine fillet is split to fit around the lure’s hooks and then attached using Magic Thread. It takes a little practice to correctly wrap Flatfish. Check the plugs action before dropping it down to the bottom. If the plug wiggles well and tracks straight you’ve done the wrap properly. Adding a little dab of crawfish meat or white prawn meat makes the wrap even more deadly. > If you think the situation calls for a rotating bait, traditional plug cut herring are a great option. You can dye herring various colors or run them in their natural state. Herring can be trolled without adding flashers. presents Trolling Notes For Sacramento River Kings S acramento River salmon trollers are as excited as grade schoolers counting down the days to summer vacation and with good reason. The salmon fishing outside the Golden Gate is as good as it has been in many years and those fish will be surging through the Delta and up the Sacramento River in a matter weeks. Once the run starts Delta and Sac Valley trollers should enjoy good action right through the end of the season on December 16. This being the case this is a perfect time for rank and file anglers to bone up on Delta and Valley trolling tactics. Up river, say from Chico north and in much of the Feather, river salmon fishing is a specialized sport that requires jet boats and the ability to back troll and drift roe in very specific areas. This fishing is best left to the guides and super knowledgeable salmon junkies that have jet boats and the ability to navigate shallows and rapids without getting into trouble. For the average angler with a standard boat and basic gear, the section of the Sacramento River from say Rio Vista all the way up through the Capital City north to Colusa is much more user friendly. The water is deep throughout out this huge expanse of river and as a result anglers don’t have to worry about navi- gating rapids and gravel bars, leaving them to concentrate on catching fish! Okay, let’s gear up, hit the water and fill a smoker or two with yummy salmon fillets. Salmon are big hard fighting fish with a relatively soft mouth. For this reason a fairly long 7 to 8 foot rod with a somewhat soft sensitive tip is a good choice. Such a rod tip plays a duel role. On one hand it cushions the fight of the salmon, keeping them from ripping out hooks, but it also allows you to monitor the function of the lure to ensure that it is working properly and hasn’t picked up debris. The rod should be topped with a quality level wind baitcaster spooled with braid. Line counters are preferred but you can get by without that function. Does this rig sound like the set up you use for Delta striper trolling? Well yes, because striper and salmon trolling rigs are pretty much the same beast, with the only distinction being the end tackle you arm them with. On the business end of your rig everything runs off a three way system. To start rigging take your main line and attach it to a three way swivel. On the lower eye of that swivel attach a 14 inch dropper made of 10 or 12 pound mono and tip it with a snap. That’s where your sinker, usually in the 2 to 6 ounce range will attach. To the remaining eye of the three way attach a 4 to 5 foot 25 pound test mono leader tipped with a quality lock snap for attaching lures. When it comes to lures, there are basically three offerings that work well in California rivers, spinners, plugs and rolling baits. For day in day out success and versa- tility, spinners are probably the No. 1 lure. Now as anyone that has targeted them knows, salmon can be fickle once they hit freshwater and the lure you present them has to be just right in terms of the sound it emits and it’s color pattern. There are a lot of salmon spinners on the market, but for me few are as effective as the Bob Toman Spinners from Yakima Bait. Bob Toman is one of the most successful salmon guides on the Pacific Coast and he invested years in refining his trademark spinners. The key is Toman’s “thumper blade” that has just the right pitch to draw aggression strikes from king salmon. I’ve personally seen FISH SNIFFER HOW – TO by Cal Kellogg CONTINUED ON PG 13