Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3824 Nov 8-22 | Page 6

4 FRESHWATER Nov 8 - 22, 2019, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 24 FRESHWATER REPORTS ALMANOR LAKE AMADOR Rainbows Battle Trollers & Bait Anglers Trout Plants Start Up CHESTER - “Summer has given up, and just like that, fall fishing is underway here in the Northern Sierras at Lake Almanor,” exclaimed Captain Bryan Roccucci of Big Daddy’s Guide Service. “Both the air temps and the water temps are cooling down bringing the fish shallower and opening up many areas of the lake to fishing.” “It hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Recently we’ve had some big wind on the lake. A week ago, a front that brought wind, some rain and even a little dusting of snow to the area that made conditions a little tough out there but overall the fishing has been pretty good,” said Roccucci. “When the fish begin to move shallow they also begin to feed more aggressively and fight harder. We are currently using a variety of techniques to intercept these fish. Both fast and slow presentations with baits including worms, trolling flies, and various types of spoons have all been bringing fish to the boat,” Roccucci tipped. “We are currently seeing a mixed grade of fish, mostly rainbows with a few browns running from 2 to 6 pounds. Boat traffic on the lake has been extremely light and we might only see a couple of other boats all day. As the conditions continue to cool look for the fall action to really heat up,” Roccucci concluded. Shore anglers are seeing an uptick in the action with cooling temperatures. Lure enthusiasts are tossing sinking minnow plugs and casting spoons. Bait anglers are having the best luck with worms, either inflated and floated off the bottom or drifted suspended beneath a slip bobber. SACRAMENTO – Black bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish have been providing the top fishing at Lake Amador for the past several months, but that will all change now that trout plants have started. “We stocked our trial load of trout on October 23,” said Elizabeth Lockhart at the Lake Amador Resort. “We just wanted to make sure the surface temperature of the lake wasn’t too high for the trout, so it was a small load. Everything went well, so we plan to get going with weekly plants starting next week.” The on-site fish hatchery at the reservoir features plenty of Lightning Trout, Donaldson rainbows and Amador cuttbows in the troughs. Sarah, the chef at the café, reported success while fishing for catfish at night in the shallow coves. “On my latest bank fishing trip, I caught a 9 lb. catfish while bait fishing in about five feet of water,” she said. One angler caught and released a 5 lb. largemouth that he caught on a spinnerbait. Light tackle anglers are targeting bluegill and crappie with nightcrawlers, mini- crawlers and small jigs off the docks and structure around the lake. The lake is in good shape for this time of year, being only 30 feet from maximum pool. The boat launching facilities are in full operation. - Dan Bacher Beth caught this incredible Lake Almanor rainbow while fishing with Bryan Roccucci on October 6. Photo courtesy of BIG DADDY’S GUIDE SERVICE, Quincy. AMERICAN BASIN Trollers Bag French Meadows Rainbows AUBURN – Boaters are now landing rainbows to 16 inches while trolling with worms and dodgers in French Meadows Reservoir. One bank fisherman also reported hooking brown trout while fishing nightcrawlers in the river inlet, reported SUPERSTITIOUSLURES@GMAIL.COM Craig Newton at Willfish Bait and SUPERSTITIOUSLURES.COM Tackle. Hell Hole 3809 Reservoir is getting low and it was getting difficult to launch there at press time. The ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY? Trout Planted Seasonally! • Cafe • RV Park • Waterslide • Campground • Disc Golf • General Store Cafe Open Seasonally On Friday, Saturday & Sundays 209-274 -4739 7500 Lake Amador Dr., Ione, CA 95640 WWW.LAKEAMADOR.COM Lake Almanor Now Booking Fall Trout at Eagle Lake Lake Almanor Lake Davis and Eagle Lake Bucks Lake Captain Bryan Roccucci Lake Tahoe www.BigDaddyFishing.com Call for Best Dates – (530) 370-1001 LAKE AMADOR kokanee season is now over and the landlocked sockeyes are now spawning in the Rubicon River. There are still plenty of holdover rainbows in Union Valley, Ice House and Loon Lakes from the SMUD trout plants that went into the lake from June through August. Anglers can catch the fish from shore with PowerBait and nightcrawlers or from a boat with trolled worms, spinners, spoons and Rapalas. Union Valley, the largest of the three reservoirs, received 10,000 pounds; Ice House, 8,750 pounds; and, Loon Lake, 6,250 pounds. The fish provided by SMUD come from Mount Lassen Trout Farms of Payne’s Creek. - Dan Bacher AMERICAN RIVER Boaters, Shore Anglers Battle Chinooks Howe Avenue area are reporting catching bright fish.” “Experienced anglers are averaging 1 to 2 fish per rod,” he noted. “A lot of fish in the 10 to 15 lb. range are showing, along with the larger fish to 25 pounds. I believe that the run is late this year.” Anglers can expect the steelhead to show behind the salmon. Drift salmon roe and nightcrawlers in the riffles or toss out Little Cleos and other lures for the sea-run rainbows. Flows on the river below Nimbus Dam are currently 2,700 cfs, according to J. Sandberg of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. - Dan Bacher AUBURN – The fishing isn’t exactly on fire, but hard-working anglers are picking up some king salmon while fishing from boat and shore on the lower American River. Craig Newton of Willfish Bait and Tackle reported success on his latest fishing adventure on the American from Sunrise to Rossmoor Bar. “The two of us landed one bright 6 lb. jack and a dark 24 lb. salmon,” said Newton. “We used K-14 Kwikfish for both fish. We also had two other take downs.” “Since that trip, the salmon fishing has improved,” he noted. “It’s not a big Continued on Pg 7 heavy run of fish yet, but pods of fish are coming through the 3816 system sporadically. The shore anglers fishing with beads Visit The Mother Lode Region’s Official Fishing Tackle and corkies in the Bait & Tackle Fish Eagle Lake! Headquarters Today For All Of your Inland Fishing Needs! WIDE SELECTION • GREAT PRICES • YOU SAVE! HOOKD4LIFE.COM RODS • REELS • LINE • FROGS • SWIMBAITS • JIGS BAIT • HOOKS • SPINNERS • TERMINAL TACKLE • HARDBAITS • SOFT PLASTICS • SPECIALS • CLOSEOUTS & MUCH MORE! Visit us on your way to: Camanche, Pardee, Amador, Rancho Seco, New Melones And More ! (209) 790-5100 The Fish ARE BACK! Salmon • Striper • Trout • Kokanee Now booking, Sept, Oct, and Nov. CALL FOR DETAILS AND RESERVATIONS. TIM NOXON (916)201-4648 email: tnoxon@gmail.com 106 East Main Street, Ione, CA 95640 3818 facebook: Fish Traveler • Stripers • Oroville Kings • Stampede Kokanee (530) 272-7137 • (530) 263-4451 www.fishbarebones.com 3807