Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3901 Dec 20-Jan 3 | Page 20

18 FRESHWATER Dec 20, 2019 - Jan 3, 2020 FRESHWATER REPORTS: VOL.39 • ISS. 1 the deep spots for king salmon and side drifting the flats for steelhead. “My fishermen have caught more steelhead over 20 lbs. in December than January, February and March combined in past seasons,” said Desautels. “This November was the first one I’ve ever experienced where I wasn’t able to fish even once, due to lack of rain,” he added. without much success. When I read, that guys were hooking a SACRAMENTO AREA cont. lot of sturgeon I Uncle Larry Barnes of Sacramento Pro decided I’d get Tackle confirmed the spotty salmon bite out right after on the Sacramento from Miller Park to Thanksgiving, Garcia Bend. The good news is that the so I gave fish were big and bright. The even better Cal Kellogg news is that were some steelhead mixed at the Fish in with the kings. Sniffer a call “One local reported hooking a couple of for some tips,” steelhead in the 5 to 6 lb. range caught related Donny while salmon fishing with MagLips lures Livingston of for salmon,” said Barnes. Yuba City. Other locals are picking up some “He told me crappie while fishing ditches and sloughs, if I didn’t have including the Cross Cut Canal below salmon roe, Verona, he added. Anglers are fishing which I didn’t, with live minnows and small jigs and to go with eel swimbaits. coated with For stripers, anglers should try fishing anise scent in the Port of Sacramento or Sacramento Pro-Cure. He Deepwater Channel. Boaters and also went over kayakers should drift jumbo minnows, jig several spots Patty braved cold and snow at Lake Shasta on November 26 and was rewarded with this husky TAHOE spoons and troll with Yo-Zuris and other to check out rainbow! lures. Shore fishermen should toss out including Macks, Photo courtesy of ROBERT HOWER, Redding. pileworms, jumbo minnows, chicken livers his favorite Ready And and swimbaits. sturgeon spot - Dan Bacher Willing To in Suisun Slough. Two days later, my wife enjoying solid mack action while trolling Nancy and I launch our boat at Belden’s in Pounce On Baits And Lures minnows teamed with flashers at the Montezuma Slough,” said Livingston. SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - The early winter lake’s south end. “I drove the boat over to one of Cal’s mack bite is underway at Lake Tahoe in a The staff at Tahoe Sportfishing are spots in Suisun Slough and immediately major way. With the mackinaw spawn long offering gift certificates for future trips. saw a bunch of sturgeon on the sonar unit SMITH/CHETCO RIVERS over and the kokanee bite becoming a This is a great Christmas gift for the avid in about 30 feet of water. I was set to fish distant memory, most private boaters and Salmon and Steelhead angler on your list! You can make your all day while we waited for the fish to bite, guides are finding limit and near limit style purchase online at www.tahoesportfishing. but they started biting right away. Within Expected to Bite As River action while targeting lakers. com. the first half hour I hooked and landed a Rises Fish Sniffer reader Marco Silva took The team at Tahoe Sportfishing has 49 incher. An hour and a half later after his kayak up to Tahoe for a Thanksgiving SMITH RIVER -- Very few anglers have some of the best skippers on Lake Tahoe. missing two great bites, my wife landed adventure and ended up landing several been fishing in the Smith River estuary The Tahoe Sportfishing boasts a fleet of a huge 56-inch sturgeon that came up macks and a nice rainbow after dragging or river when it has been briefly opened 8 boats that range from 30 to 45 feet in and jumped 3 times. I was elated. We his kayak across the snow to launch. because of low flows, but that should length. The boats are safe and the crews were back at the dock by 11 with a limit of “It was challenging getting my kayak all change with the storms forecasted at are well trained, so you’ll be able to relax sturgeon,” exclaimed Livingston. into the water near Cave Rock, but it was press time. and fight fish! Captain Hayden Mullins of Dragon worth it. I spent 4 hours slow trolling Gulp! “It looks like we have real rain coming,” With great winter fishing taking place on Sportfishing has been fishing the upper Minnows behind one of Cal Kellogg’s said Phil Desautels. “It’s about time. The Tahoe, give the folks at Tahoe Sportfishing reaches of Suisun Bay’s main body with a large rainbow pattern Sidewinder Dodgers a call now to secure your spot (530) Smith and Chetco Rivers are forecast to great level of success. and caught 6 mackinaw to 5 pounds and a 541-5448 or check them out online at come up over 5 ft this weekend. I know Hayden’s clients are getting multiple 22-inch rainbow that put up a crazy fight,” the Smith River will fish all of next week. I tahoesportfishing.com hook ups on every trip and on the majority will be running combo trips, back bouncing exclaimed Silva. of days they are landing limits. Roe is the Tahoe Sportfishing skippers have been bait of choice for Hayden right now. With all the sturgeon being caught right now, striper fishing has taken a back seat, By Cal Kellogg continued from page 5 but stripers are available. Bait anglers are hooking limits and WEST however these flats are almost always in close proximity are standard fair for jiggers as are large bucktail near limits of bass. Filleted shad are the DELTA top bait, but live mudsuckers and live to deep water. jigs tipped with pork rind or a thin herring fillet. minnows are working too. For much of the season mackinaw are spread out and Jigging is a technique best used when the wind Hot Both the San Joaquin and travel alone or in small pods. During the fall spawning is light making it an easy proposition to keep the Sturgeon Sacramento Rivers are season mackinaw concentrate in large groups on the lake boat over the top of the fish you locate on the Action producing fish, but the bottom, and once fish are located nonstop action is often sonar. San Joaquin continues Excites the reward. When jigging drop your lure to the bottom, reel to offer the most Anglers! Over the course of the year trolling accounts for more in a crank or two of line and begin yo yoing the consistent fishing. macks than any other method, although jigging is a lure over the bottom. Try to stay in touch with PITTSBURG- The average bass goes “I’ve been hoping reliable producer too. Mackinaw are aggressive feeders the lure as it drops since this is when strikes most 3 or 4 pounds, but fish to get a keeper and a number of trolled offerings will tempt them. For often occur. into the teens are sturgeon for a possible. numbers of fish as well as the occasional large fish it Line stretch is the nemesis of the jig angler. The few years now is hard to beat a rigged minnow trolled 12 to 18 inches less stretch your line features the better you’ll CONTINUED FROM PG 19 HOW TO be able to detect strikes. For this reason, a lot of experienced jig anglers prefer braided line over monofilament. Braid stretches very little, providing exceptional feel and hook setting power. In addition, it is much smaller in diameter that monofilament of an identical test. This translates to less line resistance as it moves through the water, allowing the angler to use lighter livelier jigs. Trout Gear! Cal Kellogg here. You’ve read my trout and salmon fishing tips for over 15 years in this column and you may have watched some of my instructional fishing videos on my YouTube channel, Fish Hunt Shoot. Well this fall I finally took the plunge and jumped into the tackle business. I’m now offering an expanding line of gear for trout and other species including lures, rods and reels. My online store offers lots of the gear you’ve read about or see me using on video. I provide proven gear that I believe in, offered at a fair price. I’m not looking to empty your wallet, I’m trying to provide my readers and viewers with gear and strategies to help them catch more and bigger fish! To check out my tackle shop, go to www.fish- huntshoot.com TAHOE SPORTFISHING EST. 1953 Lake Tahoe’s Largest Fishing Fleet year-round fishing Half & Full Day Charters single fisherman to large families & private parties We supply everything you need to fish! Mackinaw Kokanee Salmon Rainbow Trout Brown Trout behind a large dodger. Minnows caught from the lake you are fishing are the best choice, but store bought minnows work too. Plug cut saltwater baitfish like anchovies and herring will also produce. Many lakes don’t allow the use of minnows and baitfish. In these situations, you can substitute the minnow for a small artificial like a Trigger spoon, grub, Mack’s Lure Kok-A-Nut or a trolling fly. If large fish are the goal, large bulky plugs such as Bomber Long A’s, Rapala Husky Jerks, and J Plugs are all top choices. Premium priced swimbaits like AC Plugs will produce strikes too, but be forewarned, probing the bottom with these lures can be expensive. When macks are cruising flats or relatively shallow structure it is possible to do well while top lining or using leadcore. However, in most situations employing down- riggers is a must. Fishing with Gene St. Denis I’ve learned that down- rigger trolling for macks is not a relaxed affair. Gene works hard all day watching the sonar and constantly raising and lower the baits, so that they stayed within 10 feet of the bottom. In most circumstances if your bait is more that 10 feet off the bottom you’re not going to get very much action. Jigging produces fish all year long, but is most effective when the fish are concentrated in preparation for spawning. Crippled Herring and Hopkins spoons Call or Book Online (530) 541-5448 tahoesportfishing.com|@tahoesportfishing