Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3903 Jan 17-31 2020 | Page 10

8 FRESHWATER Jan 17-31, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS.3 Catch & Release Fishing! Hook More & Bigger Fish With Flies... Sponsored by Kiene’s Fly Shop 916-483-1222 • www.Kienesflyshop.com 9550 Micron Ave. Suite B • Sacramento, CA Steelhead Time! By Dave Leak, Courtesy Of The Fly Stop When hunting steelhead with fly gear there are a multitude of factors you have to consider including water levels, water clarity, water temperature, weather and time of the year. Picking the right fly to catch one of these anadromous rainbows known as steelhead can be daunting. It’s about having patterns in the fly box that can be counted on to hook steelhead on any river big or small. No fly box is complete without some local favorites. Every system has its vagaries. Every river has its own color and flow—its own brand of invertebrate abundance, but overall fly selection for steelhead has everything to do with timing and conditions. A good box runs the gamut from small and dull to large and bright. The following selections are meant to cover the spectrum of the winter seasons, water levels, and clarity with flies proven to catch fish across the continent. With so many ways to target steelhead on the fly, I’m not going to say one is better than the other, but in the end, we are all trying to get that take that inspires us to keep fishing for these amazing ocean run rainbows. Whether you chose to target these fish with a single hand rod, or a switch rod, or the all-knowing spey rod it’s your decision in the end. Each technique has a different approach to fly selection. Whether you choose to dead drift flies, or swing or skate, each has its own approach in getting the fish to react to your presentation. Steelhead flies can really vary depending upon the region where FRESHWATER REPORTS: CONTINUED FROM PG 7 CLEAR LAKE cont. Tom Guercio of Tom’s Guide Service reported excellent catfish action on a recent trip on Clear Lake. “I caught and released a dozen catfish ranging in size from 8 to 20 pounds, along with a 6 lb. largemouth,” he stated. “The first two catfish hit a grub and shakey head, while the next 10 cats hit live shad minnows.” On another fishing adventure, Guercio reported catching only one 3 lb. bass while fishing a spoon, but he watched another angler catch a limit in half an hour while using A-Rigs. The water temperature was 42 to 45 degrees. Crappie are hitting also. His latest trip for crappie produced good numbers of crappie in 20 to 30 feet of water on small jigs. COLLINS LAKE Trout Anglers Tough It Out OREGON HOUSE – Up here at Collins Lake fishing has been generally slow with you are fishing. For example, anglers who fish for steelhead on the West Coast, tend to fish rivers that are bigger than the ones found entering the Great Lakes. Because of this, the fish are harder to locate out west, and thus, a whole different style of fishing is required in order to catch them. These facts suggest at least four groups of flies: 1) Flies with materials that attract with color and action to trigger a response. 2) Dead-drift imitations of eggs. 3) Dead-drift imitations of invertebrates found in the river, and 4) Compromises between the other categories. Flies that attract with flash and color on a dead or slightly animated drift yet do not closely resemble any naturals. Cold water demands incremental coverage. Steelhead are less likely to chase a fly even six inches in 34°F water. The fly has to hit them on the nose. In water over 42°F, steelhead may move 20 feet to hit a fly. little spurts of activity every few days, especially the days after rain. I haven’t seen a bass or catfish caught over the Christmas holidays, but there have been a few notable trout. Anthony Alonzo from Lincoln caught two trout including a 4 1/4lb fish at the North end of the beach fishing with green PowerBait. Phil Rapin from Redding, who in November caught a 9.75 lb. trout, reprised the day after Christmas with an 8-3/4 pound rainbow caught near the beach using a Mousetail. Last year around this time we had some guys come out to fish deep for crappie with good success - I haven’t yet heard of anyone dropping minnows this winter, but if you’re going to now is the time to try before water gets cloudy with runoff. It is tough catching out there, but when the winds are quiet it’s good fishing with clear crisp air and a still crystal clear lake at 25 feet from spill with a surface temperature of 51F. - Ed Palma Fun Fly Fishing experiences for Beginners and Experienced Anglers. DAVIS LAKE Ice Fishing Begins Sam, Jose & Brian hit Lake Berryessa this November to film an episode of Angler West Television and end up with a mixed bag of trout, bass and crappie. Photo courtesy of JUSTIN WOLFF, Angler West TV. PORTOLA – Fishing pressure on Lake Davis has been very light, but a few anglers are trying for trout now on the reservoir through the ice. There is no official monitoring of the thickness of the ice at Davis, so always exercise caution when approaching the ice. It is up to each angler to decide whether the ice is safe or not. “I’ve heard several reports on the thickness of the ice,” said Jim Graham at the J&J Grizzly Store and Camping Resort. “One person said the ice is 5 to 6 inches thick. Another said it is 2 inches thick. And another said it’s 3 inches thick.” “I’ve seen several people fishing from the ice at the dam,” said Graham. “However only one angler has come into the resort to show off a fish. A woman brought in a trout weighing 4-1/2 to 5 pounds and measuring between 26 and 27 inches long that she caught while fishing a nightcrawler through the ice this weekend.” There are lots of trout in the lake for the ice fishing season. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently stocked another 5,000 pounds of rainbow trout in Lake Davis, continuing to boost catch rates on the reservoir. These fish follow the 6,000 pounds of trout stocked in September, including 2,000 pounds of CONTINUED ON PG 8 WE TEACH FLY FISHING! www.mojobella.com Steve Crosetti | 530-333-3484 • mojobella@gmail.com 3810