Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3904 Feb 1-14 | Page 13

FRESHWATER VOL.39 • ISS. 4 Jan 31 - Feb 14, 2020 11 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 Tackling The Yuba River With Fly Gear Courtesy of Kiene’s Fly Shop The lower Yuba is home to three fish species that are important to the fly fisherman. First of all it is mostly famous for its resident Coastal Rainbow Trout who possess an impressive fighting ability. The trout don’t get really get big but there are large numbers in the plus or minus 15” range. The fight of a 15” fish in the Yuba is equal to that of a 20” fish on any other river. The second most important fish from a fly fisherman’s perspective on the lower Yuba is the American Shad, that is indigenous to the east coast of the US, but was introduced on the Yuba early in the 20th century. The Shad are only found below the Daguerre diversion dam, which is somewhat downstream from the popular trout section, as they are not able to climb the fish ladder. You will also find Stripers below Daguerre Dam. There is a great Chinook Salmon run, but it is not generally targeted by fly fishermen. Chinook Salmon and Steelhead enter the lower Yuba in the early fall. Chinook are there to spawn in the gravel just downstream from Englebright Dam. The Steelhead (up to 8 lbs) follow the Salmon to feast on their spent eggs and some hold over until spring to spawn and others go back to saltwater and come back into the system later in the year. The Yuba is most famous for its strain of local Rainbows. Wading access is only available at a few spots, though from those spots you can reach quite a bit of good holding water. Many fishermen opt to launch a watercraft at the Hwy 20 bridge (a 4WD vehicle with a high center is need to traverse the cobblestone shoreline) and float the 4 miles to Sycamore Ranch where there is an unimproved boat launch site where you can pull out your boat. Floating is by far the best way to cover the most water on the Yuba and the river is tame enough for personal watercraft such as pontoon boats though most FRESHWATER REPORTS: CONTINUED FROM PG 8 months,” Loe concluded. FEATHER RIVER Steelhead Surge Into Hatchery YUBA CITY – It’s shaping up to be another good steelhead season on the Feather River. The Feather River Fish Hatchery has trapped 1129 adult steelhead to date and released another 132 fish 16 inches or under back into the river, according to hatchery manager Anna Kastner. The hatchery staff has spawned 308 pairs of steelhead and has taken a total of 1 million eggs to date. Fall 2019 was a very good year for salmon returns, with a total of 26,979 fall chinooks, including jacks and jills (two- year-old) fish. They also trapped 3800 spring run chinooks. Combined releases to the Feather River below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet are now 2,000 cfs. The section of the Feather River from the Table Mountain Bicycle Bridge to the Highway 70 Bridge reopened to steelhead fishing on January 1. Anglers can hook steelies, averaging 2 to 5 pounds, while throwing out nightcrawlers, salmon roe, spoons, spinners and flies. - Dan Bacher FOLSOM LAKE Salmon and Trout Hitting at Folsom SACRAMENTO – The king salmon and rainbow trout fishing is picking up for trollers working the waters of Folsom Lake. Jerry Lampkin of TNG Motor Sports Guide Service and Jim Palmus from Lincoln landed three rainbows to 17 inches and 3 kings in the 12 inch range while trolling chrome/blue Speedy Shiners in the North Fork at 20 feet deep Sunday, January www.unclelarryslures.com on 12. Two locals also reported catching limits of king salmon MADE IN THE USA up to 16 inches at UNCLE LARRY’S LURES Great Spinners that will carry Nightcrawlers or Grubs for hungry winter Trout! Use the best, catch the best and the biggest! (209)609-7034 3825 people float it in drift boats. For those who will not be floating the river there is a parking area at the north end of the bridge which is where the trailhead exists for fishing the water upstream, and there is also parking and access at the south end of the bridge along Hammond Rd. which follows the south shore of the river from the bridge for about three miles downstream until turning inland. As soon as the Red Bud begins to appear, they know that it is time to check out the lower Yuba and see if the first hatch of the year has begun. The lower Yuba’s Skawala hatch is legendary in northern California and may arguably be the most anticipated hatch in the state. These are the Yuba’s famous hatch that brings fly fishermen from afar each year. When the fish get on to these bugs fishing can get silly, for lack of a better word. The Skawala hatch can last from February all the way until early April depending on the air and water temperature. In March and April the March Browns begin to show Blue Wing Olives are active all through the spring. As we get into May the Caddis get active and so do the Pale Morning Duns and other mayflies. June brings Golden Stones and Little Yellow Sallies. Folsom Lake while trolling Speedy Shiner lures, reported Craig Newton at Willfish Bait and Tackle in Auburn. “The fish are hitting trolled lures off the LOS VAQUEROS LAKE underwater hill tops in the Mormon Island Trout Dominate Shore area,” reported Uncle Larry Barnes at Catches Sacramento Pro Tackle. “For example, Chris Jimmerson landed a limit of salmon LIVERMORE - Rainbow trout continue on his latest trip to the reservoir. He CONTINUED ON PG 12 caught 3 fish on a Speedy Shiner. It was dead for a while.” “Then the salmon bite picked up on Power Grubs, spoons and spinners,” he noted. “The fish hit best at 50 to 55 feet. The salmon were 50 to 55 feet deep.” While bank anglers haven’t reported on their success lately, anglers fishing from shore in the Granite Bay, Five Percent, Brown’s Ravine and other areas can hook salmon and rainbows while tossing out PowerBait, nightcrawlers, minnows and other offerings. Folsom Lake is holding 517,006 acre feet of water, 53 percent of capacity and 109 percent of average. The water level is 418.65. feet in elevation and rising Huge winter bass are on the prowl at Lake Camanche. This with the inflows from 14.2-pound monster was landed this January. winter storms. Photo courtesy of the LAKE CAMANCHE RECREATION COMPANY, - Dan Bacher Lake Camanche.