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Lake Oroville Map Feature

MADE IN U . S . A

See Page 12

Our 39th Year

Since 1982

Colorado and Mary Mihm of Nebraska , joined Bridget Looney and me on an escape to Eagle Charters in southeast Alaska We flew into Juneau on Alaska Airlines , and then embarked on float planes from Ward Air right next to the international airport – our destination Elfin Cove 70 miles west . As we flew over the myriad bays , points and estuaries of the Inland passage , I was once again awed by the sheer magnificence of rugged , tree covered and snowcapped mountains dropping steeply into the deep emerald waters of the Inland Passage . Where you can literally see deer and brown bears on the shoreline , trading stares with whales and sea lions only yards away ! Elfin Cove is on the outer edge of the Inland Passage , and is a narrow bay that is about ¾ mile deep and very protected from the elements of the ocean . Eagle Charters lodge is at the very end of the cove , and features a large great room / dining room area and 20 guest rooms in the main lodge . We pleased to see we were scheduled to use the 2 special guest rooms built on

2020 ended – on a boat , with Captain “ Rustic ” Rob Reimers , targeting salmon . For those of you who follow my YouTube channel , Stacy Goes Outside ,

tacy Barawed landed this beauty while fishing Bullards Bar with Rustic Rob ’ s Guide Service . A Brad ’ s Kokanee Cut Plug filled with Tuna and garlic procure did the trick . Photo Courtesty of Rob Reimer ’ s , Rustic Rob ’ s

Guide Service .

the water next to the boat docks . These 2 floating rooms both feature a queen bed plus a single bed , a nice modern bathroom with shower , and a small covered outside deck with an on the water view of the cove ! We settled into our rooms and then walked up to the large dining area . Mike Leboki , owner and lodge manager , greeted us all and assigned boats for the next day . He also told us about the weather outlook – 15-foot seas , 45 mph winds with gusts to 70 mph the following day . In 30 years at Elfin Cove , he had never seen a storm like this one in August – November maybe , but not August ! That night , safely and securely ensconced in our warm floating room , we heard the wind and rain pound the roof and felt a gentle roll that was like a lullaby to put us to sleep ! The next morning , after getting fully outfitted in rain gear and rubber boots , we boarded our boat for the day . It was a 34-foot Bahia Cruiser catamaran , powered by twin 300 hp Mercury outboards . It had a full cabin with heater , enclosed head , and lots of fishing room in the stern . The fishing gear was all extreme quality , with both large and small Avet Reels for

you may recall it took me two December trips with Captain Rob to achieve my first landlocked King salmon limit on Lake Oroville . As I made the two-hour trek to Bullards Bar on January 2nd , mentally planning out my year and making resolutions , I hoped that the weather would cooperate this time so I could enjoy a fun day of Kokanee action . I arrived at the Emerald Cove Marina that Saturday

Paul and Ken Kneeland showing off a days catch at Eagle Charters at Elfin Cove Alaska .

Photo by Bridget Looney , Fish Sniffer Staff

salmon and halibut , mounted on custom and Shimano composite rods . Captain Warren Howe was excited to be taking us out on the first day , in spite of the weather . He is a former San Francisco bay skipper , and knew all about The Fish Sniffer . He said they had

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“ But here , with these Kokanee , I think the lure becomes an attractor and they ’ re hitting the corn that ’ s on the back of the plug .” “ I think it also smells like the plankton that the Kokanee go after ,” Rob added . Color is also a factor when choosing salmon lures . “ Usually pink or orange are your colors for Kokanee ,” Rob advised . “ At Bullards Bar , mostly it ’ s pink .” He pointed to the cut plugs in the colors Hot Pink and Lady Em . We dropped the baits down around 25 feet and started getting hit right away . Rob reminded me to keep tension on the rod and to reel slowly , but steadily , because of their soft mouths . Upon landing my first , I was taken aback by its beautiful , silver irridescence . What a gorgeous fish ! But after noticing its significantly smaller size compared to the Kings I had landed the month before , I proceeded to embarrass myself . “ Do I throw it back ?” I asked , holding up my 9-inch salmon . “ No , that ’ s their size !” Rob chuckled .

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FRESHWATER REPORTS Almanor Lake - Lake Berryessa ......................... 6-7 Bullards Bar - Clear Lake ........................................ 8 Collins Lake .......................................................... 10 Lake Del Valle - Eastern Sierra ............................. 11 Folsom - New Melones Reservoir ....................... 14 Shasta Lake - Tahoe ................................................ 15 Trinity River .................................................... 16-21 West Delta ............................................................ 23 SALTWATER REPORTS Bodega Bay - Half Moon Bay .................................. 29 Monterey Bay ...................................................... 30

Where ... When ... How ...

CATCH & RELEASE - FLY FISHING : Cal Kellogg .......... 16 FISH SNIFFER COUNTRY : Dan Bacher ..................... 9 FLY FISHING : Kiene Fly Shop ................................. 16 GO FOR IT : Staff ....................................................... 20 HOW-TO : Amy Wellenkamp ....................................... 5 KAYAK FISHING SPOTLIGHT : Wes Ward ............... 18 MAP FEATURE : Dan Bacher ............................... 12-13 SALTWATER FISHING : Steve ‘ Hippo ’ Lau .............. 30 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION : Dan Bacher ...... 27 SURF FISHING : Ernie Marlan .................................. 29

Ernie Marlan - fished for surf perch on the Central Coast . He used a Phenix 8 ’ 6 ” Cicada fishing rod teamed up with a Van Staal 50 spooled up with 30lb FINS Braid and a 10lb fluorocarbon leader . Fishing was not wide open but he did manage to catch a few nice sized perch on the Calissa 110 .

Paul Kneeland - fished Pyramid Lake with Mark & Stan Kalinowski in Mark ’ s 24 ’ Rogue Jet . They caught Lahontan cutthroat trout to 17 1 / 2 pounds , using an Okuma 8 ’ 6 ” SST steelhead Rod with an Okuma Cold Water SS line counter reel loaded with 10 lb test Soft Steel line . They trolled 4 inch Silver Horde and Lyman plugs in silver / green and wonder bread colors , toplining and off Scotty Downriggers at 10 to 20 feet deep and 3.0 mph .

Dan Bacher - fished for rainbow trout at Lake Camanche .. He used a Berkley Ugly Stick GX2 6 ’ 6 ” medium action spinning rod , teamed up with a Shakespeare GX235 spinning reel filled with 6 lb . test P-Line CX Premium Fluorocarbon Coated Line . He fished with rainbow Berkley PowerBait , 1 / 8 oz . gold and black Panther Martins and 2 / 5 oz . gold / red stripe Little Cleos .