prostaff at Coyote Bait and Tackle .

“ At Anderson and Calero the mornings will get you some topwater fish . Definitely toss a square bill crankbait , spinnerbait or chatterbait too ,” said Jason Dominici . “ During the day its a dropshot or darterhead bite with four or six inch worms ,” he added .

For crappie , Dominici recommended giving Calero a try . “ Minnows and jigs fished shallow during the mornings and evenings and deeper during the day . The boat launch cove is where you ’ ll find the best concentration of them ,” he ti pped .

- Roland Aspiras

SHADOW CLIFFS LAKE

Target Cats In Early Morning Hours

LIVERMORE – The trout bite at Shadow Cliffs Lakes has slowed down because of the heat , so your top prospect is to target channel catfish now .

The water temperature is 75 degrees , depending on depth . The water visibility seems to vary between 10-15 feet , reported Joe Sullivan of the East Bay Regional Park District .

“ Boaters have been catching limits early in the morning ,” said Sullivan . “ Sam of Pleasanton caught his limit within an hour of launching his boat .”

Anglers should toss out mackerel , anchovies and nightcrawlers from the docks , shore and boats for the hard-fighting channel cats .

The latest plant of 750 pounds of channel catfish went into the reservoir the week of August 7 .

Some bass and sunfish are also showing . Caran C and Ryan Cannon caught and released 1 bass each while using lures . They caught some bluegills too , noted Sullivan .

SHASTA / WHISKEYTOWN LAKE

Red Hot Trout And Bass Fishing Available At Shasta

REDDING - Both trout trollers and bass anglers are enjoying epic action at Lake Shasta , despite hot summer conditions .

Both Kirk Portocarrero of SacRiverGuide . Com and Jeff Goodwin of Jeff Goodwin ’ s Guide Service have been enjoying fast fishing at Lake Shasta when targeting rainbow trout .

The trout range from about 14 inches to 4 pounds and are stacked in the thermocline around 60 feet deep .

Shad imitating lures are producing the fish . Some anglers are running their lures behind Sling Blade Dodgers , while others run their lures without blades . Top lures include , Hum Dingers , Needlefish , Ex-Cel Spoons , Speedy Shiners and Shasta Tackle Wiggle Hoochies .

The trout bite is pretty steady all day long , but with the heat most anglers are getting started early and calling it a day around 11 o ’ clock when it goes from warm to hot .

Bass anglers are catching 50 plus spots and smallmouths per day with the largest fish approaching 4 pounds . Mother ’ s Finest Worms and Senkos produce the most action throughout the day . For maximum fun work Yo- Zuri poppers near dawn and dusk .

Shasta is currently 18 feet from the top and dropping about 4 inches per day .

At Whiskeytown the only change in the limit style kokanee action is that the fish are getting bigger with the largest salmon hitting 17 inches . Apex Lures , spinners and hoochies teamed with dodgers from Paulina Peak Tackle are the weapons of choice . The area around the Highway 299 bridge is the place .

SOUTHERN OREGON ROUNDUP

Mountain Trout And Saltwater Fishing Keeps Anglers Busy

ROSEBERG - According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife , trout fishing continues to be excellent at Diamond Lake . A significant portion of fish caught have been larger than 12-inches . Trolling lures and bottom fishing with PowerBait across all depths continue to be productive angling methods .

Diamond Lake has been stocked with tiger trout . These fish are intended to assist in controlling illegally introduced tui chub . Tiger trout are catch-and-release only and need to be released immediately and unharmed if caught .

As part of the 2016 regulation simplification process , Diamond Lake is now back to the Southwest Zone regulation of 5 rainbow trout per day .

Fish Lake is scheduled to be stocked this week with rainbow trout . Trout fishing has been fair to good . A portion of the rainbow trout have external parasites called copepods that can be scraped off the fish prior to cooking . Fish parasites do not pose a threat to people when

Simply put , it takes a bit of experience to fight a salmon on even terms . Quite often , the salmon wins . Should you be fortunate enough to hook a second fish after losing your first , you ’ ll have a much better idea on how to handle the rod , most likely resulting in salmon on the barbie .

Salmon numbers in the salt are good . These fish should begin their annual Sacramento River migration towards the first of August . The early fish can be caught while trolling the lower river . As they come through the bay , it ’ s difficult to hook up .

However when they school up in the lower river , trolling is the hot ticket . A good place to begin is Rio Vista , not only because the fish are more concentrated , but launch areas are close by .

The magnum Wee Wart , K-14 Kwikfish and any other personal choice salmon lure will work . A K-14 doesn ’ t require any added weight , but a Wee Wart ,

or similar lure might require a little help .

Never use an in line rubber core sinker . Just drop your offering back between 80-100 feet , place the rod in a holder at about a 45-degree angle , slightly above parallel and let ‘ er rip . And don ’ t overlook the spinner , especially the double bladed ones .

As water depth will greatly vary , the boat operator must keep in close contact with the angler overseeing the downriggers . Yes , downriggers . When working 10 – 15 foot depths , set the rigger at about 8-9 feet and drop the spinner back about 50 feet .

When you locate a depth change due to an underwater ridge or bar , work just where the depth levels out . Be aware of flow changes and troll the seam . The “ S ” trolling technique works to your benefit .

This is probably the preferred method until you reach the Freeport area . Anchoring up and trolling both work from here up to say Knights Landing . This year we should have better water for anchoring .

My favorite depth in the old days was 18-22 feet . The past few years we seldom located water exceeding 14 feet , mostly it was 10-12 . And , we did bag a few fish .

Our anchoring plan is to use a spreader with an 18 inch dropper and a 36 inch 20 pound mono leader to the K-14 . Don ’ t use a pyramid sinker as they are far

The kokanee action is heating up at Donner Lake . This fish fell for a pink Sling Blade teamed with a pink and silver Hum Dinger during a July trolling adventure .

Photo courtesy of CHRISTOPHEL ’ S FISHING GUIDE SERVICE , Truckee . cooked properly .

Brook trout , tiger trout , and stocked Chinook salmon are also available . With the lake warming up , look for fish to move toward the springs on the east end of the lake or to deeper areas . Still fishing with bait is generally one of the more productive methods , especially if water clarity is poor . The reservoir is holding fairly steady at 82 percent full .

On the saltwater front , the nearshore halibut season ( inside 40 fathoms ) is now open seven days a week except when there are All Depth Halibut days .

Recreational Chinook salmon

CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

more difficult to walk back once they hit the bottom . Have a few weights in the 2-5 ounce range .

My preference below Knights Landing is to flavor my lure with anise oil or a garlic scent . We ’ ve tried a sardine wrap many times with very little success in the lower Sacramento . Bouncing roe while free drifting is even less successful down here .

Again , when anchored , we use a downrigger for spinners . Our choice for these rods is one at least 9 feet long with a soft enough tip to crank down in the downrigger .

The reels are loaded with braid as this allows for a quicker set on slack line . We ’ ll set the release clip about 4-6 feet above the ball , depth dependent , and run the spinner 8-10 feet off the wire . Keep these hooks sharp and re-sharpen after each fish .

Some years there will be a bunch of river crud , elodea , leaves , small branches , rags and who knows what else drifting downstream below the surface . It will be necessary to check your rig on a regular basis as the gunk gets caught on the spreader , lure or spinner .

A quick giveaway is the rod tip losing its twitching action when running a plug . Larger flora or flotsam will gather around your outboard , thus it ’ s a good idea to check it out prior to starting the engine . So , now that we ’ re set up , suppose we hook up . It ’ s imperative that the rod is tended immediately . Remove the doubled over rod from the holder and start cranking immediately . Don ’ t just hold the rod to determine if the fish is on .

Once the weight is felt , one solid hook set is all you need , and keep cranking . As the fish takes off , this is not the time to set the drag . The other rods must be

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removed from the water immediately .

The lure rod should be brought in first , the spinner rod last , but bring em in . As the hooked up angler , don ’ t rush it . Follow the fish from left to right , right to left and above all , when it ’ s close to the net , don ’ t lift its head out of the water . If it dives under the boat , don ’ t try to stop it . Just drop your rod tip into the water as far as is necessary or as much as possible .

Netting : Salmon are usually lost within a minute or so , or , right at the boat during the net job . A salmon must be tired enough to relax prior to netting , if you ’ re going to keep it .

A salmon you choose to turn back should be released in the water with a long needle nose pliers . The hooked up angler needs to hold the fish just below the surface and facing upstream for a perfect net . If the fish is still turning and diving , it ’ s not ready .

Here ’ s the most important factor during this process . Hold the netting against the handle with your off hand and net the fish over its head , in a single downstream motion , dropping the netting itself at this point .

Don ’ t try to pull the net up over the tail and against the current as this will be a second choice for releasing a fish . As a final thought , if your fish is over 10 pounds , replace the leader and double check all knots .

Stress on the leader is severe and can reduce the maximum strength of the mono . Good luck this season . Seeya at the barbie . Tight Lines !!!

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