VOL . 37 • ISS . 15 July 6 - 20 , 2018
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REDDING / RED BLUFF
Stable Flows Lead To Fantastic Rainbow Action !
REDDING – “ I don ’ t know why , but we got a lot of really large fish today . We didn ’ t get huge numbers , but very few fish under 18 inches and 5 that were over 4 pounds . Our total for the day was 15 big fish ,” exclaimed Mike Bogue of Mike Bogue ’ s Guide Service on June 21 .
“ It ’ s been really good for both numbers and bigger rainbows right now . The river flow is stable at around 10,000 cfs and the trout are very active at that flow rate ,” said Bogue .
“ I ’ ve used a little bait , mainly Pautzke Fire Eggs , but mostly we ’ ve been getting our fish on plugs . I ’ ve had the best results back trolling a Mag Lip 2.5 . Silver was the hot color today , but that can change from day to day . The river is really clear right now . I ’ d like to see the visibility reduced a bit so I could run some bolder colors ,” Bogue quipped .
With anglers beyond the Golden Gate nailing easy limits of big king salmon , it looks as if the river season might be epic this year .
The season gets going on July 16 and Bogue is anxious to fish .
“ I ’ ve been seeing all those fish being caught off the coast and I ’ m thinking that may translate to great river fishing . If you want to fish during the opening several days of the season , give me a call as spots are starting to fill . My Flatfish are ready ,” Bogue concluded .
RIO VISTA
Rio Vista Black Bass Fishing Top Summer Prospect for Delta Anglers
RIO VISTA - Angling pressure continues to dwindle across the California Delta with striped bass being the top target despite spotty fishing . Bass fishing was highly recommended over chasing striped bass this week by the pro anglers at Fisherman ’ s Warehouse in Sacramento .
“ They ’ re spraying all over the place to kill the weeds right now , but if you can find the grass , you ’ ll find some bass ,” noted manger , Alan Fong .
“ There ’ s stripers in the Delta but you ’ ll have a hard time finding them if you ’ re actually targeting them . Most of our guys are finding stripers busting on bait while they ’ re bass fishing ,” he added .
Catfish were also an option for anglers wanting to get out and wet a line .
“ They ’ re always around . Mackerel and clams are good to use and try and get out in the evenings . The last 2-3 hours of sunlight are the best time to go ,” Fong tipped .
- Roland Aspiras
ROLLINS / SCOTTS FLAT
Bass , Trout & Cats Stretch Lines
COLFAX “ At Rollins the last couple hours of daylight have been best . Early in the afternoon , you can catch bass , but the
This young man explored the waters of Folsom Lake with Captain James Netzel on June 3 and successfully battled this beautiful rainbow trout .
Photo courtesy of TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE , Loomis .
most intense bite comes once the sun is off the water ,” exclaimed Jason Pleece of Meadow Vista .
“ I ’ ve been using clear Rebel Pop Rs and Yo-Zuri 3DS poppers you ’ ve got to
get the plug near overhanging vegetation , submerged wood and rocks . The bass are holding around that cover that gives them instant access to deep water . I favor
CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 event this year . The first day of the derby , Saturday , featured atypical winds to say the least . The menacing gusts were the worst winds I ’ ve ever tried to fish in using downriggers . Despite these challenges , my wife and I plus our two children were able to catch 14 kokanee on the first day of the derby . We even got two beautiful fish over 16 inches .
After being tossed around all day by the churning waters , it was a huge relief to be back on solid ground . We had a waterfront site at the Oak Bottom campground . It was a walk-in site , which meant packing and boating all of our gear to the site . However , once we made camp it was a
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WHAT ’ S HOT Continued from page 1
convenient and beautiful location . The kids enjoyed observing families of baby mallard ducks and Canada geese frolic by the waterside campsite .
After weighing in our fish and returning to camp , we proceeded to the Kokanee Power dinner and raffle at the Red Lion Hotel in Redding . It was great dinner , and provided a nice outlet for everybody to complain about the wind . Kokanee Power President Gary Coe joked about how everybody was still rocking in their seats at the dinner . Gina enjoyed a glass of red wine , while I stuck with water for rehydration purposes . We still had another full day of fishing ahead of us .
At 5:30 am the next morning , we had our lines in the water at the Whiskey Creek arm of the lake . After the first day , we were sitting in fourth place , so I didn ’ t really want to change anything . Although the weather was much nicer , the morning bite was slow compared to the previous day . The first half hour passed , and we hadn ’ t had as much as a bump on any of our rods .
It ’ s funny how you start to question what you are doing when the kokanee bite turns off . Kokanee salmon , much like their king salmon cousins in rivers , will inexplicably bite or not bite at any given time of the day . When they go on a cold streak , you start to wonder if you should change things up .
Should I change colors ? Try a different speed ? Am I fishing too shallow ? Should we get out of here and try somewhere else ?
While questions like these danced in my head , I stood my ground and decided to stay put . I told Gina that the fish weren ’ t biting anywhere for anybody , as boats from across the lake raced over to our location . Those boats were moving because they were having the same slow action that we were suffering through .
The most frustrating part about kokanee fishing is trying to figure out what to do during dry spells . It ’ s wild how you will experience insane hot streaks followed by totally dead fishing for hours . You will drag your gear through school after school of kokanee without as much as a scratch . It will drive you nuts , but you have to persevere . Sooner or later they will start biting … but when ?
As the sun crested over a tree lined peak , we picked up our first kokanee of the morning at 55 feet deep . Now we were in business . One by one , we continued to scratch out fish here and there . Although we never experienced a red-hot bite like we had on Satur-
Adam and Grace Naves had a great time at the Whiskeytown Kokanee Derby and took home some cool prizes .
Photo by JACK NAVES , Fish Sniffer Staff .
day morning , we still managed to net 13 kokanee between the four of us .
The derby turnout was great , featuring over 100 adult entries . Back at the weighin , there was a door prize raffle followed by ceremonial trophy and prize presentations . Our kids Adam and Grace placed fourth and fifth in the junior division , while Gina and I took third in the team event . Ahead of us were the teams of Jim Brittain and Dale Gibbons in first place , and Gary and Cathi Durbin in second place .
Kokanee Power has more derbies lined up this summer , and I recommend attending any of their future events if you can . Information is listed on their website at www . kokaneepower . org