Colin Brown of Alamo caught and released a four-pound bass while using a plastic worm in the arroyo . G . Rezendez of Union City caught and released two bass while fishing Senkos from a float tube in the arroyo .

- By Dan Bacher

SHASTA / WHISKEYTOWN LAKES

Whiskeytown Kokanee Hot , Shasta Trout Bite Rebounds

REDDING - If you live in or want to travel up to the North Valley , fishing opportunities are widespread . At Whiskeytown the kokanee bite is very good . The Shasta trout bite is getting back on track after a brief slowdown and some big fish are up for grabs .

“ I hadn ’ t fished for kokanee at Whiskeytown for quite a while , but with the fish running large again I decided to take a trip up there from Sacramento last week ,” reported Fish Sniffer On Demand reader Ted Cutler . “ My brother Tim and his son Gary joined me on the trip .”

“ We got full limits of fish two days in a row . The smallest fish we kept was 14 inches and our biggest salmon measured just over 17 inches and was probably pushing 2 pounds . We got our fish on Vance ’ s chrome and green dodgers teamed with orange and pink Vance ’ s hoochies tipped with corn soaked in Bloody Tuna Pro- Cure . The best depth for us was between 35 and 55 feet deep ,” said Cutler .

At Shasta , the trout bite slowed down for a week or so , but is coming back now . Most of the trout being caught are 2 to 3 pound rainbows , but browns to 8 pounds have been landed in recent days .

A variety of different spoons are doing the damage at Shasta . Half ounce Hum Dingers are a good bet as are ¼ ounce Kastmasters and Krocodiles , large Ex-Cels and large Needlefish . Some anglers are using dodgers , but the best action has been coming on naked shad pattern spoons trolled 30 to 60 feet deep from 2.5 to 3 miles per hour .

Bass action has been fantastic at Shasta for mainly spotted bass , but there are some smallmouths and largemouths in the mix too .

The fish are now in a summer pattern . They move up on prominent rock structure early and late . When the sun is high they move offshore . Reaction baits and topwaters work when the fish are up . During

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These anglers landed full limits of hard fighting kokanee salmon while fishing Stampede Reservoir on June 7 .

Photo courtesy of TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE , Loomis . the midday hours drop shot rigs are the best choice . Most anglers are getting 20 to 40 fish per day .

Lake Shasta is 25 feet from the top and dropping about 4 inches per day .

STAMPEDE RESERVOIR

Early Limits of Kokanee Reward Trollers

TRUCKEE – Kokanee salmon fishing continues to be hot on Stampede Reservoir , where anglers are picking up early limits of quality fish .

“ We ’ ve been catching around 50 fish by

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FISHERMAN ’ S WAREHOUSE

( based on 125 anglers )

8 a . m . to 9 a . m . every day , “ said James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service . “ The average fish we ’ re keeping is going 15 to 16 inches long . We ’ ve caught limits on every trip .”

“ We ’ re trolling at 35 to 55 feet deep ,” said Netzel . “ There is a lot of boat traffic , with about 50 to 60 boats per day . There is no differences between weekdays and weekends .”

“ I ’ ve been using Paulina Peak microhoochies in purple haze , lemonade and candy orange 8 to 10 inches behind the Paulina Peak dodgers ,” said Netzel . “ In addition to kokanee , we ’ ve been hooking around 2 cutthroats every trip .”

TRINITY LAKE / RIVER

Spring Chinooks Show On River

WEAVERVILLE – Local anglers have reported catching increasing numbers of spring run Chinook salmon on the Trinity River from the North Fork to above Junction City .

“ It ’ s not red hot , but there enough fish that some are being caught ,” said Tim Brady of Brady ’ s Sporting Goods . “ Most of the salmon are 7 to 9 pounds , with a few bigger ones . Anglers are catching them on are fishing roe and tuna balls . A lot of local fishermen are hitting the river early in the morning before work or late in the evening after work .”

The Bureau of Reclamation will ramp down releases

from Lewiston Dam until the summer base flow of 450 cfs is reached June 30 . The releases for this “ critically dry ” 2018 water year will result in an annual total volume of 369,000 acre-feet .

Rainbow trout continue to provide the top fishing at Trinity Lake . Shore and bank anglers are targeting the trout at the mouths of the tributaries . They ’ re fooling the fish with PowerBait , salmon eggs , nightcrawlers , spinners , spoons and flies .

Bass enthusiasts are hooking largemouths and smallmouths while using everything from swimbaits to Hula Poppers at Trinity . The dredger piles at the north end of the lake , as usual , are producing some of the best action . The fish range from undersized to 4 pounds .

Trinity Lake is holding 1,803,879 acer feet of water , 74 percent of capacity and 86 percent of average .

- Dan Bacher

WEST DELTA

A Little Bit Of Everything Is Available For West Delta Fishermen

BRANNAN ISLAND - It ’ s been hot and often windy and the Delta but that isn ’ t keeping anglers from hooking up .

On the striper fishing front , both trolling and bait fishing have been effective for tempting late season bass . The striper fishing isn ’ t hot , but if you put in the time you can score a limit of fish in the 4 to 10 pound class .

The best trolling is taking place in the San Joaquin and in the channels above Rio Vista . The top of the tide is the best time . Deep running Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows have been working well .

Bait anglers are fishing the edge of the ship channel near the Power Lines with success . The best baits have been shad , pile worms , sardines and anchovies .

Sturgeon are available for anglers working deep water areas in Suisun Bay . The top baits for sturgeon have been roe and eel , but you might want a selection of shrimp baits too .

Catfish anglers are experiencing solid fishing in the evening hours and after dark while fishing smaller sloughs . Clams are the bet bait , but worm , anchovies and chicken livers are working too .

Black bass action is widespread and excellent . Small swimbaits , Senkos , creature baits and chatter baits continue to hook fish . The average largemouth is running 2 to 3 pounds with some much larger fish mixed in .

The frog bite is starting , but isn ’ t likely to hit its stride until July rolls around .

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