Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3718 Aug 17-31 | Page 25

“Crappie are still being caught at Calero
around the boat ramp. At Anderson, try
fishing by the dam. Like the bass, the
action is better during low light, so fish the
mornings and evenings,” he added.
Catfish anglers continued to be sent
to either Uvas or Chesbro. “Like the
crappie and bass, low light is best, but
the afternoons and evenings are better.
Try using chicken livers, mackerel or
nightcrawlers in the coves where the water
is the warmest,” he said.
- Roland Aspiras
SHASTA/WHISKEYTOWN
LAKES
Thermocline Bite Starts Amid
Backdrop Of Devastating Fire
REDDING - Fishing is not the focus in
Redding these days in the wake of the
devastating Carr Fire that ravaged the Lake
Shasta region.
Having said that, outstanding trolling
for rainbow trout and a few big browns
is forming up nicely as the trout and bait
concentrate in the thermocline. Look for
the trout to be holding 60 to 80 feet deep.
Find the marks using your sonar and then
drop shad imitators such as Kastmasters,
Needlefish, Hum Dingers, Wiggle Hoochie
and small Rapalas down to the fish.
The rainbows are running 2 to 4 pounds.
The browns range up to 7 and don’t be
surprised if you pick up a few jumbo spotted
bass too. The lower ends of the lake’s major
arms are good spots to start the search.
Speaking of bass, the lake’s spotted bass
are on a strong bite. Like the trout, they are
orienting to the schools of shad big time. To
score look for areas where the bait comes
in contact with rocky structure.
Spoons and drop shot rigs are all you
need to hook big numbers of 1 to 3 pound
bass. Early and late you can pick off a few
fish on rip baits and top water lures.
As of press time Shasta was dropping
about 7 inches per day and was about 50
feet from maximum pool.
At Whiskeytown, the kokanee have
dropped down into the 60 to 80 foot range,
but the bite remains solid. Paulina Peak
blades and lures are working as are blades
and lures from the Yakima Bait Company.
The average kokanee is over 16 inches and
the biggest salmon range up to beyond 18
inches.
STAMPEDE RESERVOIR
Stellar Kokanee Fishing
Continues
TRUCKEE – The banner kokanee
salmon fishing continues at Stampede
Reservoir, where experienced trollers are
bagging limits of landlocked sockeyes.
Three anglers bagged limits of kokanee
salmon by 9:30 a.m. during a trip to
Stampede with James Netzel of Tight Lines
Guide Service on Thursday, August 2. The
fish were in the 15 to 16 inch range.
“We trolled at 65 to 70 feet deep near
the island with Paulina Peak clown pattern
Micro Hoochies and green dream spinners,
behind gold plated crush glow dodgers,”
said Netzel.
Netzel’s previous trip produced limits of
kokanee up to 17-3/4 inches, also while
using Paulina Peak Micro Hoochies and
Spinners.
On a previous trip, Netzel reported, “It’s
a banner day today for boat limits of fat
kokanee to over 17 inches at Stampede,.
We could have quit at 8 am but kept a few
off our limits to continue to fish. The guys
paid for a full day trip, no need to go home
after only a couple hours of fishing.”
“These active duty Army soldiers were
greeted with multiple flyovers from 2
beautiful bald eagles diving and grabbing
fish, even stealing one from an Osprey,”
Aug 17 - 31, 2018
FRESHWATER
VOL.37 • ISS. 18
said Netzel.
“The top
producers
were Paulina
Peak Tackle
clown pattern
and pink/
purple micro
hoochies,
fished behind
both gold
plated and
nickel plated
crush glow
dodgers.
Glitterbugs.
org orange
and chartreuse
micro
hoochies did
very well too.”

- Dan These anglers visited Stampede Reservoir in late July and headed home with limits
Bacher of kokanee. Several of those fish are over 17 inches!
Photo courtesy of TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE, Loomis.
TRINITY RIVER/LAKE
TAHOE
High Sierra Anglers Tangle
With Mackinaw & Kokanee
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - The team at
Tahoe Sportfishing is putting their clients on
both mackinaw and kokanee. The salmon
are running 11 to 13 inches, while the
mackinaw range up to 30 inches and about
10 pounds.
For kokanee, you’ll want to work the
south end of the lake with dodgers teamed
with either Wedding Ring Spinners or
hoochies. The mackinaw are eating rigged
minnows and minnow imitating spoons
rigged behind either dodgers or flashers.
The macks are scattered from 80 to 200
plus feet deep mainly.
Fish Sniffer reader Ray Giddings took a
kayak fishing trip to Tahoe last week and
caught 5 mackinaw to 6 pounds north of
Cave Rock.
“I tried trolling with my crank downrigger,
but couldn’t seem to get hit. I could see fish
on my sonar unit, so I started experimenting
with a Duh Spoon that I bought at the
Sacramento ISE Show last winter. I’d never
caught a fish while vertical jigging. I was
able to hook a 2 pound mack on my first
drop. That fish gave me a lot of confidence.
Over the next two hours I got 5 more fish.
Most of them were 3 to 4 pounds, but my
best mack weighed just over 6. I kept that
big fish for the smoker,” reported Giddings.
Mickey Daniels of Mickey’s Big Mack
Charter continues to enjoy good fishing at
the lake’s north end while pulling a variety
of offerings in deep water.
Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters
is putting his clients on limits of mackinaw
while trolling dodgers and rigged minnows.
St. Denis is trolling from 150 to 250 feet
deep off Sugar Pine, Dollar and Calneva
Points. The fish are running 1 to 5 pounds
with the occasional larger fish to 9 pounds
mixed in.
Trinity Flows Go Up With
‘Operational Challenges’
Spurred by Carr Fire
WEST DELTA
Trollers Hammer Stripers, Bait
Soakers Hook Sturgeon &
Cats
BRANNAN ISLAND - The weather is
hot and so is the striper action in the West
Delta. Not many people are targeting them,