Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3818 August 16-30 | Page 23

VOL.38 • ISS. 18
FRESHWATER
GONE FISHING
and 4 pounds.
At that point, we were
ready to close shop and head
for the ramp. Our ice chest
was jammed with salmon
and it was getting hot, but the
fishing gods had one more
surprise for us.
Kevin popped all the rods
off the downriggers and
started cleaning up. As the
lines slowly came up in the
water column, he said, “This
Captain Kevin Brock (L) and Fish Sniffer editor Cal Kellogg
area has been crammed with
shake hands after teaming up to land a big Lake Oroville
bait. I’ll bet that big king
rainbow.
Photo by WES WARD, Fish Sniffer Staff. has been in here feeding
August 16-30, 2019
Continued from page 1
and now that the bait has gone he was
cruising around trying to relocate it
just like we were.”
Right at that moment the rod on
the starboard side got slammed and
doubled over. A beat later I was
cautiously cranking on a powerful fish
that cruised beneath the surface 150
feet behind the boat.
Ever so slowly the fish came closer.
When it closed to 75 feet is surged out
of the water in an incredible gyrating
jump that Wes captured on video. The
fish flashed silver in the sun and we
assumed it was another big king.
Several minutes later when I slid the
fish into
the net we
were all
surprised to
learn that
it wasn’t
a salmon,
but rather a
jumbo wild
rainbow
pushing 4
pounds.
Rainbows
are rare
in Lake
Oroville
Subscription Special
Wes Ward caught several quality
salmon while trolling Lake
Oroville, but these 20 inchers was
particularly impressive.
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish
Sniffer Staff.
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3806
and it was the only one I’ve ever
hooked in my years of fishing the
lake. Kevin wasted no time in
reviving the fish and sending it on
its way back into the cool depths
of the lake. It had been an incred-
ible day on the water and the fact
that the two biggest fish of the trip
came at the end only made it more
memorable.
The trip had actually come about
accidently. I knew Kevin had been
on a hot salmon bite at Oroville,
so I called him to ask if the fish
were within kayaking range.
“Sure, you could light them up
from you kayak Cal, but I’ve got
nothing scheduled for Wednesday.
Why don’t you and Wes just jump
aboard my big Duckworth. It’s a
great platform for filming and you
can bring Lucy along too,” Kevin
offered.
Well when one of the best
guides on the West Coast asks
you to go fishing it’s a no brainer.
You simply ask when and where
to meet. In this case, it was at
the Bidwell Launch Ramp at 5
o’clock in the morning on July 17.
Kevin arrived right on time that
Wednesday, slid the boat into the
water and we were off.
It was barely light enough to
film as Kevin sent the first rigs
down. The sonar unit’s screen was
alive with bait balls and predators
so we knew it wouldn’t take long
for the first bite to come.
Within the first few minutes
Wes put a pair of 15 to 16-inch
fish in the cooler. I followed up
with a pair of my own and so it
went. The bite was on and Kevin’s
approach was flawless.
When the sun hit the water, we
left the bite to go explore in front
of the dam so Kevin could gather
intel for future trips. We really
didn’t care if we caught anymore
fish. We had several chunky
salmon in the cooler and lots of
footage to edit. And of course that
foray to the dam produced the two
big fish I described in the opening.
By 10:30 we were back in the
truck headed home with a hefty
bag full of salmon fillets.
Kevin Brock is a full-time
guide. He spends time chasing
landlocked salmon, river salmon,
steelhead, stripers and trout. To
learn more, go to www.FishKev-
inBrock.Com or give him a call at
[phone]. Kevin also offers
up a full line of fishing products in
his online store.