Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3826 Dec 6-20 | Page 13

FRESHWATER
VOL.38 • ISS. 26
FRESHWATER REPORTS:
FOLSOM LAKE
Trollers Battle Kings in North
Fork
KLAMATH/TRINITY RIVERS
Steelhead Hitting on Upper
River
HORNBROOK – Drift boaters targeting
the Klamath River from below the Iron
Gate Fish Hatchery to the mouth of the
Shasta River continue to find great
steelhead fishing as the fish feed on the
eggs of spawning salmon.
“We are still seeing good number of fish
hit the net and have lots of dates left in
December to chase fall steelhead.,” said
Mario Gomez of Ironhead Guide Service.
”So if you are sitting around waiting for
OROVILLE LAKE/
THERMALITO AFTERBAY
Brad was fishing a crankbait near the bridge at Collins Lake this November when he hooked
into this massive 9.85-pound rainbow!
Photo courtesy of the COLLINS LAKE RECREATION AREA, Oregon House.
some water you might want to change
your plans and go fish a river that has
something going on. We’ve got water and
fish in the Klamath.”
“Winter steelhead season is just around
the corner and soon the most sought after
trophy fish will be entering the rivers in the
State of Jefferson,” he said.
Anglers are using a mixture of flies,
plugs, Glo Bugs and nightcrawlers to
hook the hard-fighting steelhead on the
Klamath.
The numbers of fall Chinook salmon
and steelhead returning to the Trinity
River Fish Hatchery in Lewiston continue
to be lower than normal. CDFW staff
have trapped 890 fall Chinooks, 47 coho
salmon and 21 adult steelhead to date in
2019.
KNIGHTS LANDING/
VERONA AREA
Striped Bass Hit Below Verona
RIO LINDA– While salmon fishing has
been tough in the Knights Landing and
Verona areas, one
angler got into a
solid striper bite
at the Airport Hole
south of Verona.
Trout • Mackinaw
David Chow
Kokanee • Salmon
landed two striped
bass weighing
Bright, Durable, Unique
28 and 4 pounds
while soaking grass
shrimp, reported
Mel Boggs at
Glass Lures Handmade In Northern California Elkhorn Bait and
Very few
www.shallowglasslures.com Tackle.
anglers have been
3810
fishing in this area
[phone] lately for striped
bass, salmon or
catfish lately.
“There is a decent
push of king salmon
in the Capitol
City area from
the Sacramento
Yacht Club to
Garcia Bend,” said
Boggs. “Anglers
are hooking the fish
while trolling with
Kwikfish, Silverton
spinners and Brad’s
Cut Plugs behind
dodgers.”
“The salmon
fishing slowed down
at Verona after
the Department
Largest Trout Stocking Program
reduced flows from
North of Sacramento
Oroville Dam. I
haven’t heard any
Call for Reservations
Lakefront
reports on catfish
RV
being caught in the
Camping
Knights Landing
www.collinslake.com
area either,” said
P.O. Box 300 . Oregon House . California 95962 3725
Boggs.
S h
ow
a ll
11
John Liechty of Xperience Fishing
Guide Service said, “The reaction bite for
largemouth and spotted bass continues to
be very slow with the best action at depths
from 50 to 70 feet with spoons or plastics
on the drop-shot; however, a few bass are
taken on umbrella rigs.”
“I have been informing my clients of
the difficulty of the bite and rescheduling
some trips, but there are many who still
want to fish the deep water with finesse
techniques,” he noted.
The lake dropped slightly to 82 percent
of capacity.
- Dave Hurley
CONTINUED FROM PG 9
AUBURN – Trollers are picking up a few
king salmon to 20 inches as the water
cools at Folsom.
“A couple of locals have been landing 2
to 3 salmon per trip,” said Craig Newton at
Willfish Bait and Tackle. “They have been
trolling in the North Fork with silver/blue
and cop car colored Speedy Shiners.”
Newton recommended trolling at 45 to
55 deep for the best results. The rainbow
trout fishing should also be improving with
the arrival of the fall turnover.
Shore fishing for trout and salmon
should become as productive as fishing
from a boat when the fish move into
the shallows to feed on pond smelt and
threadfin shad. Trollers should employ
nightcrawlers behind dodgers, Speedy
Shiners and other lures, while bank
fishermen should toss out PowerBait,
minnows and nightcrawlers for trout and
salmon.
For spotted, largemouth and spotted
bass, Alan Fong of Fisherman’s
Warehouse in Sacramento recommended
fishing with drop shot rigs or spooning
with Blade Runner spoons off main lake
points.
Folsom Lake is holding 539,705 acre
feet of water, 55 percent of capacity and
112 percent of average. The water level
421.42 feet in elevation.
- Dan Bacher
Dec 6 - 20, 2019
G laSS l ur
eS
• Trout
• Bass
• Crappie
• Bluegill
• Catfish
800-286-0576
LOS VAQUEROS
Trout and Catfish Keep Los
Vaqueros Fishermen Busy
LIVERMORE – Good-sized stripers,
trout and catfish are the reward for
anglers venturing out at Los Vaqueros
Reservoir.
Shore anglers are landing limits of trout
while fishing PowerBait and nightcrawlers
at South Cove and past the Rockwall.
Peninsula, Cowboy Cove, and Howden
Cove have produced limits of trout for
rental boaters.
Anglers were recently treated to a
double plant of Mt. Lassen and CDFW
trout, with 950 pounds of rainbows
planted by the CDFW and 1000 pounds
by the Mt. Lassen, reported Katrina of the
Los Vaqueros Marina. Anglers are also
hooking good numbers of channel catfish
next to marina buoy line.”
John Kitta caught his limits of both
catfish and rainbow trout in Penn Cove
and in the middle of the lake.
Big fish honors go to Edmund Banayos,
who caught an 8.56 lb. trout in Penn Cove
while using PowerBait. Qurone Ashton
and Jacob Schober caught 9.7 and 10.2
lb. trout in Cowboy Cove. Martin Chinn
landed a 5.25 pound rainbows.
Fishermen tossing out anchovies are
picking up striped bass while tossing
out Rat--LTraps and anchovies. Deonte
Sweeney of San Jose caught a 8.47 lb.
striper with a Rat-L-Trap, while Ron Chue
fooled a 13.65 lb. striper with an anchovy
in Cowboy Cove from a rental boat.
The North Side Fishing Access is
closed. Portions of the Los Vaqueros
Trail including dam fishing access are
currently closed to the public, since a
geotechnical field investigation for the
Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion
Project is in progress.
The Los Vaqueros Trail connecting
to the Badger Pass Trail near
Peninsula Cove is closed to the
public. The Mortero Trail and
connection to Alkali Meadow Trail is
also closed to the public. For more
information, call [phone].
If you are looking to rent a boat,
contact the Marina ahead of time
to check current wind conditions at
[phone].
- Dan Bacher
Fifty-Eight Boats Battle Bass
in North Valley Tackle Open
OROVILLE – Fifty-eight boats came out
in beautiful weather to fish for bass in the
third annual North Valley Tackle Open at
Lake Oroville on Saturday, November 2.
The total payout was $5700 + hundreds
in prizes.
“We had lots of first-time tournament
anglers and some father and son teams,”
said Jamey Sorenson at the North Valley
Tackle and Pro Shop. “It was a good
family event and we are planning another
one in spring. We gave away some great
prizes in addition to the cash payouts.”
Shane Robertson/Mike Osborne won
first place with five fish weighing 11.55
pounds, with a big fish of 3.44 pounds.
They won $1280 + $170 for second big
fish.
Wayne Chaney/Wade Wheaton finished
in second place with 10.87 pounds, with a
big fish of 2.48. They won $650.
Chris Layton placed third with 10.27
pounds, winning $600.00.
Brent ONeill/David Griswold placed
fourth with 10.2 pounds, with the first
place big fish of 3.51 pounds. They won a
total $800.00
Done Reighley/David Hill placed fifth
with 10.01 pounds, with the third place big
fish of 2.69 pounds. They won $550.00.
Reports from king salmon enthusiasts
have been sparse over the past couple
of weeks. Anglers were catching salmon
in the 17 to 19 inch range, along with
some bigger fish in the 4 to 5 lb. range
in the West Branch near Limesaddle.
Boaters were doing best trolling with glow
hoochies, tipped with anchovy strips,
behind dodgers, according to Craig
Newton at Willfish Bait and Tackle.
CONTINUED ON PG 12
NEW MELONES LAKE
Trout Bite Picks Up
ANGELS CAMP- The water
temperatures are cooling to some
degree, and the trout bite is starting
to improve with anglers catching
quality rainbows and an occasional
German brown while trolling with
Speedy Shiners, Needlefish or
Countdown Rapalas at depths from 55 Shonna hit the Delta in early November and pulled
in the feisty keeper striper.
to 65 feet in the main lake.
Photo courtesy of BOB CROWDER, Rio Vista.