Up-To-Date and Published Locally ... By Sportsmen ... For Sportsmen !
Our 38th Year
MADE IN U . S . A
Vol . 39 - ISS . 22
Since 1982
38 Years Serving Sportsmen
“ The Magazine for West Coast Sportsmen !” INSIDE
Area Reports
Banking For Trout : Are You Ready ?
P rospecting the waters of a lake or reservoir for trout from a boat decked out with downriggers and the latest electronics can be both productive and exciting there is no question about that . However , there is something inherently satisfying about successfully targeting trout from the bank . Bank fishing by its very nature is a more personal approach than trolling . When fishing from the bank it ’ s you against the trout . There ’ s no using a boat to cover a ton of ground or relying on a sonar unit to pinpoint the fish . Bank anglers rely on their legs for mobility and their instincts to locate productive water . When an angler reaches a point where they can consistently score under these circumstances , a feeling of accomplishment is the inevitable result . All in all banking for trout is a fairly
GONE FISHING by Cal Kellogg
T he destination was French
Meadows Reservoir and I had no idea what to expect . I ’ ve had exceptional trout fishing at the lake in early fall , but this year the fall weather has been exceptionally warm . In fact it ’ s been more like August , the height of the warm weather doldrums . I brought my Labrador Lucy along for the adventure . She ’ s like any other girl , she likes to swim and she likes to lay in simple endeavor , but like other types of fishing it requires a selection of efficient good quality gear and a solid systematic strategy . The first thing the aspiring bank angler needs is a rod and reel . With dozens of possible combinations available selecting the best outfit for the job at hand can be a daunting task . A lot of folks choose short rods ranging from 5 to 6 feet in length , but I prefer a 6 ’ 6 ” to 7 foot stick . Much of the time you ’ ll be fishing your baits close to the bank , but there are some situations and approaches where casting well offshore
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Los Vaqueros Map Feature
See Page 12
October 23 , 2020
Trout will be patrolling the shorelines of Norcal lake ’ s soon . Are you ready to get in on the action ?
Photo by CAL KELLOGG , Fish Sniffer Staff .
Hot Weather Trout Action From The Hobie Pro Angler 14 !
the sun on the back of the boat . Except in this case we weren ’ t going to be in a boat , we were going to be in my Hobie Pro Angler 14 kayak . We arrived at the lake just before sunrise in order to take advantage of the key post dawn window prior to the sun hitting the water . After quickly rigged the ‘ yak , I slid it into the water and a few
Another feisty rainbow comes to the Hobie Pro Angler 14 . Fall trout fishing is underway throughout the sierras . Cal ’ s last trip to French Meadows produced a quartet of rainbows during a frantic early morning bite .
Photo by CAL KELLOGG , Fish Sniffer Staff .
minutes later we were trolling down the lake toward the dam . I had an orange trolling fly working at 15 feet on one of my yellow leadcore rods and a 2.5 inch chrome and orange MagLip
working on a top line . I ’ d covered a couple hundred yards or so when I encountered the edge of the channel . Watching the sonar unit as I peddled along at 1.8 mph I saw the bottom falling away and then suddenly arches started to appear along the edge of the channel from 10 to 30 feet . The arches looked good and my heart sped up ! Turning parallel with the channel I started pulling my gear through the hot zone . A couple minutes later the leadcore rod began to dance . Snatching the rod from the holder I started fighting the fish . The fish turned out to be a smallish rainbow that looked to have been planted this spring . The trout had clearly acclimated to the lake and I quickly released it with the hope that it would be a nice 15 to 17 inch square tail next summer . With the first trout released I continued to travel down the edge of the channel and hooked up a second fish on the
WHAT ’ S HOT by Cal Kellogg
Fish Sniffer TIP OF THE WEEK
When targeting sturgeon a sliding sinker rig is the accepted standard . Setting up the sliding sinker rig is simple . First take your main line and pass it through a plastic sliding sinker sleeve . Then tie on a heavy duty snap swivel . You ’ ll attach your sinker to slider sleeve via the attached snap and you ’ ll connect your leader directly to the snap swivel at the end of the main line .
CONTINUED ON PG 14
Special Section KAYAK Fishing : pgs 18
FRESHWATER REPORTS Almanor Lake - Lake Berryessa ............................. 6 Bullards Bar / Englebright Reserviors -
Collins Lake ............................................... 7 Davis Lake - Eagle Lake ......................................... 8 Eastern Sierra - Klamath / Trinity Reservoir .......... 10 New Melones Reservoir - Lake Oroville ............... 11 Pardee Lake - Redding / Red Bluff ........................ 14 Rio Vista - Rollins Lake ........................................ 15 Sacramento Area ................................................ 16 San Luis Lake - Shasta Lake ................................... 17 Tahoe - West Delta ................................................ 19
SALTWATER REPORTS Berkeley - Half Moon Bay ........................................ 23 Half Moon Bay .......................................................... 24 Monterey Bay ...................................................... 25
FEATURES
Where ... When ... How ...
BAJA ROUNDUP ........................................................ 26 CATCH & RELEASE - FLY FISHING : Cal Kellogg .......... 16 FISH SNIFFER COUNTRY : Dan Bacher ................... 22 GO FOR IT : Staff ......................................................... 4 HOW-TO : Cal Kellogg ................................................ 5 KAYAK FISHING SPOTLIGHT : Wes Ward ............... 18 MAP FEATURE : Dan Bacher ............................... 12-13 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION : Dan Bacher ...... 21
STAFF TACKLE
What We ’ re Using
Cal Kellogg - Cal fished Jackson Meadows Reservoir with Wes and Jake Ward . The trio fished out of Cal ’ s 20 pontoon FHS guide boat . A total of 9 cutthroat and rainbow trout to 24 inches were landed on spoons and plugs pulled on Cal ’ s signature series FHS downrigger and lead core rods .
Paul Kneeland - fished Jackson Meadows Reservoir with John Brassfield and Hellen Rowell in the Fish Sniffer 21 ’ Rogue Jet Coastal . They caught rainbow trout to 20 inches using an Daiwa 8 foot DXS composite rod with a Abu Garcia Kokanee Special levelwind reel loaded with 8 lb test Yozuri Hybrid line .. They trolled Hot Ticket spoons and Tazmanian Devils in red / white and black off the Canon Downriggers at 30 to 50 feet deep and 2.2 mph .
Dan Bacher - fished for largemouth bass at Rancho Seco Lake . He used a Berkley Ugly Stick GX2 6 ’ 6 ” medium action spinning rod , teamed up with a Shakespeare GX235 spinning reel filled with 8 lb . test P-Line CX Premium Fluorocarbon Coated Line . He fished with wacky-rigged 5 inch Yamamoto Senkos in watermel ; on and green pumpkin / black flake on Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap Hooks in # 1 and 1 / 0 .