Issue 3923 | Page 19

FEATHER RIVER

Steelhead Hitting Below Afterbay Outlet

YUBA CITY – The long-awaited run of steelhead is starting to show in the Feather River below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet . Anglers are tossing out salmon roe and spoons to hook the bright steelies , according to Brian Lopez at Johnson ’ s Bait and Tackle .

One of the shop ’ s employees , Brian Willits , demonstrated his angling prowess by catching a 6 lb . steelhead on a spoon below the outlet on a recent shore fishing trip .

Salmon fishing was picking up below the outlet just before the section of river from the unimproved boat ramp above the Thermalito Afterbay Outfall to 200 yards above the Live Oak boat ramp closed to salmon fishing . However this section remains open to fishing for steelhead and other species

“ Boaters were using Brad ’ s Killerfish and roe , while shore anglers were getting most of their salmon on beads ,” said Lopez .

- Dan Bacher

FOLSOM LAKE

5 MPH Speed Limit Goes Into Effect

FOLSOM – A 5 mile per hour speed limit for the entire lake went into effect on Thursday , October 22 , when Folsom reached elevation 400 ’, according to the Folsom Lake Marina .

Boaters need to use caution while boating on Folsom as the lake is changing elevation on a daily basis . By State law there is always a 5 mph speed limit within 200 ’ of shore . The Hobie Cove ramp at Brown ’ s

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Stan put the smack down on this impressive Lake Crowley rainbow during a recent fall fishing trip .

Photo courtesy of SIERRA DRIFTERS GUIDE SERVICE , Bishop .

Ravine is the onlyramp open to boat launching at this time . Granite Bay ’ s low water ramp will start operation at elevation 396 .

The king salmon fishing at Folsom Lake has slowed down , but persistent anglers are still picking up some kings and rainbows . “ Most of the salmon are in the 15 to 18 inch range ,” said Craig Newton at Willfish Bait and Tackle in Auburn . “ The fish are hitting Speedy Shiners , hoochies and Brad ’ s Cut Plugs behind dodgers at 40 to 60 feet in South Fork .”

Black bass fishing remains tough at Folsom Lake , although anglers should see improved fishing as the bass finally move into their fall pattern after the water temperature cools .

“ We had to work for our fish on our most recent trip to Folsom ,” said Don Paganelli of Paganelli ’ s Bass Fishing Experience . “ The three of us caught and released a dozen fish , all largemouths , to 1-1 / 2 pounds . We drop shotted with Robo Worms in Aaron ’ s Magic and shad patterns at 20 to 30 feet deep in the South Fork and main body ,”

The lake temperature was 77 degrees at press time . Folsom Lake is holding 388,656 feet of water , 40 percent of capacity and 74 percent of average .

- Dan Bacher

KLAMATH / TRINITY RIVERS

Upper Klamath Adult Chinook Quota Met

SACRAMENTO - Based upon California Department of Fish and Wildlife ( CDFW ) projections of the recreational fall Chinook salmon catch on the Klamath River , anglers met the Upper Klamath River adult fall Chinook salmon quota below Iron Gate Dam for the 2020 season as of 11:59 p . m . on Sunday , Oct . 18 .

This triggers the closure of the adult

Chinook salmon fishery on the main stem of the Klamath River from 3,500 feet downstream of the Iron Gate Dam to the Highway 96 bridge at Weitchpec . The fishery at the mouth of the Klamath was closed as of Sept . 8 and will remain closed to all fishing for the rest of the calendar year . The fishery on the lower Klamath closed as of Sept . 15 .

All reaches on the main stem Klamath ( except within 100 yards of the mouth ) remain open for harvest of jack ( two-yearold ) Chinook salmon ( less than or equal to 23 inches ). All adult Chinook salmon caught must be immediately released and reported on an angler ’ s North Coast Salmon Report Card .

Anglers may still fish for adult Chinook salmon in both the Upper and Lower Trinity River sectors , however , the Upper Trinity closure will go into effect as of Oct . 26 . Anglers can monitor the quota status of open and closed sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers by calling CDFW ’ s information hotline at ( 800 ) 564- 6479 .

For more information regarding Klamath River fishing regulations , please consult the 2020-2021 California Freshwater and Supplemental Sport Fishing Regulations at wildlife . ca . gov / regulations .

NEW MELONES RESERVOIR

Bass Are Moving with Bait

ANGELS CAMP - John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service reported the necessity to ‘ spot check ’ a ton of water as the bass will be on one location one day and gone the next .

He said , “ You will know within the first few minutes whether the bass are there or not as you will see fish on the meter , birds , and bait . You can go back to the same spot where you caught multiple fish one day , and there will be nothing there . The shad schools are moving , and they are holding in deep water at depths from 15 to 20 feet .”

“ We landed 25 to 30 bass on Sunday with 9 different presentations including : drop-shot , Ned rig , spy baits , flutter spoons , float n ’ fly , Whopper Ploppers , spinnerbaits , Keitechs swimbaits , and flukes ,” he noted .

Trout trollers are finding some quality rainbows at depths to 50 feet with shadpatterned spoons .

Catfish are found in the 15 to 30-foot range with cut baits or nightcrawlers . The Glory Hole and Tuttletown boat launches are open , but the Angels Cove launch ramp is closed . The lake held is holding at 63 % of capacity .

- Dave Hurley

LAKE OROVILLE

King Salmon Offer Top Sport

OROVILLE - Fishing pressure for king salmon , black bass and channel catfish continues to be light at Lake Oroville .

“ King salmon fishing is decent , but anglers aren ’ t reporting catching big numbers of fish ,” said Craig Newton at Willfish Bait and Tackle in Auburn . “ Trollers are picking up salmon to 4-1 / 2 pounds while trolling with hoochies behind dodgers at 65 feet deep in the main body of the lake ”

Some recreational facilities at Lake Oroville State Recreation Area ( SRA ) remain closed until further notice due to damages and recovery efforts associated with the North Complex Fire .

See below for specific recreation areas closed at this time . All other facilities are open .

Bidwell Canyon https :// www . bidwellcanyonmarina . com and Lake Oroville Marinas https :// www . lakeorovillemarina . com are now operating as normal their winter operating schedule .

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into a fish : all other fishing stops – or at least that what it feels like . Once my battle began , other boats slowly closed in and I could feel all eyes on me . I put immense pressure on myself to not lose this fish in front of an audience . Any regret over skipping my morning coffee was vanquished once I began reeling in 65 feet of line . The line counter allowed me to easily communicate with Larry so he could ready the net , and also built up my anticipation . 20 feet … 10 feet … 5 feet ! I saw that beautiful silver shimmer for a millisecond . That fish took one look at me , turned around , and peeled off 25 feet of line . I reeled as fast as I could and got it within range again . Once more , it turned right around and ran … this time , with a jump that entertained every boat around us . It then took me all around the rear of the boat and then back where I began .

After a third round , I finally landed it successfully . I barely had time to sit down before we turned right around to drift through that area again in hopes of landing another . My second fish wasn ’ t much of a fighter , but since I was still out of breath and trembling from adrenaline , it was yet another great workout . I had caught my limit by 8:15 , earning myself a well-deserved snack break to take in the beautiful scenery and fresh air . It didn ’ t take long to notice that boats started following us wherever we went – I guess that comes with the territory when your net hits the water twice so early in the day . Conversation soon turned to salmon recipes and I welcomed them all , having landed two Kings at 14 and 12 pounds . Not too shabby for the first day of Fall ! Watch the video on my YouTube channel , Stacy Goes Outside .

Catfish are on the chomp at Los Vaqueros Reservoir as this happy angler will certainly attest .

Photo courtesy of the LOS VAQUEROS RECREATION AREA , Los Vaqueros .