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TOP PICKS
CAMANCHE LAKE -- Trout fishing continued excellent for both boaters, bankies and anglers fishing the South Shore Trout Pond. Trollers found good action on Needlefish, Rebels, and Rapalas in the Main lake, and shore casters scored from both the south and north accesses, and pond anglers caught fish to over 6 pounds. Power Bait and casting lures worked well, including Kastmasters, Magic Bullets and Panther Martins. Bass anglers reported some activity at 20 feet and less on Baby Brush Hogs and jigs.
EEL RIVER, South Fork -- Guide Wayne "Sierra" Hansen said it was still brown over the weekend, but will be fishable mid-week, and he's on his way over for guide trips. There was some very good fishing before it got blown out, according to Darrell Brown of Brown's Sporting Goods in Garberville, with anglers scoring well on king salmon, silver salmon and good numbers of steelhead. This last storm will bring in the last of the salmon and bigger numbers of steelies. They were already baitfishing at Leggett on Sunday. Zero limit for any species here, barbless hooks only, but you can use bait. "This is the place to got a catch a fish right now," said Brown.
BODEGA BAY -- Captain Rick Powers on the New Sea Angler continued the straight squid trips. "We're not doing the combos, we're just trying to sink the boat with sheer numbers of squid," he joked. Saturday's trip was the high point of the week when 37 anglers caught 481 squid to 65 pounds. Two other trips also found wide open squid action.
MARTINEZ -- The sturgeon action was excellent for the boats fishing up around Big Cut, Honker Bay and the Mothball Fleet. Straight eel worked for some, and grass shrimp and eel combos worked for others. Captain Bob Monckton on Reel-lentless had a great week with several keepers and shakers both.
TOPAZ LAKE -- Great opening weekend with everyone catching limits. Lots of 2- to 3-pound rainbows and a few 4 to 5 pounders were caught. Shore anglers are using Power Bait and nightcrawlers. Trollers are killing them on flasher or dodger/worm combos. The fish are anywhere you care to try for them.
NORTH COAST RIVERS
CHETCO RIVER, Ore. -- Blown out big time but dropping and should be about the best of the year when it clears this week, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts of the Chetco Outdoor Store. Steelhead were thick before the storm, and this will bring even more of them in.
COOS RIVER, Ore. -- Steelhead fishing has been slow to fair, according to WON Pro Staffer Dave Pitts.
EEL RIVER -- Blown out big time, and will be a long time before it's fishable.
GARCIA, GUALALA rivers -- WON Pro Staffer Craig Bell of Greenwater Guide Service said the smaller coastal rivers came up and opened to fishing from low flow closures at noon on Saturday. He fished two fly fishing clients on the Garcia on Sunday and they hooked three and landed two nice steelhead.
MILACOMA RIVER, East Fork, Ore. -- Producing a few steelhead, but the main game is lots of wild coho salmon.
NAVARRO, NOYO rivers -- The rivers on the coast came up enough to open on Saturday at noon, according to WON Pro Staffer Craig Bell of Greenwater Guide Service in Pt. Arena. Fish are being caught in all the coastal rivers and they are dropping and clearing pretty fast. Should be good fly fishing conditions in the lower rivers without more rain.
NESTUCCA RIVER, Ore. -- There were fish available before the big storm, and it should pick back up when flows drop back in. Wild fish were almost everywhere, even in extremely low water flows. Anglers should expect this river to take off again, especially as mid January slides in, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts of the Chetco Outdoor Store.
ROGUE RIVER, Lower, Ore. -- Anglers should note, you can now keep steelhead that are non-adipose fin-clipped (wild), as long as they are a minimum size of 24 inches, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts of the Chetco Outdoor Store. Plunkers should prep for this waterway to take off as she drops back in. Spin-N-Glos from Orchard and Huntley Park will work on the steelhead.
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CAMANCHE LAKE -- Trout fishing continued excellent for both boaters, bankies and anglers fishing the South Shore Trout Pond. Trollers found good action on Needlefish, Rebels, and Rapalas in the Main lake, and shore casters scored from both the south and north accesses, and pond anglers caught fish to over 6 pounds. Power Bait and casting lures worked well, including Kastmasters, Magic Bullets and Panther Martins. Bass anglers reported some activity at 20 feet and less on Baby Brush Hogs and jigs.
EEL RIVER, South Fork -- Guide Wayne "Sierra" Hansen said it was still brown over the weekend, but will be fishable mid-week, and he's on his way over for guide trips. There was some very good fishing before it got blown out, according to Darrell Brown of Brown's Sporting Goods in Garberville, with anglers scoring well on king salmon, silver salmon and good numbers of steelhead. This last storm will bring in the last of the salmon and bigger numbers of steelies. They were already baitfishing at Leggett on Sunday. Zero limit for any species here, barbless hooks only, but you can use bait. "This is the place to got a catch a fish right now," said Brown.
BODEGA BAY -- Captain Rick Powers on the New Sea Angler continued the straight squid trips. "We're not doing the combos, we're just trying to sink the boat with sheer numbers of squid," he joked. Saturday's trip was the high point of the week when 37 anglers caught 481 squid to 65 pounds. Two other trips also found wide open squid action.
MARTINEZ -- The sturgeon action was excellent for the boats fishing up around Big Cut, Honker Bay and the Mothball Fleet. Straight eel worked for some, and grass shrimp and eel combos worked for others. Captain Bob Monckton on Reel-lentless had a great week with several keepers and shakers both.
TOPAZ LAKE -- Great opening weekend with everyone catching limits. Lots of 2- to 3-pound rainbows and a few 4 to 5 pounders were caught. Shore anglers are using Power Bait and nightcrawlers. Trollers are killing them on flasher or dodger/worm combos. The fish are anywhere you care to try for them.
NORTH COAST RIVERS
CHETCO RIVER, Ore. -- Blown out big time but dropping and should be about the best of the year when it clears this week, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts of the Chetco Outdoor Store. Steelhead were thick before the storm, and this will bring even more of them in.
COOS RIVER, Ore. -- Steelhead fishing has been slow to fair, according to WON Pro Staffer Dave Pitts.
EEL RIVER -- Blown out big time, and will be a long time before it's fishable.
GARCIA, GUALALA rivers -- WON Pro Staffer Craig Bell of Greenwater Guide Service said the smaller coastal rivers came up and opened to fishing from low flow closures at noon on Saturday. He fished two fly fishing clients on the Garcia on Sunday and they hooked three and landed two nice steelhead.
MILACOMA RIVER, East Fork, Ore. -- Producing a few steelhead, but the main game is lots of wild coho salmon.
NAVARRO, NOYO rivers -- The rivers on the coast came up enough to open on Saturday at noon, according to WON Pro Staffer Craig Bell of Greenwater Guide Service in Pt. Arena. Fish are being caught in all the coastal rivers and they are dropping and clearing pretty fast. Should be good fly fishing conditions in the lower rivers without more rain.
NESTUCCA RIVER, Ore. -- There were fish available before the big storm, and it should pick back up when flows drop back in. Wild fish were almost everywhere, even in extremely low water flows. Anglers should expect this river to take off again, especially as mid January slides in, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts of the Chetco Outdoor Store.
ROGUE RIVER, Lower, Ore. -- Anglers should note, you can now keep steelhead that are non-adipose fin-clipped (wild), as long as they are a minimum size of 24 inches, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts of the Chetco Outdoor Store. Plunkers should prep for this waterway to take off as she drops back in. Spin-N-Glos from Orchard and Huntley Park will work on the steelhead.
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