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- Feb 14, 2009
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TOP PICKS
DELTA, SACRAMENTO RIVER side -- Trollers working the West Bank, Old Dairy, and Decker Island with shallow-running Bombers and Yo- Zuris in pink, rainbow trout, Wonder Bread and black/silver with a white 6-inch worm tail found stripers, as did white Fish Traps along tule edges and rock walls. Bait dunkers also found fish at the power lines with cut shad. Sturgeon were around, as well, and anglers have been finding them in Cache Slough, the power lines, and Sherman Island with shrimp baits and eel. Catfishing was slow but there were some catfish caught while fishing for sturgeon in 40 feet or more. Black bass fishing was slow, however, some nice smallmouth have been caught at the Isleton Bridge on live bait 11 feet or more.
DELTA, SAN JOAQUIN RIVER side -- Anglers drifting live minnows in Snodgrass, Beaver, and Hog sloughs were also getting nice sideliners in the 6- to 10-pound range. There have also been some scattered reports of salmon showing for anglers casting swimbaits or trolling Bombers for stripers. All kings, of course, must be immediately released. As far as sturgeon go, the bite has been so-so down around Pittsburg.
AMERICAN RIVER -- It's not fast fishing to be sure, but the reports of steelhead on the American were the best so far this fall. Most of the action has been on flies, but that might just be because that's where most of the effort is taking place. Swinging leeches, burlaps, and brindle bugs has been effective for fish to around 5 pounds--although most have been smaller. Dead-drifting nymphs under indicators has been effective, too. Swing spinners and small spoons or drift nightcrawlers if you are not into fly fishing.
CAMANCHE LAKE -- Trout remained the main marque, but good reports from both the bass and catfish arenas came in. Trollers in the main lake continued to score, but the best improvement went to shore anglers fishing the main lake, with limits reported from the North Shore rec area. The South Shore Trout Pond continued to impress, producing both big fish and limits. A local bass club had a tourney, with a 13-pound winning limit, and 5-pound big fish. A pair of nice catfish 7 and 9 pounds hit for a die hard whiskerfish chaser using clams at the Camanche Arm.
NORTH COAST RIVERS
CHETCO RIVER -- Low, cold and clear, and expected to be that way as long as it's freezing in the drainages upstream. The salmon are spawning and done spawning, and steelhead have been coming in for the past two weeks, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts, and it's transition time from kings to steelies. January is prime time for big steelies in the teens to 20s, but the action begins now.
ROGUE RIVER -- A few winter steelhead showing up, and that will improve with runoff from melting snow when that occurs, and the summer steelhead are providing cold-weather fishing (slow and lethargic fish) in the middle and upper river.
RUSSIAN RIVER -- The mouth was manually opened up on Wednesday and now it's wide open, and few steelhead are beginning to poke in, according to Steve Jackson at Kings Sport and Tackle in Guerneville. About 100 fish came past the camera at Wholer Dam above Guerneville, and there was one 8-pound hatchery fish caught. It's still at 200 cfs and not driftable on Sunday, but when it melts and the river colors the steelies should show up big time -- fingers crossed.
SMITH RIVER -- King salmon fishing slowed as the river dropped, and fishing was almost at a standstill towards the end of the week. Snow is now on the ground, and the last of the kings are already in the river or possibly a few more to show, according to guide Phil Desautel of Phil's Smiling Salmon Guide Service, but anglers will be switching over to steelhead now.
TRINITY/KLAMATH RIVERS
KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath Glen -- The river is rising, but it was still fishable as of Sunday night. However, the situation might be entirely different toward the end of the week when the next storm arrives. It's supposed to be a lot stronger. The best odds for getting bit extend from from Blue Creek to Johnson's Riffle. Drifting roe and a Puffball has also gotten its share of steelhead.
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DELTA, SACRAMENTO RIVER side -- Trollers working the West Bank, Old Dairy, and Decker Island with shallow-running Bombers and Yo- Zuris in pink, rainbow trout, Wonder Bread and black/silver with a white 6-inch worm tail found stripers, as did white Fish Traps along tule edges and rock walls. Bait dunkers also found fish at the power lines with cut shad. Sturgeon were around, as well, and anglers have been finding them in Cache Slough, the power lines, and Sherman Island with shrimp baits and eel. Catfishing was slow but there were some catfish caught while fishing for sturgeon in 40 feet or more. Black bass fishing was slow, however, some nice smallmouth have been caught at the Isleton Bridge on live bait 11 feet or more.
DELTA, SAN JOAQUIN RIVER side -- Anglers drifting live minnows in Snodgrass, Beaver, and Hog sloughs were also getting nice sideliners in the 6- to 10-pound range. There have also been some scattered reports of salmon showing for anglers casting swimbaits or trolling Bombers for stripers. All kings, of course, must be immediately released. As far as sturgeon go, the bite has been so-so down around Pittsburg.
AMERICAN RIVER -- It's not fast fishing to be sure, but the reports of steelhead on the American were the best so far this fall. Most of the action has been on flies, but that might just be because that's where most of the effort is taking place. Swinging leeches, burlaps, and brindle bugs has been effective for fish to around 5 pounds--although most have been smaller. Dead-drifting nymphs under indicators has been effective, too. Swing spinners and small spoons or drift nightcrawlers if you are not into fly fishing.
CAMANCHE LAKE -- Trout remained the main marque, but good reports from both the bass and catfish arenas came in. Trollers in the main lake continued to score, but the best improvement went to shore anglers fishing the main lake, with limits reported from the North Shore rec area. The South Shore Trout Pond continued to impress, producing both big fish and limits. A local bass club had a tourney, with a 13-pound winning limit, and 5-pound big fish. A pair of nice catfish 7 and 9 pounds hit for a die hard whiskerfish chaser using clams at the Camanche Arm.
NORTH COAST RIVERS
CHETCO RIVER -- Low, cold and clear, and expected to be that way as long as it's freezing in the drainages upstream. The salmon are spawning and done spawning, and steelhead have been coming in for the past two weeks, according to WON Field Reporter Dave Pitts, and it's transition time from kings to steelies. January is prime time for big steelies in the teens to 20s, but the action begins now.
ROGUE RIVER -- A few winter steelhead showing up, and that will improve with runoff from melting snow when that occurs, and the summer steelhead are providing cold-weather fishing (slow and lethargic fish) in the middle and upper river.
RUSSIAN RIVER -- The mouth was manually opened up on Wednesday and now it's wide open, and few steelhead are beginning to poke in, according to Steve Jackson at Kings Sport and Tackle in Guerneville. About 100 fish came past the camera at Wholer Dam above Guerneville, and there was one 8-pound hatchery fish caught. It's still at 200 cfs and not driftable on Sunday, but when it melts and the river colors the steelies should show up big time -- fingers crossed.
SMITH RIVER -- King salmon fishing slowed as the river dropped, and fishing was almost at a standstill towards the end of the week. Snow is now on the ground, and the last of the kings are already in the river or possibly a few more to show, according to guide Phil Desautel of Phil's Smiling Salmon Guide Service, but anglers will be switching over to steelhead now.
TRINITY/KLAMATH RIVERS
KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath Glen -- The river is rising, but it was still fishable as of Sunday night. However, the situation might be entirely different toward the end of the week when the next storm arrives. It's supposed to be a lot stronger. The best odds for getting bit extend from from Blue Creek to Johnson's Riffle. Drifting roe and a Puffball has also gotten its share of steelhead.
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