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Sacramento River steelhead fishing report 12/8/16

This last week has progressively revealed a slow down on the Sacramento River steelhead fishing for me, but we are still catching some very good fish. Fishing hard all day has paid off by days end and we are coming in with 10-15 Steelhead hooked.  These steelhead, mostly wild, are absolute rockets when hooked on plugs and are not easy to get to the net.  We are still landing more than half of the fish we hook on most days and my clients are having a blast fighting them.

Jim Malner with his first Sac River steelhead of the day.

I am still having the best bite on back trolled plugs, but you can still entice a few fish with egg presentations and Dick Nite spoons.  Solid and metallic gold 3.0 Mag Lip plugs have continued to produce the most bites for me still.  Keeping the plugs free from floating grass continues to be a challenge.  I've been pulling out my plugs when I approach some of the known steelhead haunts and make sure they are clean and freshly scented before dropping them back into holding water.  You have to make every opportunity count this time of year so a proper presentation is key.

Ralph Camacho of Corona, Ca. with his first ever steelhead.

I'm still plugging a lot of shallow water and am finding the most steelhead to be laying in 3-4' of water.  I'm still running my plugs out 70' behind the boat and concentrating my efforts on shallow slots, tail outs and current seams.  I'm not finding steelhead in the deeper drop offs I'm used to fishing in the spring and summer.  Water temps are sitting at 52 deg's and flows from Keswick are sitting at around 4950 cfs.

Oscar with a Sac River steelhead below Sundial Bridge.

On a side note, I fished below Roosters yesterday and found water temps of 48 deg's making for a tough bite.  Fishing is very slow in the Barge Hole area for salmon, but there are a few rolling at the mouth of Battle Creek and in the Barge Hole.  We have more rain in the forecast and flows are supposed to be on the rise, possibly reaching 10,000 cfs above Bend Bridge.  The 2016 Sacramento River salmon season ends on the 17th so Friday the 16th is the last day to fish.  If the river drops into a fishable condition again before the 17th then it may likely be worth one last trip to the Barge Hole!

Chuck Steen holds a nice Sac River steelhead above Sundial Bridge in Redding, Ca.

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Whiskeytown Lake Kokanee spawn in huge numbers!

Gracie Goodwin with an 18" Whiskeytown Lake Kokanee salmon caught in 2016.

Whiskeytown Lake saw a banner year of Kokanee salmon fishing in 2016.  As early as May this year, every trip I made to Whiskeytown Lake resulted in full limits of Kokanee salmon.  The sheer numbers of adult size Kokanee was simply staggering and as the season wore on, it became clear that there were more Kokanee in the lake than we had seen in many years.   

Anglers from all over the state of California converged on Whiskeytown this last summer and it wasn't uncommon to see the Whiskey Creek boat launch facility filled to capacity, especially on the weekends.  Every size boat you can imagine was seen on the lake trolling for Kokanee nearly every day of the season which went well into October.  Local anglers took full advantage of the great Kokanee fishing and it really showed at the local sporting goods stores.  The largest retailer of Kokanee gear in Redding, Sportsmans Warehouse, was hard pressed to keep the Kokanee tackle displays stocked.  As soon as a shipment of new Kokanee tackle came in it was quickly depleted. 

The booming Kokanee fishery on Whiskeytown Lake was fueled by social media posts and outdoor online media as well.  Even the well known fishing organization, Kokanee Power, held its first annual Kokanee tournament on Whiskeytown and it was a huge success.  Participating anglers found easy limits of Kokanee and even weighted one in which exceeded the 16" inch mark early in the season.  It was such a big success, Kokanee Power is already planning its 2nd annual Kokanee tournament on Whiskeytown this next summer.

Whiskeytown Lake Kokanee spawning in Brandy Creek in November 2016.

The Kokanee season came to a close in October when the adult Kokanee found enough water in the Whiskeytown tributaries after the seasons first significant rains.  Clear Creek, Brandy Creek, and Whiskey Creek turned red with Kokanee. CDFW Biologist, Monty Currier explained that during their trips to monitor the Kokanee spawn, he observed more Kokanee spawning than he had seen in previous years.  Currier has helped manage this fishery for many years and was quite happy to see just how healthy this population of Kokanee had become.  

Although Whiskeytown Lake Kokanee populations are self sustaining, many lakes and reservoirs in California require programs to stock the Kokanee in order to make them available for the sport anglers.  Typically, Kokanee salmon are purchased from hatcheries in Washington State in order to supply California waters. Currier says that CDFW is working on a potential effort to utilize the healthy populations of Whiskeytown Lake Kokanee to harvest eggs from ripe female Kokanee and will ultimately use those eggs to generate a supply of Kokanee for sport catch right here in California.

Whiskeytown Lake is a shining example of what good management by CDFW can bring to a body of water and will undoubtedly continue to be one of the best lakes in California to fish for Kokanee for years to come.  Good fishing on Whiskeytown Lake in 2017 will likely begin in early summer.  I expect the Kokanee fishing to be off the hook again next year and I'll be running guided fishing trips when it does turn on.  Look for a special Kokanee salmon "how to" article when spring rolls around.  I'll lay out all the information on tackle and techniques to help you have successful days on the water when fishing Whiskeytown Lake for Kokanee salmon.

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Sacramento River steelhead fishing report

December has arrived here in the north state and I'm happy to report that we are still seeing fishable flows from Keswick Dam here in the Redding area.  Flows are currently at 5070 cfs with no reductions currently scheduled.  Of course that can change any day, but until that time comes, I will be enjoying an extended steelhead fishing season on the Sacramento River between Redding and Cottonwood. 

Brain Hales with a Sacramento River steelhead.

 

I have been finding most of my success when fishing for steelhead by back trolling Yakima Bait Co. Mag Lip plugs. I've been using the Yakima Bait Co. 2.5", 3.0", and 3.5" Mag Lip plugs and am definitely seeing the best bite on the 3.0's.  It's been a bit more difficult to find the steelhead in the traditional spots lately and I have noticed that when I do find some fish to bite, its been productive to stay on them, making a few passes over them before moving on to the next drift.  Working every slot and every section of the river you can is necessary right now to get the most bites.  I'm catching fish in 3' feet of water in some cases and thats not normally where I fish for them.  Because I'm fishing so shallow, I'm letting my plugs back behind the boat to up to 70' feet.

 

The aquatic grass has been a problem all year on the Sac, but its currently not as bad as it has been the past few weeks.  Its been helpful to have something at the top of your leader to catch grass, like an inline bead or a barrel swivel.  Your line will still load up fairly quickly, but keeping the grass off your Mag Lip plug is obviously very important to your success.  I've been using Pro-Cure scents on my plugs as well and its definitely making a difference.  I like the Pro-Cure gel scents, but I'm finding the new "Super Sauce" to be a superior scent for applying to my plugs.  I get the great benefit of the scent staying on the plug, but it also leaves a nice scent trail for the fish before the plug gets down into their space.

My collection of Yakima Bait Co. 3.0 Mag Lip plugs.

 

I've made my steelhead plug choice very clear, but choosing a color can be difficult with all of the choices Yakima Bait Co. has to offer.  The thing is, many colors will get bit but I'm finding that if you have some darker colored plugs and some metallic plugs, you are in business.  This summer and fall, the metallic pinks did very well for me but when the rains came, black and the metallic gold colors were the most productive.  Don't be afraid to try new colors when you can, you may just stumble on a new favorite!

 

I don't know how long this fishery will hold up for the power boat anglers in Redding, but when the flows do get cut back, you can still find great success back trolling Mag Lip plugs out of a drift boat.  I don't currently own a drift boat, but if I did, you can bet that I would be out there pulling plugs for steelhead on the Sacramento River near Redding all winter long!  

Pro-Cure Super Sauce I use for scenting my plugs when fishing them.

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