Fish Report
MyOutdoorBuddy.com MAY0908
By Frank Galusha, EasyWriter (c) 2008

F&GC ALLOWS LIMITED LATE FALL RUN SEASON ON SAC

NO SALMON FISHING ON OTHER CENTRAL VALLEY RIVERS ALLOWED

ECONOMIC IMPACT: $255 MILLION AND 2263 JOBS

Sacramento -- Salmon anglers will be able to take one late fall run Chinook salmon per day of any size this year from November 1st to December 31st between Knights Landing near Woodland and the Red Bluff Diversion Dam on the Sacramento.

All other rivers in the Central Valley will be closed completely throughout the coming season for all salmon runs, including the Feather, American, Yuba, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Napa, Merced, Mokelumne, Bear River, Dry Creek, Coon Creek and Auburn Ravine Creek.

That was the decision announced at noon Friday in a conference call in which media representatives, including this reporter, were allowed to participate. The call was initiated from Monterrey by top officials from the DFG and the F&GC who had been meeting there for two days to discuss this and other issues.

It was a very hard decision to make according to new DFG director Donald Koch but one that was absolutely necessary. The decision is unprecedented as far as the Central Valley is concerned. The Commission stressed repeatedly the decision to allow some limited salmon fishing applied only to Late Fall Run Chinook, not any other runs on the Sacramento. In past years, fishing for the fall and late fall run was allowed to continue until mid-January and was allowed as far north as Redding.

The officials who took questions were Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Director Donald Koch, DFG Chief Deputy Director John McCamman, Fish and Game Commission President Richard B. Rogers, Fish and Game Commissioner Michael Sutton, DFG Fisheries Branch Chief Neil Manji and DFG Marine Regional Manager Marija Vojkovich.

The only other California Rivers fishable for fall run Chinook salmon will be the Klamath and Trinity Rivers, and according to Manji all indications are for a full fishing season. While the bag and possession limit on that system will not be announced until the F&GC meets again on June 26th and 27th, Manji said that Klamath River System will have a quota in excess of 20,000 fish. He added, "The Department and the Pacific Fisheries Marine Council (PFMC) feel that Klamath/Trinity fishery will be very good this year." One bag option on the table is for two adults and one juvenile per day and up to six adults and three juveniles in possession but the commissioners would not say during the conference call if they were leaning toward that option.

Putting the decision into perspective, Commissioner Sutton told reporters, "Our primary responsibility is to be good stewards of California's wildlife, however, where we can we are also supposed to create and maximize hunting and fishing opportunities wherever that is consistent with our responsibilities. That's what we have done. We decided that we could allow a very limited amount of angling on a very restricted section of the Sacramento as we agreed with the Department's (DFG's) assessment that doing so would have zero impact on the escapement of fall run Chinook." (Escapement is the number of natural and hatchery-spawned fish that escape all predators, including man, and return to their place of birth.)

The move came as a small but pleasant surprise to many anglers, guides and tackle shops as the Sacramento River Fall Run has been a disaster that truly threatens their livelihood. Commercial fishing for ocean salmon fishing off much of U.S. west coast is largely closed as a result. The Federal Government has declared that fishery area a disaster and is preparing a disaster relief package.

McCamman estimated that the economical impact of recent decisions on both in-river and ocean commercial and recreational fisheries is $255 million and represents a probably loss of 2263 jobs. The entire west coast ocean-fishing economic impact including California, Oregon and Washington is expected to be about $290 million.

When the ban on the other rivers takes effect depends on how fast the decision can be worked through the process, including the Office of Administrative Law. Manji told me during a later afternoon conversation that the Commissioners are shooting for the 1st of July.

Director Koch indicated enforcement of the limited fishing on the Sac and the ban on the other waters would be vigorous. "The DFG will use all resources available, including aircraft, and we will redirect our resources as necessary."

McCamman estimated that redirected resources for the rest of the year would amount to $1.7 million dollars. Earlier, the DFG expected that 38 warden positions would be eliminated, according to McCamman, but this spring Governor Schwarzenegger asked the legislature to restore the funds for those positions by taking money from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. Still, this means there will be same number of wardens as last year to handle a much bigger task.

Commission President Rogers said, "The Commission feels the DFG is short of enforcement officers by a factor of four." Commissioner Sutton added, "The warden situation, like the salmon situation is a disaster. There are more game wardens in Maryland than in California and California is at least 10 times bigger than Maryland. This doesn't make any sense and we've got to fix it."

I asked the Commissioners if they believed that ocean conditions were the primary cause of the Central Valley Collapse since most other conditions such as dams, unscreened pumps, water diversions and predators were in the system in 2002 when we had a record return of over 800,000 fall run fish.

McCamman replied that the DFG, the Commission and the PFMC had identified at least 46 potential causes, and the list was continuing to expand, however, it was generally agreed that the ocean conditions identified by NOAA in mid-March were undoubtedly a major if not primary cause.

Commission President Rogers, added, "You are correct, NOAA studies suggest that poor ocean conditions were prevalent during the past few years, but other causes have also played an important role. What we don't know is the degree of the impact of the other factors, so if someone is saying, perhaps with an axe to grind, that one particular factor, other than what NOAA is saying, is the primary cause, I personally would encourage you to evaluate who is speaking and to ask what is their possible spin."

The Commissions said they were unaware of any new NOAA statements predicting more favorable conditions in the ocean for this year; however, a NOAA spokesman in Oregon told me in mid-march that conditions were looking more favorable.

Lisa Manies, who with husband and guide Gary Manies, operate Strictly Fishin' Tackle Shop and Guide Service in Redding (530) 241-4665 told me that only a handful of north state representatives were in attendance during the Commissioner's meeting in Monterrey. "One of those present was Local Guide Dave Jacobs," she said, "and he expressed great disappointment in the lack of turnout." Manies also said that Jacobs felt the late fall run season might be extended if enough guides and anglers made themselves heard. However, a late call to Manji probably makes that a moot point.

Manji explained that the late fall run was not extended to January 14 for three reasons: 1) it has been closed December 31st in the past to protect the winter run fish, 2) extending the open area to Deschutes Road might find some fall run fish to still be present as that's where the best spawning grounds are, and 3) attempting to extend the season to January 14 from Knights Landing up to Red Bluff might also mean making adjustments to the seasons further down river making the regulations even more complex. Manji explained that 90 percent of the Sacramento main stem spawning grounds are above Red Bluff, which made the November 1st to December 31st option from Knights Landing to Red Bluff the most attractive to the Commissioners.

Regarding lack of participation in the process, I felt the same frustration during the conference call. Only half a dozen reporters responded to the Commission's invitation to participate or at least only that many bothered to ask any questions.

WHAT ABOUT FISHING? IT'S LIKE A BOBBER - UP AND DOWN

North State -- The best fishing holes now are Trinity Lake for smallmouth bass, the Sacramento 30 miles below Colusa for stripers or between Redding and Anderson for trout. The best topwater bite for bass appears to be at Lake Berryessa and you can also catch all the trout you want there.

Next best bets would be Lakes Siskiyou or Lewiston for trout. Lake Britton could be a sleeper for smallmouth bass or crappies. Hat Creek has slowed a bit but good anglers can still catch a limit easily. Jim Cimiglia at Rim Rock Ranch Resort reported anglers are catching as many brooder fish but planting is continuing to there are many fish in the 10-14 inch class. If you want big trout try the South Fork of the American River.

Weaverville -- "Trinity Lake has been great for small mouths for two weeks," said Steve Gildesgard at Dragonfly Outfitters in Weaverville. For confirmation, see Pat Patterson's report below. Gary Manies of Strictly Fishing in Redding is still working the Sac but way south of Colusa for daily limits of stripers.

Chester -- Lake Almanor is starting to produce a few smallmouth bass around the stump areas according to Kathy Blake at The Sports Nut here. Some trollers are taking good sized trout on the east shore using #9 Gold-Fluorescent Rapalas down 5-10 feet. She suggested trying Tasmanian Devils in chartreuse red dot pattern. A few fish are also being caught at Butt Lake.

Trinity River -- Forget about fishing the Trinity River. The water flow is over 6,000 cfs and at the point where fishing is dangerous and a waste of time. There were some spring-run salmon in the river before the flows went up according to Gildesgard and E.B. Duggan, "D" Fishing Guide of Willow Creek but getting at the fish now will be tough for another 30 days.

Gildesgard and Duggan are expecting to see banner seasons on the Trinity starting about June 6 all the way through December and perhaps beyond.

Duggan, by the way, is working very hard to get the Fish and Game Commission to grant anglers a generous bag and possession limit for the coming fall-run Chinook salmon season. Duggan is stumping for two adults and one juvenile salmon in the bag per day and six adults and three juveniles in possession. The F&GC may have decided this on May 8 so check MyOutdoorBuddy.com after that for their decision. Let's hope they decide to be generous. The Klamath/Trinity System is the only place we'll be able to fish for King salmon this year in California. Even with a more liberal bag limit the actual harvest is likely to be way below the allotment of 22,500 fish. The window of opportunity will be just too short or the anglers won't be there when it occurs.

West Sacramento Valley -- You can also ignore Black Butte, Stony Gorge and East Park Reservoirs below and west of Orland. The snowpack in the Mendocino's is keeping the water abnormally cold so the bass and crappies are still sleepy. I usually start fishing these lakes for crappies by April 1st and often in March but Dick Cardoza, camp host at Black Butte fished hard there for the last two days and could only manage to catch one catfish. The first lake to turn may be East Park as it is shallower.

Siskiyou County -- At the north end of the state you can write off Lake Shastina. It was a soupy green mess last week. McCloud Reservoir is a good bet if you troll a worm slowly behind a dodger.

"Clear Lake is starting to improve," Bob Rider of Lakeshore Bait and Tackle said. "It only takes a few days of warmer temps to turn this lake on because it isn't so deep."

LAKE BERRYESSA TOPWATER BITE COMES VERY LATE

Lake Berryessa - Sid Silberberg, The Best Guide here got to the lake late Friday afternoon and set off to his favorite cove for the late bite.

"I threw my chugger at least fifty times until I got my first top-water fish and then for about an hour (from 8 to 9 p.m.) every cast was action. The following day I went out with my wife and we used plastics only for the bass. We caught a few and lost a few. The bite was tough because the bass are on their nests and did not have any interest in feeding but only in protecting the nests and teased us by moving the lines before we could set the hook. I went out later in the evening with my friend Albert and we had better luck. Once again I was looking for that evening top-water bite but nothing happened until around 8:30 PM. I was throwing a chugger and Albert was throwing a Zara Spook and we just kept hitting fish. We landed a limit in no time. Fish were jumping all around us but not all were bass. During the daylight Albert threw Cast Masters at the boiling fish and they turned out to be trout. Hooking them was no problem for Albert but he had a hard time landing them. It turned out to be a great night Sunday I went out for a couple of hours on my own. The wind had picked up and I decided to troll most of the morning. I used a crank bait that only went down about two feet and hooked up around nineteen trout. The water temperature ranged from 65 to 67.5 degrees. If next weekend is warmer, I look forward to a great fishing weekend.

Albert caught this eight pound catfish last weekend at Lake Berryessa. Photo courtesy of Sid Silberberg. Give Silberberg at call at 650-583-3333 if you want some help fishing this lake.

Lake Shasta -- When I said bass fishing was about as good as it gets at Lake Shasta last week I was right. Three days later things had changed. And three days after that it was back up again "As good as it gets" is also a matter of opinion. I have a good time when I get lots of bites and catch lots of fish regardless of their size.

On Wednesday the 30th, my partner and I landed 30 to 40 spots, mostly small fish. But the action was pretty good. We got bites every third or fourth cast. We were also fighting a stiff breeze, one that changed directions and speed every few casts, so there was no time to complain. If I wasn't setting the hook I was busy fiddling with the foot pedal or my fishing-pole-mounted Minn Kota Wireless Co-pilot trolling motor control. I can't chew gum and walk at the same time. Since those two controls can be active simultaneously, I quickly surpassed my level of incompetence.

Minn Kota wireless transmitters allow the angler to control the trolling motor with a finger. The transmitter can be switched from pole to pole or worn on the wrist, too.

By Saturday May 3, the bite was very slow even though the bass were moving up on the spawning beds. About 20 boats were entered in the Nail Benders Bass Tourney sponsored by Shasta College but a number of contestants were unable to bring in a total of five eligible fish for the weigh-in. And the winners had no trouble hoisting their stringer. Their five fish weighed 8 pounds, seven ounces. That's about what our stringer would have weighed had we kept our five largest fish a few days before.

Fishing was still very slow as of Wednesday for bass as well as trout and salmon according to various reports around the lake. On a salmon-mooching trip to the dam area on May 5, Roger Briggs and Dave Blake of Shingletown were able to take only three fish; however, one of Blake's was a football-sized five pounder. A day later, Blake and son-in-law Rich Halcomb went back for bass but were only able to land 15 bass total and only three of them were keepers. Larry Elliott of the Hidden Valley Market on the Jones Arm did say that some trout were being taken way up in the arms. That makes sense. The surface temperatures may appear to be warming up but the water coming into the Sacramento, McCloud, Squaw and Pit arms is cold. Cold water sinks so trolling down 10 to 20 feet might do the trick.

A day later, however, two anglers in the Squaw Creek arm reported the bass bite was back up to the prior week's levels with 40 to 50 bass brought to the net including three 3-pound spots. All the fish were found a bit deeper, however, from 15 to 30 feet despite the fact that's where the water is colder. Perhaps the fish are spawning deeper due to the steady drop in the lake's level.

I think I get bit more on Lake Shasta this time of year because I use small, Gary Yamamoto lime-green grubs (see above photo) but as I've said many times before, I rarely catch big spotted bass in Lake Shasta. To do that, you've got to be willing to fish bigger lures, fish early or late in the day, and be more patient. My small green grubs tend to attract just the eager but smaller fish that are trying to spawn.

No matter, action makes my day. If the pole tip wiggles, if I feel something unusual on the retrieve, if the bobber moves off or makes a few circles on the top of the water I'm a happy guy. I've been that way since 1944 when I played hooky, borrowed a neighbor's fly rod and waded into a small lake within the San Bernardino city limits on opening day. I ended up catching nothing but trouble. When wading out into lake I fell into a deep hole and lost my pole. A much bigger kid pulled me out and rescued by borrowed rig. The next day at class my teacher asked, "Frank, why weren't you in school yesterday?"

"I went fishing," I said. "You did what?" she replied. "Don't you know you can't play hooky?" "Well," I said, with tears welling up in my eyes, "It was opening day and my daddy is in the Army. He's been gone for three years but if he had been here he would have taken me fishing." "Oh never mind," said Ms. Monniger with a handkerchief at her eyes, "just don't do it again."

Gold Beach, OR - Fishing on the Rogue River last week was terribly slow for steelhead and salmon for Greg and DeAnna Collis of Kensington. The pair fished hard for three out of five days. Mrs. Collis managed to land only one wild spring salmon. The fish weighed an estimated 20 pounds and was released once it was identified with the quick assistance of a sheriff. The deputy was monitoring all the anglers and pulled up alongside the Collis' Boulton Jet Boat once he saw they were hooked up. The Collis'saw only three other fish caught, one half pound steelhead and two other springers.

PAT PATTERSON'S REPORT

By GG "Pat" Patterson

Riverton -- John Bieth of Rodeo fished the South Fork of the American River last weekend. The River was up due to runoff but fishable using a large split shot above a night crawler 18 to 24 inches. Beith and his son Cody caught their limits of rainbow trout. Dad made the catch of the day landing a 27 inch, 6.8 pound rainbow.

"The fish was very slender, however it fought like a fresh run native steelhead," Beith said. Tuesday Beith made the trip to Tiger Creek Afterbay and repeated the performance, limiting again including a 24-inch, 4 pound rainbow. Watch for the photo next week!

Weaverville -- Vance Cooke of the local Longs (530) 623-4866 said the Trinity River was blown out at 6000 cfs as did Vincent Holson of Fish Central (530) 598-5116. the fishing continues to improve on both the lakes, Trinity, and Lewiston. Lewiston is particularly good early in the morning on the north end of the lake.

Arcata -- Aaron Pierce of Longs in Arcata told me that the red tail perch fishing has really slowed down. Fishing the ocean has been pretty rough the last few days according to Aaron. The bass fishing in Fresh Water Lagoon is a different story. "That fishing has been very good for bass in the 2 to 3 pound class," Aaron said; give him a call at (707) 822-2414.

Bridgeport -- Scott Freeman at Ken's Sporting Goods (760) 932-7707 reported the fishing in the East Walker River has been good and getting better. Fishermen tossing Rapalas in the lake have caught browns in the 5 pound range, but no real big fish have been reported other than that.

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