Up-To-Date and Published Locally ... By Sportsmen ... For Sportsmen !
Rucker & Fuller Lakes Map Feature
MADE IN U . S . A
See Page 12
39 Years Serving Sportsmen
Vol . 40 - ISS . 18
Our 39th Year
Since 1982
“ The Magazine for West Coast Sportsmen !” INSIDE
Area Reports
A Fly-In Destination Right in Your Backyard
TIf you enjoy catching big rockfish and lingcod stop reading this article right now and give California Dawn a call . They can be reached at 510-417-5557 . I have been watching the fishing reports from the California Dawn on Facebook and the pictures of huge lingcod really caught my attention . What is so amazing about is that there is not just one or two lingcod . In fact , there is not just ten or fifteen lingcod . There is boat limits of huge lingcod . I had a free day in my schedule so I called the number that I mentioned above and booked a trip ! It was scheduled for only a few days from the date that I called so I spent the next few days preparing for the trip . I was able to talk to Captain James Smith and he told me that the best baits to bring was a big profile swimbait . One that measured in the 8 inch or 9 inch range in an assortment of colors but a dark colored one and a white one would be best . He also mentioned that I should be prepared with 8-12oz lead heads depending on how fast the current was moving and wind was blowing . I wanted to have the right gear so I headed over to the Fisherman ’ s Warehouse and asked Troy Maggy , one of
F all has arrived , it ’ s time to dust off those rods , oil up those reels , retie leaders , and sharpen hooks . After a brief summer vacation in the salt of the ocean and bay , Northern California top sport fish , the striped bass , is back in the Delta . As a full time guide in these waters , I always look forward to this time of the year . Yes , the king salmon fishing out of Bodega Bay and San Francisco
WHAT ’ S HOT by Ernie Marlan their managers , on what rod I should use for this type of fishing . I tend to fish rods that are on the light side and I know that Troy would steer me in the right direction . We looked at several different rods and several different brands but I ended up with a 8 foot United Composites rod with a line rating of 10-25lb . I teamed up this new rod with a Diawa Saltiga 20 spooled up with 50lb braid and a
Delta Trolling Techniques For Fall Stripers
has been awesome , albacore are within 25 miles of Fort Bragg , sturgeon are beginning to stack off Pittsburg , but now my stripers have come back home . Let ’ s go get ‘ em ! I ’ m going to give you an inside look at how I approach a day chasing stripers , trolling in the Delta . This is not the only way ... it ’ s my
This group of anglers had a successful day trolling on the delta with David Hammond .
Photo Courtesy of Delta Pro Fishing
Captain James gets in on the wide-open lingcod action . He was using a large swimbait when he hooked up with this monster ling !
Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan
GONE FISHING by Dave Hammond
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way , with the knowledge I ’ ve gained from over 30 years of fishing these waters . There are many variables when fishing the Delta such as tides , weather , water conditions , locations , and techniques . Remember , you can go to all the seminars and read all the articles you want , when it comes down to it , nothing replaces TIME ON THE WATER . So get out there , either with a guide or on your own , and put some time in . The fall is a great time to utilize the technique of trolling . The nasty Delta winds of the summer begin to fade allowing easier travel and greater range . On some days , I might log over 100 miles running tides and locating fish ! The water temperature is well above the 56 degree cutoff point for trolling , usually starting in the 70 ’ s and slowly dropping through the 60 ’ s as fall matures , making the stripers very aggressive . Also , during this season water clarity is great , allowing debris-free lure presentation while giving the
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October 1 , 2021
FRESHWATER REPORTS American River - Amador / Pardee / Camanche ........ 8 Collins Lake - Don Pedro Lake ........................... 10
Eagle Lake - Bullards Bar / Englebright Lakes .......... 11 Lake Berryessa - Klamath / Trinity Rivers .............. 15 Folsom Lake - New Melones Lake ...................... 17 Lake Oroville / Thermalito Afterbay - Redding / Red Bluff . 18 Rio Vista ............................................................... 19 Rio Vista - Kids Catfish and Striper Derby ........... 20
SALTWATER REPORTS Bodega Bay - Fisherman ’ s Wharf / Berkeley ............ 24 Half Moon Bay - Monterey Bay .......................... 25-26
FEATURES
Where ... When ... How ...
GO FOR IT : Staff ........................................................ 4 MAP FEATURE : Dan Bacher ................................ 12-13 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION : Dan Bacher ....... 23
STAFF TACKLE
What We ’ re Using
Ernie Marlan - fished with the California Dawn for rockfish and lingcod . He used a United Composite 8 ’ 15-25lb rod teamed up with Diawa Saltiga 20 spooled with 50lb Power Pro braid and a 25lb GAMMA fluorocarbon leader . The swimbait of choice was a Madame Lure with a 8 oz lead head .
Paul Kneeland - fished Lake Englebright with Bridget Looney , John Brassfield and Helen Rowell in the Fish Sniffer 21 ’ Rogue Jet Coastal . They caught rainbow trout to 14 inches , using a Lamiglas Fish Sniffer special 7 1 \ 2 foot ultralight graphite rod with a Daiwa Lexa 100 low profile line counter reel loaded with 6lb test Yozuri Hybrid line . They trolled watermelon Vance ’ s dodgers followed by a mini crawler on a Mustad Slow Death hook off the Canon Downriggers at 30 feet deep and 1.8 mph .
Dan Bacher - Fished for rainbow trout at Alpine Lake . He used a Berkley Ugly Stick GX2 6 ’ 6 ” medium action spinning rod , teamed up with a Shakespeare GX235 spinning reel filled with 6 lb . test P-Line CX Premium Fluorocarbon Coated Line . He fished with rainbow Berkley PowerBait , nightcrawlers and 1 / 8 oz . gold and black Panther Martins .