Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3803 Jan 17- Feb 1 2019

Up-To-Date and Published Locally... By Sportsmen... For Sportsmen! American River Map Feature MADE IN U.S.A See Page 14 Vol. 38 - ISS.3 Our 37th Year Since 1982 Jan 17 - Feb 1, 2019 “The Magazine for West Coast Sportsmen!” Top Late Winter & Spring Trout Destinations for Golden State A s I sit here at my desk looking out the window, thinking about trout fishing the midday sky is dark and grey. The few battered and torn oak leaves that cling to the trees flap and flop damp and lifelessly as they are battered by slashes of wind and sheets of rain. Certainly it is a better day to be writing about trout fishing than actually doing it! While the rain is keeping me confined to my office at this moment, rainy days are a cause for celebration here in California where drought is always a concern and winter rain translates to great spring and summer trout fishing. With so many fine trout fisheries dotting the state, trout anglers have a huge menu of potential trout fishing destinations to choose from when winter gives way to spring Speaking for myself, the list of trout lakes I MIGHT visit this spring is pretty long, but there are definitely some MUST visit lakes on the list too where I know the GONE FISHING by Cal Kellogg I is now; quit procrastinating! This world class Cutthroat Trout fishery simply can’t be beat. It offers something for all anglers. If you like trolling deep water with downriggers you will find plenty of that here. If you like casting jigs and working the bottom like bass fishing, then that works here too. If you are a fly fisherman, then chucking heavy shooting heads on an 8 weight is on tap, or you can fish nymphs on a dry line. Vertical jigging from a boat with high-tech sonar early or late in the season also can be very good. This technique caters to the video game playing element of the angling community. The real draw of course is the huge Lahontan Cutthroat Trout that have made the lake famous. In How big to Pyramid Lake’s cutthroat trout grow? Fish over 20 lbs are landed every year. Here we see recent years the fishing has gotten Brad holding up a huge 23.8 lb Pyramid cut. exponentially better. Ten years ago it Area Reports Where...When...How... Lake Shasta is known for producing big numbers of quality rainbows, but the reservoir is also home to some jumbo browns. This big brown was caught during a late December trolling trip with Jeff Goodwin. The trout slammed a minnow plug from Bat Ray Lures. Photo courtesy of JEFF GOODWIN’S GUIDE SERVICE, Redding. is more of a numbers game rather than a trophy hunt. While you can catch rainbows at Shasta during any month of the year, the hottest part of the summer is actually CONTINUED ON PG 23 was a big deal to catch a ten plus pound cutthroat. In 2019, it’s not improbable to catch multiple ten pounders in a day. Plus, every time you put a lure in the water there’s a real shot at a 20-25 pound trout. Did you hear what I just said? Where else can you legiti- mately expect to catch fish over 15 pounds every time you go out? Pyramid Lake is no secret. On a beautiful bluebird 75 degree October day, you can expect hundreds of other anglers to be plying the lake. However, Pyramid Lake is huge, and it can easily absorb the pressure. If it’s solitude you seek, there is always going to be a section of desolate beach to stand on a ladder and chuck a spoon, cast a jig or a fly from. In a big sea worthy boat, running across the lake to the east shore can usually isolate you from other WHAT’S HOT by Mike McNeilly Photo by MIKE MCNIELLY, Fish Sniffer Staff. INSIDE FEATURES Pyramid Lake: Giant Trout Close to Home f you live in Western Nevada and you are a fisherman, and you don’t fish Pyramid Lake, you are a fool. If you live in Northern California and you have been delaying your inaugural trip, the time Baja Roundup ISE Section Pgs 22-24 FRESHWATER REPORTS Lake Amador - Lake Berryessa..............................4 Bullard’s Bar - Clear Lake.........................................7 Collins Lake - Don Pedro .......................................8 East Delta - Los Vaqueros Reservoir............. 12-13 New Melones Lake - Oroville Lake...................... 16 Quarry/Shadow Clifffs Lakes - Santa Clara Valley/San Luis Lakes......... 18-19 Shasta Lake - West Delta .................................. 21 SALTWATER REPORTS Berkeley - Bodega Bay.........................................25 Half Moon Bay - Monterey Bay.............................26 action will be outstanding. Let’s take a look at a handful of those. Lake Shasta: The State’s Premier Rainbow Reservoir That’s a pretty bold statement, but it’s absolutely true. Lake Shasta is truly a magnificent fishery. It sets a high standard against which all other California Lakes are measured. The lake is enormous in size, impounding water from the Sacramento, McCloud and Pit Rivers. The waters of the lake support a massive forage base in the forum of threadfin shad. The biomass of rainbow trout that reside in the lake, both in the form of planted and naturally spawned fish is staggering. The average rainbow caught at Shasta ranges anywhere from 12 to 16 inches. Fish ranging up to 20 inches and 3 plus pounds are pretty common, but rainbows larger than that are a rare commodity. This means that fishing for rainbows at Shasta 37 Years Serving Sportsmen CONTINUED ON PG 16 Jerry Brown Claims Delta Tunnels ‘Will Be Built’ In Exit Interview See Page 22 INTL SPORTSMAN’S EXPO SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION............. ISE 1-28 BAJA ROUNDUP........................................ ISE 22-24 BASS FISHING SPOTLIGHT: Mark Fong.............. 17 BULLETIN BOARD................................................... 3 FISH SNIFFER COUNTRY: Mark Fong ................. 24 GO FOR IT: Staff....................................................... 6 HOW-TO: Cal Kellogg.............................................. 9 KAYAK FISHING SPOTLIGHT: Kevin Hofer.............. 5 MAP FEATURE: Dan Bacher.............................14-15 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION: Dan Bacher..... 22 STAFF TACKLE What We’re Using Cal Kellogg - trolled Sugar Pine Reservoir for trout with James Pratt. The duo trolled from their Hobie Pro Angler Mirage Drive powered kayaks. Cal utilized several 7.5 foot Vance’s Tackle spiral wrapped E Glass trolling rods. The rods were matched with Abu Garcia 5500 Line Counter reels spooled with 10 lb moss green Trilene Big Game line. Despite the 43 degree water, Cal got several strikes and landed one feisty rainbow on an orange Mack’s Lure Hum Dinger in the 1/8 ounce size. Paul Kneeland - fished Lake Berryessa with Mark Looney of Auburn in The Fish Sniffer Rogue Jet 21 Coastal. They caught rainbow trout to 18 inches using a Lamiglas Fish Sniffer Special 7’ 6” light action graphite rod with a Daiwa Lexa 100 Line Counter reel loaded with 8 lb test Yozuri Top Knot fluorocarbon line. They trolled red dot frog and red racer Speedy Shiners from the surface to 25 feet deep off the Cannon downriggers at 2.5 mph. Dan Bacher - fished for steelhead on the American River at Sailor Bar.. He used a Berkley Ugly Stick GX2 6’ 6” medium action spinning rod, teamed up with a Shakespeare GX235 spinning reel filled with 8 lb. test P-Line CX Premium Flourocarbon Coated Line. He tossed out 2/5 oz. gold/red and silver/blue Little Cleos.

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