Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3812 May 24- June 7 2019 | Page 6

4
FRESHWATER
May 24 - June 7, 2019
VOL.38 • ISS. 12
FRESHWATER REPORTS
ALMANOR
Trout Dine on Bugs & Slam
Spoons!
CHESTER - “It feels like spring has
sprung here at Lake Almanor,” related
Captain Bryan Roccucci of Big Daddy’s
Guide Service. “The weather has been
fantastic, and all this nice weather has put
the spring bite into overdrive.”
“All three species of fish, rainbow trout,
brown trout and king salmon, continue
to make their presence known in a big
way. Savage strikes followed by some
drag screaming runs and a bunch of rod
bending torque come together to make
for quite a day of fishing and put some big
smiles on faces,” Roccucci exclaimed.
“So, we have nice weather, rising water
temps (now in the mid to high 50’s) and a
pretty good start to the aquatic bug hatch
season. The bugs make up an important
part of the food supply for the fish here
at Almanor, and when they start coming
off, you better believe the fish know it.
The bug hatches tend to concentrate
large numbers of fish which translates
into some pretty exciting fishing for us.
Recent trips have seen us hooking more
than 20 fish per outing. By the way, this is
just getting started and will keep on rolling
right on into summer,” Roccucci predicted.
“At this point we’ve been focused on
speed trolling spoons on light tackle
for our fish. We won’t slow down our
presentation until we have to,” Roccucci
concluded.
LAKE AMADOR
Target Trout in Carson Creek
Arm
IONE – The surface water temperature
at Lake Amador has risen to above 70
degrees, so there were no trout plants
over the past couple of weeks as a result.
Trout plants will resume when the water
temperature cools in the fall.
Trout fishing has tapered off with the
warmer weather, but anglers are still
bagging some quality rainbows and
Lightning trout. For example, Roy Beck
caught a 4.50 lb. rainbow on orange
PowerBait from shore, according to
Elizabeth Lockhart at the Lake Amador
Resort.
The trout have gone deeper and aren’t
as active. The Carson Arm is best spot to
target trout with PowerBait, nightcrawlers
and Rapalas, since Lake Pardee is
releasing cold water into the lake there.
Crappie are moving into structure,
where small minnows or jigs are
producing fish.
Largemouth bass are in all stages
of spawning with most in post-spawn
mode, so anglers are using an array of
techniques to entice the fish.
Catfish action is improving with the
warmer water conditions. Use mackerel,
anchovies, sardines, chicken liver and
other baits for the hefty channel cats.
The lake is only 4 feet from full.

- Dan Bacher
AMERICAN RIVER
Shad Appear at Discovery
Park
SACRAMENTO – The Bureau of
Reclamation raised releases from Folsom
Lake into the American River below
Nimbus Dam from 8,000 cfs to 9,000
cfs on May 6 – and then dropped the
flows back down to 8,000 cfs on May 10.
The reason for the change was “storage
management, then ramping back down
for public safety for the weekend.,”
said Peggy Manza, Reclamation
spokesperson.
These high releases are expected to
attract good numbers of shad into the
American River. The hot spot lately has
been at the mouth of the American at
Discovery Park, but expect the schools of
fish to move upriver shortly.
“Shore anglers are nailing shad at
Discovery Park,” said Dennis Pfanner
at Sacramento Pro Tackle. “Anglers are
doing best while throwing out darts and
shad jigs with chartreuse and pink tails on
a 30 inch leader, topped with a half-ounce
sliding sinker. They report catching maybe
15 to 20 fish apiece one day and then 2 or
3 the next.”
“The shad fishing on the American
has been slow, but that should change
soon,” said Alan Fong of the Fisherman
Warehouse. “I heard one report of four
anglers catching eight shad while fishing
the river at Sunrise.”
Boaters are just starting to hit the
Sacramento and lower American for shad
as the launch ramps open.

- Dan Bacher
BERRYESSA LAKE
The Kokanee Are Back
LAKE
AMADOR
Trout Planted Seasonally!
Lake Almanor
Now Booking
Lake Almanor
Eagle Lake
R
ainbows and
Lake Davis
Browns!
Bucks Lake
Captain Bryan Roccucci
Lake Tahoe
www.BigDaddyFishing.com
Call for Best Dates – [phone]
WINTERS – The
kokanee salmon
are back at Lake
Berryessa, though
not in big numbers,
according to a
report by Christy
Carpentier, who
made a trip with her
husband Mike to the
reservoir.
“After some
promising reports
we thought we
would give the big B a
try,” she reported.
“We were on the water
@ 8am. After a few
downrigger issues we
started our troll just
north of the dam. There Captain Bobby has been putting his clients of some very nice
we had a few bites, We Tahoe macks. These fish hit the box during an April 26 trip.
Photo courtesy of TAHOE SPORTFISHING, South Lake Tahoe.
lost one trout at the net
and caught a 11.5”
koke 34’ down on Gvf
Lures orange gold digger.
BULLARDS BAR/
“Around 11am we moved out to the
ENGLEBRIGHT
main lake and Mike immediately landed a
10” koke on a pink hoochie at 28’ that he
RESERVOIRS
released. We played tag with a few more
Trollers Bag Feisty Kokes
fish and ended our day with a nice 18”
DOBBINS – If you want to hook a
trout 5’ down on GvfLures gold digger and
limit of kokanee salmon, Bullards Bar
gold Kaos pattern dodger,” she said.
Reservoir remains a solid prospect for
“It may not sound like a great day of
trollers. However, it might take longer
fishing, but to be catching kokanee at all
to get your limit than it did earlier this
at Berryessa makes me happier than you
spring.
can imagine! Fingers crossed that this
“Bullards Bar is still producing limits
once incredible fishery may have a chance
of kokanee,” revealed Craig Newton at
at coming back,” she added.
Willfish Bait and Tackle, “but the fishing
Troy Barr of T-Roy’s Guide Service
is slower than it has been. Anglers are
reported kokanee success on an
getting the bigger fish at 50 to 60 feet
instructional trip to the lake the day before
deep. The smaller fish, running 9 to 11
the Carpentiers’ trip. Barr and Jeremy
wound up with 9 kokanee, one Eagle Lake inches long, are hitting at 35 feet deep.
The fish are showing at three main spots
strain rainbow, and a bonus 25-pound
– the dam, Willow Creek and the main
catfish while trolling from 15 to 27 feet
body.”
deep,
Anglers are trolling with spinners,
“We arrived to overcast windy weather,
spoons, hoochies and other lures, tipped
and we had to cover a lot of ground and
with white corn, behind dodgers. The
then the sun came out around 9:00 a.m.
kokanee limit at Bullards Bar is 10 fish.
and they started biting,” said Barr. “The
Bullards Bar is holding 917,302 acre
majority of fish came on RMT blades
feet of water, 95 percent of capacity and
in front of an Uncle Larry’s spinner, but
117 percent of average.
one hit a hoochie with Atlas Mike’s garlic
Englebright is holding 71,891 acre feet
scent. Herring & anise scent did the best.
of water, 103 percent of capacity and 107
That big cat gave our Phenix 8ft Reaper
percent of average.
kokanee rods a work out.”

- Dan Bacher
Continued on Pg 8
Salmon • Striper • Trout • Kokanee
FISHING
DERBY!
June 8 & 9, 2019
7500 Lake Amador Dr., Ione, CA 95640 40800 Highway 88, Pioneer, CA 95666
www.bearrivercampground.com
3811
• Cafe • RV Park • Waterslide
• Campground • Disc Golf
• General Store
Cafe Open Seasonally On
Friday, Saturday & Sundays
209-274 -4739
WWW.LAKEAMADOR.COM
$1000 in Prize Money
Must pre-register • Call for details!
[phone]
• Stripers
• Oroville
Kings
• Stampede
Kokanee
[phone] • [phone]
www.fishbarebones.com
3807