Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3615 July 7-21 2017 | Page 16

FRESHWATER

16 July 7 - 21 , 2017 VOL . 36 • ISS . 15

Larry Aaker caught and released this beautiful northern strain largemouth bass while fishing at Scotts Flat Reservoir this June . Photo courtesy of NELSON MONEY , Sacramento .

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

LAKE PARDEE

Anglers Lay Into Rainbows , Kokanee Bite Is Slow

IONE – Lake Pardee is still spilling and the water temperatures remain in the sixties from the cold water rushing down the Mokelumne River into the reservoir . Kokanee fishing remains fair , but there are quality land-locked salmon to be had by dedicated trollers .

Over 65,000 pounds of rainbow trout have been released into the lake since the lake ’ s opening in February , and there are plans for monthly plants within the coming months .

Alan Fong , manager of the Fishermen ’ s Warehouse in Sacramento , said , “ I was on the lake in the middle of the week , and we had trouble landing the kokanee since my partner had a short net on his boat . We hooked 16 kokanee but only landed 4 as they ‘ went crazy ’ went they got to the boat . These fish were just ripping line when they were hooked , and without a long net , it was nearly impossible to get them to the boat .”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

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“ We were fishing at depths from 18 to 22 feet with my custom AFS Apex-type lures or microhoochies , and the fish we did bring to the net were large at 17 inches . The south end of the lake has been the best location with slow action in the river arm . We marked fish at 40 to 50 feet in the river arm , but we couldn ’ t get them to go . They will start moving up into the river arm in small groupings . We also landed some rainbow trout , and they are all healthy without any copepods , and the meat is solid and thick ,” said Fong .

Caitlin McCloskey of Pardee Lake Recreation confirmed , “ The kokanee bite has been on and off as the fish have good deeper with the hot

- Dave Hurley

PYRAMID LAKE

Trout Season Is Over

RENO - The trout season at Pyramid Lake ended on June 30 and will reopen on October 1 .

Before the closure , few anglers were targeting Lahontan cutthroat trout in the hot weather .

Nancy at Crosby ’ s Lodge said , “ The only guys going out there are a couple of old guys . They are catching fish topining , but they aren ’ t getting anything big .”

- Mike McNeilly

REDDING

Anglers Average 30 Wild Rainbows Per Trip

REDDING - The weather is hot in the Redding area and so is the trout action on the Sacramento River . The river ’ s wild rainbows are feeding heavily and anglers are catching them using a variety of different methods .

“ I was out on the river yesterday and we did pretty well ,” reported Robert Weese of Northern California

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HOW TO By Cal Kellogg continued from page 11

without the interference of attached weight .

Simple portable crank operated downriggers are highly effective and won ’ t put a big dent in your allowance . For the utmost in speed and convenience electric downriggers are available . If money is not a big consideration these units are well worth the added investment .

These days downriggers are so affordable and accessible I ’ m not going to discuss the tackle used for fishing with leadcore line . Instead let ’ s take a look at the ideal rod and reel combination for downrigger fishing . My philosophy is to use the lightest tackle possible in order to get the maximum enjoyment while fighting the fish .

For most freshwater and saltwater fishing , I recommend using a fast action rod , but for kokanee the most effective and efficient rod will feature a soft slow parabolic action . Kokanee are savage little sluggers that have an exceedingly soft mouth . A soft action rod helps to cushion the fight and results in fewer lost fish .

The rod should be teamed with a high speed level wind reel capable of holding at least 150 yards of 10 pound test monofilament . A smooth drag is critical to success . Kokanee have a nasty habit of making a final slashing run right behind the boat . If your drag sticks in this situation you can kiss your kokanee dinner goodbye .

Some anglers use line as light as 4 pound test while others use line as heavy as 12 pound test . Kokanee are not line shy , so what line weight you use isn ’ t a really big issue . I prefer 8 or 10 pound believing these weights are a good compromise between strength and fine diameter .

Okay you ’ ve got a boat equipped with all the proper toys and a nice light action

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downrigger rod . What about lures ? This is where kokanee fishing really gets fun . Kokanee are aggressive , but they are also fickle . They will readily strike small spoons , spinners , flies and hooks adorned with brightly painted resin known as “ bugs ”. A few kokanee anglers make use of flasher blades in certain situations . On the other hand , virtually all kokanee anglers rely heavily on 3 to 6 inch dodgers to both add action to their lures and to attract ‘ kokes into the spread with the vibrations they emit .

When using lures such as flies and bugs that have no built in action , you want your lures riding within 14 inches of the dodger such that they derive action from it . Lures such as spinners and spoons that have their own action can either be rigged close to the dodger or as far away as 48 inches .

The distance to rig lures that have built in action behind a dodger represents a controversial issue within kokanee fishing circles . I like to put them from 24 to 36 inches back , but the best approach is to answer the question yourself through experimentation .

The folks at Mack ’ s Lure have some very interesting kokanee offerings that should be highlighted in any discussion of kokanee gear . Most of us are familiar with Mack ’ s line up of traditional Wedding Ring Spinners and the updated Wedding Ring equipped with a “ Smile ” blade .

The Wedding Ring is a well known kokanee killer , so there ’ s little to be said beyond that your kokanee fishing arsenal should feature multiple Wedding Rings in various colors .

Truth be told , I believe that flashers are just as effective , perhaps more effective than dodgers when it comes to tempting sockeyes , yet many

3612 anglers refuse to use them because of all the drag a conventional set of blades produces .

If the weight and drag of old school flashers turns you off , give Mack ’ s Flash Light or Hot Wings flashers a try . These rigs utilize a Mylar like blade material and offer 80 % to 90 % less drag than traditional metal blade flashers . If you ’ re committed to going light , Mack ’ s flasher systems are must have gear .

The final item in the Mack ’ s line that I ’ ve used with great success is their 4.4 inch Double D Dodgers . These dodgers offer action similar to that of a traditional herring style dodger , but multiple attachment point all you to walk the dodgers away from the boat , thus spreading your lines , cutting down on tangles while helping you to cover more water with a wider trolling spread .

While I ’ ve yet to run any of their gear personally , I hear very good things about the kokanee products offered up by Paulina Peak Tackle of Reno , Nevada . The Paulina Peak Tackle lure and blade lineup boasts three deadly offerings at this time , the Kokanee Katch Micro Hoochie , the Kokanee Katch Spinner Magic and Big-i Dodgers .

The Big-i Dodger line up consists of both herring style dodgers and slim profile dodgers . All of these blades feature a range of killer color combinations and of course each of them is embossed with the iconic Paulina Peak all seeing eye !

Lure and dodger color is often very important and kokanee being the fickle souls that they are , change their preference from day to day and even from hour to hour . This is why a veteran kokanee angler ’ s tackle box boasts a rainbow like array of different colored lures and blades .

Whatever style and color of lure you decide to use it is important to tip it with a piece of shoe peg corn . No one is certain why you need to use corn . Some say it adds a pleasant smell to the lure . Others contend that it gives the salmon a target to strike .

Many veteran kokanee anglers treat their corn with Pro- Cure Wizard Kokanee Killer Korn Magic . This product toughens the corn and adds strike inducing amino acids to it . Beyond that you ’ ll want to fill several small containers with corn and add a different scent to each one . Some days they want shrimp flavored corn other days they prefer anise . Anise , krill , shrimp , herring , sardine , garlic and night crawler scents are all proven performers .