Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3819 Aug 30-Sep 13 | Page 7

Aug 30 - Sept 13, 2019
VOL.38 • ISS. 19
5
Spotlight On Kayak Fishing...
Sponsered by
Kayak City
in Citrus Heights, CA
Kayak City.Com
916.565.1400
Hunting North State
Bronze Via Kayak!
By Kevin Hofer
In the bass world, Northern California may be best known for its
largemouth in Clear Lake and the Sacramento Delta, or its giant
spots at Bullards Bar, but this part of the state also has a healthy
smallmouth population.
Scattered through the Sierra Nevadas and the valley below are a
variety of lakes that provide the habitat needed for a smallmouth to
thrive. Cool water, baitfish, debris laden and rocky shorelines, flats
with various substrate, ledges and drop-offs, all the things they want
and love can be found at a lake near you!
The state record smallie, a 9lb 13oz, 24.75incher, was caught in
2007 at Pardee reservoir. I’ve never come close to catching one this
big, but pound for pound they fight way harder than largemouth, so
even a 2-3 pounder on light line can be an absolute blast.
Besides a great fight, another thing that I really enjoy about the
NorCal smallmouth is that you can find them living in some very
scenic mountain lakes.
I enjoy watching eagles or deer while floating around on those days when
the bite is tough... or worse non-existent.
Those that know me, know I’m more of a trout or ocean fisherman than a
bass guy, so it’s
no surprise when
I say I discov-
ered most of my
mountain smallie
lakes while
targeting trout.
One of my
favorite ways
to fish lakes
that have trout
and smallies
co-inhabiting
the same rocky
shores, is to troll
Rapalas in the shallows.
Both species of fish cannot resist the subtle wiggle of the minnow imitating
lures. On the inside/shore side rod I use a shallow diver and on the outside/
lake side I run a deeper diving lure, ideally having both lures be near the
bottom.
Bouncing off the occasional rock can help trigger bites, be prepared to
sacrifice a few lures to the bottom when trying this, especially if there are tree
stumps on the lake bed!
I’ve had consistent results fishing like this all months of the year, at lakes
such as Jenkinson, Berryessa, Folsom, Almanor or Pardee. The technique also
worked trolling along the rip rap of the Sacramento River levees but instead
of trout by-catch its striped bass or largemouth.
Not all the smallies I catch are by accident, one year a buddy and I planned
an adventure to fish the pre-spawn bite at Trinity Lake. It was an amazing trip
I will never forget.
We happened to time it just perfect and the bite was wide-open when
trolling jerkbaits through the shallow flats. Troll around and every once in a
while, give it a jerk and let it pause, they were crushing it on the pause.
More recently on a trip to Plumas county the trout quit biting in the middle
of the day and I knew there were bass in here from previous accidental
catches.
So, I went over to the rocky dam of the lake I was fishing and found a feisty
school of smallmouth feeding on small baitfish. Pulled out my go-to Kast-
master and
had a blast
fighting
some
beautiful
fish on a
beautiful
lake. No
matter where
you find
them you
will not be
disappointed
in the
fight these
scrappy fish
put up, good
luck and
tight lines!
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