It was but a few short years ago when the Feather River, just north of Sacramento, was one of the hottest places to fish for king salmon on the West Coast.
Near the infamous Thermalito Afterbay Outlet, the kings would stack up by the tens of thousands and the action was often lights out.
Since the area is a good 150 miles upstream of the ocean, Feather kings weren’t always chrome bright, but there were lots of them and days like this, where I had two guys with their 3-fish limits by 8 a.m., were common.
But that was then and this is now.
In just a few seasons, the Feather went from world-class to virtually salmon-free…and nobody has a really good answer as to why. Of course, there are millions of theories, but the true cause of the incredible decline is as yet unknown. Things got so bad so quickly, however, that I suspect something very sinister is afoot.
Over the last several years, water management practices here have been…well…let’s just say less than idea from a fish’s standpoint. But Chinook runs across the entire Central Valley are almost nil this year, so there’s obviously something going on out in the ocean as well.
In any case, things are looking bleak. Take a long look at this picture…
That’s what the “Good Ol’ Days” looked like.
Okay, Evergreen State anglers, it’s time for a little fun! Since we’re in an odd-numbered year, it means pink salmon (humpies) will be flooding back to your local rivers any day now.
The WDFW’s forecast is for 3.3 million of the little buggers this year — 1.3 million more than they predicted in the last pink year, 2005.
The pint-sized salmon are a ball on light tackle and are also great for kids and families. You can catch them right now out in Puget Sound as they start staging to head up for the spawn. Small spoons, spinners and jigs are the ticket.
Then, the fish will make a made dash upstream and that’s when the fishing really gets good…
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Okay, so maybe it’s not fishing-related, but I had to give a shout out to my boys, the Valley Cats, with whom I play left field in a Sunday “over the hill jocks baseball & beer” league. The Cats took the title last Sunday, on a bottom of the ninth, 3-run walk-off homer off the scoreboard in center field, compliments of our catcher Mike L..
With the win, we became the…here’s a royal mouthful for ya….Champs of the Sacramento National Adult Baseball Association’s 38AA Division. Next week, the Cats play the Angels in the single-elimination first round of the playoffs, which I’ll sadly miss while in Alaska on assignment for FISH ALASKA Magazine. With a win, I’lll be back for the 3-game Championship Series.
I’ll keep ya posted….(like you care!)
Weedbeds are good; docks and lily pads, too. Rock piles and creek channels, and all the rest…
But sometimes, sometimes….the best (and often overlooked) big bass haunts are less obvious.
Instead of finding a lunker largemouth on the “name brand” types of spots like a rock heap, you may find one, lonely boulder that holds fish like crazy. Or it could be just a small finger off a creek channel or a random post like this one.
One of the reasons these non A-List spots can be so productive is…
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We began work today on Northern California’s Stanislaus River to build several Chinook salmon spawning riffles and juvenile holding areas.
The gravel restoration work is being done by Dennis Hood of KDH Environmental, for whom I’m working as a consultant, and should give the river, which is a tributary to California’s San Joaquin River, a huge shot in the arm from a fishery enhancement standpoint.
Several riffles were built in the river’s upper reaches some years back and they helped bring the wild Chinook population back from near extinction (the run was down to something 200 fish) to a run that now numbers anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 fish annually.
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So, I was recently in Juneau, Alaska doing a couple articles on what the place has to offer from a fishing standpoint.
The assignment was to do some remote fly-out fishing and then spend a couple days in a rental car, hitting the local roadside honey holes.
One of the more interesting spots was right in downtown Juneau, in front of the DIPAC Fish Hatchery. The hatchery is funded by commercial salmon anglers and raises untold millions of juvenile salmon that are released back into area waters.
Of course, lots and lots of those kings, chums, pinks and coho come back to spawn at the hatchery — and before they swim up the ladder, they mill around in huge schools out front in the salt.
What you get is productive urban fishery, right across the street from some government buildings. It’s kinda short on ambiance, but it’s a great deal for the locals, who flock down to the waterfront when the fish are “in.”
The really crazy thing about the place is the way many of the local anglers fish for salmon there…
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I’m with ya on the whole “Fear no Fish” deal, pal, but “Fear no Needle” is another story for me. Hell, I wouldn’t let Hedi Klum get near my soft white underbelly with a needle, let alone some huge biker guy named Spike.
You’ve gotta admire his team spirit, though…and his huge cajones.
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I’m letting you off easy on this one, the latest Name that Fish entry.
You probably shouldn’t need a clue, but here’s one anyway: This guy reaches sexual maturity at 2 years of age and, in many areas, spawning runs occur every other year.
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