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Well kiddies, the 2008 Smoker of the Year Contest has just over a month left and James B. Hinton may just be in the driver’s seat with this photo of his pal Wes, pictured here with a long-lost relative, may have just propelled himself into first place with this darkie from the Sacramento River.
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During a fall storm last year, I took this picture of huge waves pounding the boat ramp at Obexer’s Pier on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore. Obviously, we weren’t going to get out on the water that day…with a boat anyway. However, had one been in possession of a surfboard…
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Hi JD,
I’m getting my gear, boat and friends (shuttle drivers) ready for a few trips down the American River this winter and was wondering what your outlook for the winter steelhead run looks like. Also, do you plan on booking any drifting trips down the American?
Thanks…
Scott
Hey Scott,
Yep, I will do trips this winter on the American. As far as the outlook goes, that a tough one. Luckily, you can’t really base the steelie forecast on the salmon returns. Last season, the hatchery had a pretty good push of fish — around 3,000 steelhead — so, I’m not sure why we can’t expect to see something similar this year. Famous last words, of course…
While the drought is a bad deal, the low water we’re likely to find this winter will force the fish into some pretty well-defined spots.
Good luck!
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While throwing swimbaits for stripers on the Delta yesterday, we were paid a visit from something a little unusual…watch as trusty sidekick Reilly hooks and fights a mystery fish! Read the rest of the story to watch the video…
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JD, Do you happen to know how many Salmon made it to Coleman hatchery this year?
Just wondering before I take off for Sarajevo for my last adventure.
Thanks, Ricardo
Hi Ricardo,
I don’t know how many kings made it back to the Coleman Fish Hatchery, though the biologist told me the total run in Battle Creek was around 12,000…a number he called “pathetic,” so it does not sound good!
Be safe over there and thanks for your service!
–JD
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In a move that will greatly benefit salmon and steelhead populations — and the people who depend on them — Pacificorp announced this week that it will remove 4 dams from the Klamath River, which will open up more than 300 miles of spawning habitat!
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It’s no secret that pink plastic worms are deadly on steelhead, but we’ve pretty much been flogged endlessly with every possible way to use them a hundered times over, right?
Well, not exactly…Take a look at the possibilities that Mad River Manufacturing’s new Worm Jigs offer and you may see pink worms in a totally new light. [click to continue…]
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JD,
On Nov 6, two of us went to Bowman Lake for the first time with our boat…what a long bumpy road! We used the rock boat ramp down to the lake and launched. The weather was good, plenty of sunshine, but the wind came up and made it hard to troll. Plenty of fish on the fishfinder but could not get a bite. We tried everything in the tackle box, top water, downrigger, trolling close to the shore. Then my friend started throwing rip bait toward the bank and caught a brown. After that he caught three more browns to three pounds! He had just the right rig for the browns. It was late , so we left the lake. Why do you think the rainbows were not biting? Do you have any experience with Bowman Lake?
Thanks, Ken P.
Ken, it’s a good question…in the fall, all trout put on the feed bag as they prep for the lean winter months ahead, so it’s strange that the ‘bows weren’t biting. Perhaps Bowman simply has a better population of browns than it did in the old days. And if the brownies are eating rip baits, I’d be okay with that!
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