Monthly Archives: February 2011
Ask JD: How are the Shad doing?
Like most fish that have to swim through the CA Delta, shad numbers are on the decline
This round of Ask JD comes to us from Dave E., who’s obviously got spring on the mind. His question pertains to American shad and it’s relative health in the rivers of Northern California.
JD, How healthy is the shad fishery in Northern California? I fished for shad a good bit 15 to 20 years ago and remember great runs. Has the shad fishery suffered like the salmon collapse? Thanks, Dave
Dave,
Well, I assume you’re talking about the rivers of the Central Valley — the Sacramento, American, Yuba and Feather, right? While there are mini runs in the Klamath and Eel rivers and a remnant population in the San Joaquin River, most of California’s shad come from those listed above. … Continue Reading
Why we love Oregon (Reason #472): Bait Vending Machines!
Now, if they only sold beer...
Our pal, T-Rex just got home from a road trip in Oregon, where he found what just may be the world’s coolest invention…the vending machine bait shop!
T-Rex said he fund the little bugger late at night in a dark parking lot (we didn’t ask) near the Willamette River and was stoked to find it better stocked than a lot of big shops.
“The contents included: cured sand shrimp in both orange and pink and tubs of roe, too,” he says.” It was red bait but looked better than most stuff you find in tackle shops. There was also a good stock of lead terminal tackle. They had plenty of Gamakastu hooks, mainline and leader material (no flouro). There were jars of Pautzke’s Ball o’ Fire, night crawlers, and even insect repellent! I’ve never seen anything like this in my life!” … Continue Reading
RoeMaster: A Blast from the Past!
The original RoeMaster ad, placed in Salmon Trout Steelheader magazine in 1992
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away…as the saying goes…I was an aspiring tackle designer. In 1990, I was still attending Humboldt State University and decided I was going to give Mepps, Panther Martin and Rooster Tail a run for their collective money, so I built a weapon of mass fish destruction, the “RoeMaster,” which would conquer the world with its deadly fishing catching attributes: A spinner combined with roe…I mean how could a fish resist that? There was no way the RoeMaster could fail! Well, they could and it did…… Continue Reading
Okuma Trio Spinning Reel Review
Okuma's Trio
series.We’ll admit, the Trio series looks cool — kinda like a Stealth fighter — is priced right (around $75) and boasts a laundry list of interesting features…but how does it fare out in the real world? We aimed to find out! … Continue Reading
Name that Fish: Up Close and Personal Edition
You looking at me, punk??
This week’s edition of Name that Fish is…well…either going to be be super easy for most of ya…or maybe not. I’m still not sure how this one’s going to play out. One thing to take note of is that little piece of stiff mono extending from my fly is a weed guard. That may be a hint…or maybe I’m saying that to throw you off the trail. You decide!
So, without further adieu, use the comments section below to give me your best guess as to who this close up fellow is.
It’s not too early to talk Spring Chinook yet, is it?
Yea, baby!
In one, I detail some cool “Plan B” type stuff to throw at springers when they’re playing hard to get. The other article features a photo essay from my “fishing for science” project I was hired for last year where I caught springers (with hook and line!) for a tagging project. Check ‘em out!