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California River Salmon Techniques 101

July 10, 2012 • 15 Comments

Time for Chrome! I had the pleasure of fishing the Feather River before the opener, tagging kings for DWR and here's a little taste of what we should see this summer and fall!

With the salmon opener on California’s American, Sacramento and Feather rivers coming up on July 16, I figured it might be time to help you guys shake some of the rust off from all those years of closures! Below, you’ll find some links to several how-to tips and techniques that will get ya back in the game. Good luck out there this season!

• BASIC SARDINE WRAPS
A step-by-step guide to wrapping up your plugs.

• BASIC FLOAT FISHING TIPS

• PLUG WRAP VIDEO
Instructional video with cheesy host!

• DIVER & BAIT FOR KINGS
How to get your eggs down to where the fish are!

• SLACKWATER TROLLING
How to pull spinners and plugs in those slow water spots…

Filed Under: Salmon, Techniques

15 Responses to California River Salmon Techniques 101

  1. Ken says:
    October 31, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    Can I get your recommendation for where to go salmon on the American after Oct 31. I had it in my mind that I would go to Sailor Bar this weekend (11/3) until I noticed the date.

    Thanks

    Reply
  2. james says:
    September 17, 2012 at 6:44 pm

    i have 9 foot spinning rod 4-20 lbs test made from ugly stick it is medium action and is that a good rod and i bought it for 50 dollars from cabelas website for salmon fishing

    Reply
  3. Max says:
    January 9, 2012 at 10:04 pm

    Hey Jd, I’m a broke high school student and i’ve been searching for days but haven’t been able to find the rod I’m looking for.
    What do you think would be a good casting side drifting rod or float fishing rod for a broke student like me?
    anything helps

    Reply
    • JD says:
      January 10, 2012 at 8:56 am

      Hey Max, I’d get a 9-footer rated 8-12 lb. line. Graphite rods have come a long way and these days you can get a quality stick for not tons of $$. Shimano’s Clarus line has always been a nice happy medium between price point and quality. If you’re in Nor Cal, let me know and maybe I can dig something up outta the garage to give ya. I remember being a broke high schooler…

      Reply
      • Max says:
        January 10, 2012 at 3:57 pm

        Awh man, your a saint! Unfortunately I live in washington ):
        But I am definitely going to look into those !
        very much appreciated- max

        Reply
  4. jameskramer says:
    July 24, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    do you ever try wrapping roe round the kwik fish and does it better than sardine wrap

    Reply
  5. RJS says:
    July 21, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    JD,
    I’ll be using your wrap technique this year for sure… Is there a time of season that the K15s work best? or the smaller K14s?
    RJS

    Reply
  6. Wes says:
    July 18, 2011 at 12:06 pm

    Hey I know that guy!

    Reply
  7. jameskramer says:
    July 17, 2011 at 6:21 pm

    what does it cost go fishing with you on the american river

    Reply
  8. CAL PICCOLO says:
    July 15, 2011 at 1:58 pm

    Go get em JD….

    Reply
  9. Ray Fairfax says:
    July 15, 2011 at 10:12 am

    Perfect timing JD. Yesterday I was trying to describe how to rig a jet diver on the phone to a friend who lives on the Rogue. Now I can send him here to get a visual on what I was attempting to explain.

    Thanks,
    Ray

    Reply

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