Category Archives: Where to fish

The Land of Giant “Kokanee”

Posted on August 8, 2010 • 0 Comments

A nice Baker Lake sockeye!



Okay kokanee junkies…ready to go troll for some truly giant kokes? You’ve got to check out Washington State’s Brewster and Baker lakes, where there have been some interesting new fisheries developing this summer…The salmon in these lakes aren’t truly kokanee but instead ocean-run sockeyes that are open to fishing for the first time. Check out out pal Bill Herzog’s Zog Blog at Northwest Wild Country for more details and some cool pix. Also be sure to click the “Rasticle” link for some cool rigging photos that should help ya out in future kokanee endeavors.

Filed Under: Destinations, Where to fish

Trout fishing dispatch from Caples Lake, CA

Posted on July 13, 2010 • 4 Comments

Caples Lake: Beautiful and stuffed with trout!

With wives outta town last week, VinMan and I did what any two fishheads with a kitchen pass would do…blow off all responsibility and hit the water. This time around, we headed for Caples Lake, a sparking little gem high in the Sierra Nevadas near Kirkwod, CA. With tight schedules, we left the big city for a quickie jaunt to the mountains around noon last Wednesday and were back home 24 hours later, with a nice evening and morning of troutin’ under our belts.

We decided on Caples Lake because a) At 7,800 feet, it’s way above the heat of the Valley; b) It was a place we’d never been; and c) It was supposedly stuffed with trout.

Here’s what we found…

… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Destinations, Where to fish

Nushagak Dreamin’

Posted on June 30, 2010 • 12 Comments

We didn't catch a lot of monsters on the 'Nush, but this was clearly a beast...that we released.



During the last week of June and into the start of July, it’s hard for my thoughts not to wander up to the incomparable Nushagak River in remote Southwest Alaska. Before I was a papa, I spent 7 seasons guiding on the word’s greatest king salmon stream…which always seemed to peak about this time of year.

The ‘Nush is simply one of those places you must fish before you turn into fertilizer…there’s just no other place like it. You won’t find better king fishing anywhere. Looking back over all those seasons, I can clearly recall my worst-ever day of fishing, which still resulted in 18 kings to the boat! And the best of days were well into the triple digits, though after a dozen or so you kinda lose count. I’d say the average day during the meat of the season saw each of our boats hooking 20-40 per trip.

Most of my photos from those days are all on slide film, but I recently found a few digitals. So, here we go a little walk down memory lane…… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Destinations, Where to fish

Nor Cal’s Bruin Ranch: A Sportsmen’s Paradise!

Posted on June 9, 2010 • 21 Comments

The ponds on Bruin Ranch are absolutely teeming with largemouth!

One of the great perks of my job is I get to get out and see and do some pretty stinkin’ cool stuff. That was definitely the case last week when I got to tour the incomparable Bruin Ranch, a privately-held 2,300 acre slice of sportsmen’s nirvana about an hour northeast of Sacramento, CA.

The place is home to some unbelievable hunting and warm water fishing opportunities…and the most interesting aspect of the whole deal is that you hopefully will get a chance to experience the place for yourself if the fine folks at Placer Land Trust can make some magic happen…
… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Where to fish

Smith River Steelhead Fishing Video!

Posted on January 7, 2010 • 10 Comments

The epic, “dream season” that was the Smith River’s fall Chinook run seems to have rolled straight into what looks to be an awesome year of winter steelie fishing! The Team FishwithJD boys headed north earlier in the week with guides John Klar of John’s Guide Service and Mike Stratman of Redwood Coast Fishingto see firsthand how steelhead season on the Smith is shaping up. A selfless act of recon, with you, the reader in mind, you might say…

Filed Under: Fishing Videos, Where to fish

Late Season Berryessa Mixed Bag Action

Posted on December 6, 2009 • 2 Comments

Lake Berryessa
Northern California’s Lake Berryessa is a well-known producer of king and kokanee salmon, three varieties of bass, catfish, crappie and rainbow trout throughout the year…but something special happens here in the fall and early winter: You can catch pretty much all species in the same day, in the same areas on the same gear. Sounds like fun, eh?… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Destinations, Where to fish

The Middle Klamath

Posted on September 12, 2009 • 3 Comments

Red Cap Gorge
While the Lower Klamath River is packed with people and jet boats in the fall, the middle section is typically very quiet…even when the fishing’s red hot. … Continue Reading

Filed Under: Where to fish

Dispatch from the Klamath

Posted on August 19, 2009 • 1 Comment

Klamath Steelhead
I’ve been up on the Klamath River lately…good fishing, awesome weather and incredible scenery. Here’s a quick post card from the past couple weeks…… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Photos and Video, Where to fish