salmon fishing

If you’re like me, you probably have spent a considerable amount of time wondering what goes on under the surface. What’s it look like down there? What are the fish doing? What do my lures look like? Well, I’ll be doing a seminar at the Sacramento International Sportsmen’s Expo today Friday, Jan. 20 (at 3 PM) and again on Saturday Jan. 21 (6 PM) in the California Sportsmen’s Theatre…the topic: Underwater video.

I’ll be showing some interesting footage of all the bites you miss but never know you had, an underwater view of the controversial Alabama Rig in action, what some of our favorite salmon lure look like underwater, what it looks like 100 feet down on the bottom of Lake Tahoe…and more. Here’s a sneak peek:

{ 5 comments }

The Last Gasp!

by JD on November 20, 2011


Okay, perhaps I was being a little melodramatic with the title there…considering this fish was released just a few seconds later. But you’ve got to have a sexy headline to draw the readers in, right?

Well, anyway I’ve really been trying to change the angle of my photography this year…working on coming up with different points of view — the generic hero shot is old and tired. As you can see from all the splashes on the lens, however, that getting down and dirty also comes with a price…

{ 11 comments }

Which one of you monkeys rubbed Bengay on my plug when I wasn't looking?


So, one of the natives on my boat here looks a little miffed…can you guess what grumpy on the left is thinking? Use the comments section below to “fill in the blank.”

{ 15 comments }

You can't beat a fresh sardine!

Our latest Ask JD question comes from Rob Y. who’s looking to make some sense out of scents when it comes to fall salmon fishing with plugs. Rob writes:

JD, I have a quick question about fishing with Kwikfish for salmon. I heard or read somewhere that instead of doing a sardine wrap you can put some self-stick Velcro on the bottom of the plug and then smother it in gel sent. How well does that work? And, do you think a sardine wrap really works since the fish are on the move anyway? By the way, loved your steelhead book!

Thanks, Rob


Hey Rob! There have been several methods devised over the years to avoid having to wrap plugs with sardine or herring fillets…some guys have done the Velcro thing, while others have glued sponges or stuck scent pads to the bottoms of their plugs and then doused everything in some sort of scent. Then there was Pro Cure’s Bait Butter, which was a scent concoction with a peanut butter consistency that you could just lather your lure in. All of the above worked, but… [click to continue…]

{ 7 comments }

What's next? Are you guys going to wear white after Labor Day too??



They’re wet. They’re cold. They’re bored. They’re colorful. Yep, it’s time for everybody’s favorite game: Fill in the Blank!. Go ahead (in the comments section below) and take a guess as to what this guy is saying…

{ 16 comments }

As a bass guy, I'm really not used to anything that pulls drag anyway...


Yep, it’s time for another round of our ever-popular Fill in the Blank feature, in which you get to decide (using the comments section below) what this guy might be saying.

You guys are always good for a few laughs, so let’s see what you’ve got this time around…

{ 22 comments }

Before you quite your day job and get a guide’s license, here’s a little behind the scenes look at the life & times of a fishing guide…

2:30 a.m.

SKREEANT! SKREEANT! SKREEANT!

A series of horrific screeches pierce the silent evening. My heart rate’s suddenly gone from 0 to 100 mph in just under a nanosecond and I jolt upright, trying to figure out where the terrible sounds are coming from.

SKREEANT! SKREEANT! SKREEANT!

It takes me a bewildered moment or two before I realize that it’s my alarm clock. It’s hard to believe that this little white plastic contraption — no bigger than a Kleenex box — can produce such an atrocious noise. I pound on the snooze bar with a closed fist, hoping to smash it into oblivion and then I fall back to sleep. [click to continue…]

{ 9 comments }

There just may be an inland salmon fishing season in California’s Central Valley this summer and fall. The California Fish & Game Commission is meeting via teleconference on Wednesday to decide…here are the proposals (keep in mind they may not do any of these):

Sacramento River
• Upper Sacramento, from Deschutes Road Bridge to Highway 113 Bridge: Oct. 2 to Oct. 24.

• Lower Sacramento, from Highway 113 Bridge to Carquinez Bridge: Sept. 4 to Oct. 3.

American River
• Open to Salmon Fishing downstream from Ancil Hoffman Park: Oct. 30 to Nov. 29.

Feather River
• Open to Salmon Fishing downstream from Thermalito Afterbay Outlet: July 31-Aug. 29

Here’s a MAP of the seasons from the Sacramento Bee.

The current proposals are calling for a 2-fish per day, 2 in possession limit.
[click to continue…]

{ 2 comments }