New Year’s Steelhead on the American R.
December 18, 2001
Holidays treat you nicely? Hope so — I sure had a good time, though I must admit, I’m feeling a little spawned out after doing various family functions for the past 9 days in a row. This year, our holiday tour made stops in Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, Yucca Valley, and of course, Sacramento and Auburn. After all that, it’s certainly nice to be home! With Christmas out of the way, it’s time to start thinking about the next really big event of the season…the opening day of steelhead fishing on the American River!
New Year’s Party
In case you’re not aware, the American River, from the Hazel Ave. bridge piers down to the power lines at Ancil Hoffman Park, closes to fishing each year on Nov. 1 and re-opens Jan. 1. The closure is designed to protect spawning salmon but it also provides winter steelhead refuge from anglers for a couple months. The New Year’s opener is one of the most anticipated events of the season around here…and with good reason. The American’s steelhead runs have been getting stronger over the past few seasons and the river is clawing its way back towards the first rate fishery is once was. So far this season, there are a lot more steelhead in the hatchery than there were last season at this time, so things are looking very good. Combine that with the fact that the fish in the closed zone have not been harassed for quite some time and you’ve got some great potential for the upcoming season.
Big Fish
The winter run steelies that ascend the river will typically weigh 6-8 pounds, with 10-12 pounders common and fish to 16 pounds very possible. In fact, each season, there are a few fish up in the 18-pound class taken out of the American and a 20 pounder wouldn’t surprise me. Tie into one of those silver beauties and you’ll never look at a rainbow trout the same again. There’s just something about hooking a steelhead that moves you in a very powerful way.
From the Bank
While steelhead fishing from a boat is more effective (because you can cover more water), you can definitely do well from the bank as well. Some of the important bank access spots in January include the Nimbus Basin (park in the gravel lot at the southeast side of the Hazel Ave. bridge); Sailor Bar Park (take Hazel Ave. south, go west on Winding Way and south on Illinois Ave.); Upper Sunrise Park (take Sunrise Blvd. south across the American River bridge, make an immediate left onto South Bridge Rd. and follow into the park) and Rossmoor Bar (south on Sunrise across the river, right on Coloma and right again on Rossmoor St.).
For bank fishing, you’ll want to use an 8.5- to 9-foot rod rated for 8-12 pound test and a spinning or baitcast reel spooled with 12-pound line. Try swinging 2/5-ounce Mor Tac Stilly Spoons, No. 4 Mepps or Blue Fox spinners through the riffles; bouncing bait like nightcrawlers or salmon roe along the bottom or fish wet patterns like Comets, Skunks, Polar Shrimp, Skykomish Sunrises and leeches on-the-swing with a fly rod. In fact, the American’s a great place to try out that new spey rod that Santa just brought you!
Boating
If you have a driftboat, you can launch at Sailor Bar and float down to Sunrise or Rossmoor Bar. Be advised, however, that aside from the “Ramp from Hell” at Sunrise, all other launching facilities on the river are gravel bars and 4-wheel drive tow vehicles are recommended.
In that stretch of river, pulling plugs like hot shots, Wiggle Warts and Fat Raps can be productive. Go with silver/black, silver/orange, copper and cop car color schemes for you lures. Another hot method is side-drifting spawn sacks along the bottom. I also employ some other “sneaky” methods but I can’t give away all the trade secrets here! Just remember to make all your hooks barbless (per DFG regulations). There are not too many rough spots in the American, but if you’re a novice boater, you may want to go out with somebody who knows the water first.
Tips
Pay close attention to water temperature if you want to consistently score on steelhead. That, in conjunction with the river’s flow and clarity, will help you identify where the fish will be. If conditions hold, New Year’s day anglers will probably find the river low, clear and fairly cold. If the water is above 51 degrees, the fish will likely be in the faster riffle water. Below that, they will seek out slower, deeper and softer flows closer to the bank.
When you’re using bait, go with the freshest stuff you can find. I have caught steelies on skanky two-year old eggs with freezer burn, but they definitely prefer fresh bait. Backtrolled plugs should be “tuned” before you let them out behind the boat. In other words, make sure they run straight — a plug that does barrel rolls under water won’t catch a squawfish let alone a steelie.
Random Thoughts
In closing here, a few more general thoughts on the subject. First of all, resist the temptation to join the lineup of unethical anglers fishing the island between the Upper and Lower Sunrise areas. This the main spawning riffle on the whole river and the fish that lay in there should be left alone to do their thing.
Also, the regulations state that you may keep only 1 steelhead per day and it must be of hatchery origin. All wild steelhead must be released. There is sometimes a little confusion with this rule, so let me clear it up for you. All juvenile hatchery steelhead in California get their adipose fin clipped off before they are released. This is the fleshy little fin on the back that sits between the tail and the dorsal fin. If you catch a steelie without the fin, you may keep it…otherwise let it go quickly and gently. It’s not a bad idea to release all hatchery fish as well, but you do pay for a license each season, so you are entitled to take a fish home once in a while…afterall, your license fees help pay for them.
Good luck and hope to see you out there this season. Winter steelies should keep us busy from New Years through the end of February. Then, the spring fish arrive in March and run into April. Be patient and stick with it…steelhead fishing can be a little humbling at times.
Muchas Gracias
By the way, since this is the final column of 2001, I’d like to thank all of you for reading and supporting my work here. Thanks also for all the kind calls and emails! Hope the new year brings you good health, happiness…and maybe even a steelhead or two!
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