River Menaces: Pinepeds and Pinheads

I get it that sea lions eat salmon, but it kills me to see them 100 miles inland (in downtown Sacramento) eating salmon…especially in a year like this when we don’t have many. When I got to thinking about it, I’d say it’s been 8 years since I’ve gone a day without seeing at least one of these beasts down at the Sacramento/American river confluence.

The sea lion wasn’t the only one messing with the kings…here’s a loser I watched upstream, hurling soft ball sized stones at spawning salmon:

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Monster Brown Trout from the Big Hole River!!

Okay, so somebody book me a flight to Montana! ASAP!! This massive, 16-pound, 34-inch brown trout was caught recently in the Big Hole River…by biologists doing population studies. After being measured and weighed and smiling for this photo, the bruiser was released.

I’ve got GPS numbers…the first $1,000 takes em!!! Just kidding, but seriously, a fish that size has got those treadmill-bound squirrels in my noggin working overtime. I’ve already got about 10 things I want to try on that river that I bet those fish have never seen….

How to catch winter bass

Now that the cold weather months have arrived, it’s time to give up bass fishing right? Well…not so fast!

While it is true that bass will get more lethargic as the water temperatures drop, you can still have some seriously good days of fishing in the winter…if you keep some basic principles in mind.
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Ventura River Steelhead: New lease on life with removal of Matilija Dam?

Ever since I stumbled upon this old photo of steelhead anglers who had a banner day on the Ventura River long ago, I’ve been intrigued by the whole notion that the rivers of Southern California once harbored populations of sea-run rainbows that rival some of today’s best waters.

Prior to the 1940’s, the Ventura played host to an estimated 5,000 steelies annually (think about that one for a second!) — more than enough to support a popular spot fishery. In fact, several popular Hollywood stars of the day were said to have spent plenty of time wetting a line there.

An exploding human population, however, quickly did the Ventura’s steelies in around the 1940’s and now adult fish are only occasionally seen in the river. There is hope however for the future…

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I think he’s just sleeping (Smoker of the Year Contest entry)

With just a little over two weeks left in the 2007 Smoker of the Year Contest, Jeff L. comes in strong with this nice Chinook, about which he said:

“Landed this beauty on the American River — not much of a fight, though! Now, who says there aren’t any salmon this year??”

Jeff said that he was planning to mount his catch, but the head fell off as he tried to lift it out of the water…

To see all the previous entries, click here: 2007 Smoker of the Year Contest

Massive Fish Kill in Prospect Island in the California Delta!

Well, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is at it again…showing utter disregard for California’s wildlife. This time around, they’ve pumped dry flooded Prospect Island, in the Sacramento River Delta, with no regard for rescuing the fish that lived in there.

Right now, there are thousands upon thousands of dead and dying fish laying in the shallow puddle that used to be the island. These pumps are now idle, but the damage has been done.

But first, a little background…
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Putting the finishing touches on the Stanislaus River salmon spawning riffle Restoration Project!

Well, after weeks of grueling (but exciting!) work, we’ve pretty much got everything done on the Stanislaus River salmon spawning riffle restoration project I’ve been working with KDH Environmental on. The Cliff’s Notes version is this: we took a 1.5-mile stretch of virtually fishless water and transformed it, with lots of gravel, boulders, grunt labor and heavy machinery, into a fishy nirvana.

Here are some photos I took during the project. To see more, check out my essay in the the February issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader. Okay, on with the show…this is just some of the 18,000 tons of pristine spawning gravel we excavated, sifted, washed and placed into the river:
For a bunch more photos, read on…

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Partial nudity, lots of gore and blood-thirsty vermin….JD’s small screen acting debut!

Watch for me closely…all the way to the end. Blink and you’ll miss it!

Sucker for a Kwikfish!

Here’s a little “bonus” catch from a recent salmon trip…

I’m not exactly sure what this suckerfish was thinking, but I’m guessing that his assault on my pink Kwikfish had something more to do with lust than hunger.

Hey Baby, How YOOOOU Doin’?

Wish I could say that this was an isolated incident, but I have, over the years, proved to be quite a proficient catcher of suckers on salmon and steelhead lures.

I’ve hooked more than a few while flat-lining plugs like Kwikfish and FlatFish for Chinook and several others on Wiggle Warts and Hot Shots intended for sea-run rainbows.

Perhaps the most embarrassing one occurred when, about 15 years ago, I walked up to a lineup of anglers who were all steelhead fishing — and not catching anything. They were all drifting bait, so I busted out a silver Little Cleo and immediately hooked a fish on my first cast.

Well, I guess one maybe should hold off on the trash talking — at least until you’re sure what you have on is actually a steelhead. I’m still not sure why that big orange, rubber-lipped turd with fins smacked that spoon, but he did. You can imagine the ration of grief I incurred when the assembled throng of anglers caught a glimpse of it…

Wait…wait…wait to set the hook on salmon & steelhead plug bites.

Save yourself from yourself…put those rods in the holders and wait until the line is ripping off the reel!

Salmon and steelhead plug bites: wait, wait, wait! from Fish with JD on Vimeo.

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