No Salmon Season?
March 15, 2008
No Salmon Fishing?
The way things are going, it’s looking very much like we won’t have a salmon season here in the Sacramento Valley this year. With only 56,000 chinook forecasted to return to the Valley this fall, fisheries managers will likely make kings off-limits in the ocean and Valley streams.
It’s gut-wrenching for me to even write those words, let alone think about the true implications of it all. Our king salmon runs have been world class for a long time and I never imagined that they could fall so far, so fast. The lack of business
and fishing aside, I’m devastated by the thought of my kid potentially may not have a chance to fish for kings on the Sacramento, Feather and American rivers like I did.
Other Options
All is not lost, however! In lieu of salmon fishing this summer and fall, I’ll be switching operations to Lake Tahoe for light tackle mackinaw jigging. From June through September, Tahoe pumps out some of the best fishing around and limits on nice (& tasty!) mackinaw trout are the norm. Plus, you can’t beat the scenery and the weather…
in September, I’ll again jump back over to the the Delta for some awesome topwater striper action. When the conditions are right, we’ll get 10 to 20+ blow-ups per morning on topwater and then we will switch over to tossing swimbaits if the surface bite tapers off. The fish are just coming out of the ocean and bay complex at that time and are in prime shape. We also see some of the larger fish of the year on topwater, which is extremely cool!
In the Meantime
I’ll head to Tahoe in June, but will be chasing Valley steelhead on the Feather & American rivers through April. The fishing has been pretty solid lately and while drifting crawlers, we’re seeing 2 to 6 adult steelies per trip.
Stripers and shad will also be on tap in April, so get ready!!
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