Kokanee on Steroids
July 28, 2007
Sep “Don’t call me Zep Henderson” Hendrickson,” of Sep’s Pro Fishing just got back from a trip to the Holy Grail of kokanee fishing, Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming. He said that, while the fishing was spectacular, the average size of the kokes was down this year.
Here are a couple “dinks” that Sep’s pal, Shirley Spediacci caught on the trip. The one on the left measured 24 1/4 inches and weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces. The other shaker was only 23 inches and 4 pounds, 8 ounces.
San Francisco Halibut fishing
May 30, 2007
To someone from outside the area, it may see odd that San Francisco Bay can produce some red hot fishing action for a variety of species. After all, the bay is the center piece of an immense and sprawling mega-metropolis and is surrounded on all sides by densely-packed civilization.
Despite all that, fishing remains good and, right now, California halibut are the main focus for anglers. On Wednesday, I headed down to the bay to see how the bite was going and I wasn’t disappointed…
Fly Fishing in Caves for Blind Catfish??
February 6, 2007
Check this out — this one is about as bizarre as it gets. Local boy Ralph Cutter did a little trip to Borneo to go fly fishing for — get this — blind catfish that live in total darkness 3,000 feet underground. Among the usual logistical problems one would associate with such a venture, there were other issues…such as snakes and bats that often ate his flies. And oh yea, how about the spiders that were big enough to eat the bats….are you kidding me?????
Read the story at Field & Stream
Time for some tropical “Panfishing”
January 28, 2007
Not at all knowing what to expect, I lob a 1/4-ounce Kastmaster high across the water and watch it shimmer in the morning sun. When it plops back to earth, I let the silver lure sink for a moment before I start cranking. I’ve never wet a line in this place and don’t have a clue what may be lurking around the rocks…if anything.
In short order - on the second crank of the reel handle to be exact - I get abrupt and violent confirmation that there are indeed some fish here when something incredibly strong atomizes my lure.
Honey Hole…Cast HERE!!
September 12, 2006
Here’s a little spot I visited in remote Southeast Alaska this summer…the hole below the falls was loaded with coho, king and pink salmon — not to mention more 18-inch dollies than you could count. Needless to say, we caught a few fish! It was cool, however, just to watch to silvers try to jump the falls…
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Juneau Fishing Mission
August 19, 2006
I just got home from a week-long road trip and I think I may have found some of the best fishing on the planet. That is if you like yanking on halibut until your arms feel like they’re full of wet cement and hooking so many coho salmon that it seems a little like bluegill fishing out of a 5-gallon bucket.
And the best part of the deal is this angling paradise is relatively close.
My base of operations was Juneau, which is a short 3-hour flight from Sacramento, with a stop in Seattle. On assignment for Fish Alaska Magazine, my orders were to explore and report back on the fishing opportunities available in the waters within easy striking distance of Alaska’s capitol city.
Beating the Heat at Union Valley
July 2, 2006
When the lower elevations are grinding it out through August’s repressive Dog Days, I like to head for the high country. One of my favorite spots to seek refuge from the heat is Northern California’s Crystal Lakes Basin – Union Valley Reservoir in particular.
Fallen Leaf Lake: Worth the Trouble
May 14, 2006
The road in is a narrow, miserable affair that’s marred by countless potholes that look (and feel) like craters. There’s very little shore fishing access and even less room to park a truck and boat trailer. And to top it all off, the launch fees are ridiculous – as high as $30 round trip, depending on what size boat you have.
Despite all that however, I just can’t stay away from Fallen Leaf Lake.
The “Leaf” is a mere15 minutes from the carbon monoxide-laced din of South Lake Tahoe, yet it feels worlds away. The place is quiet and the pace of life is slow. Mount Tallac rises sharply above the lake’s perfectly clear water and its flanks are covered with impossibly green trees.
It’s the fishing, however, that really gets me going.
Steelhead Abuse!
April 21, 2006
It’s no secret that steelhead anglers are a masochistic lot.
Those of us who are card-carrying members of this freakish society will — gladly, I may add — stand chest-deep in frigid water for hours on end in inhospitable weather, casting thousands of times with frost-bitten, roe-slathered fingers to fish that often seem only to exist in our dreams.
Winter Bass at Clear Lake
December 3, 2005
“There’s a lot of big bass in this lake, Chief,” says guide, TV personality and tournament pro Big Fred Contaoi of the Orange County Choppers fishing team after I set yet another fat largemouth free. “A lot of bass and not many people – a good combination in my book.”
Mine too. And that’s really the story with Clear Lake in the winter. It’s bustling with activity in the warmer months but the place is a virtual ghost town in the winter – except when there’s a tournament going on. On this particular winter day, there’s a grand total of two trailers in the parking lot when we launch and we never run into another basser the entire day.
