FishwithJD

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Getting to know California’s Landlocked Salmon

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Do you know your landlocks??

While California’s ocean salmon stocks were down in the dumps the past few years, it was an entirely different story inland. Thanks to the efforts of the DFG and organizations like Project Kokanee and Kokanee Power, landlocked salmon are thriving in more Golden State waters than ever before. Of course, they’ll never be able to outgrow or taste better than their ocean-going cousins, but these pint-sized inland salmon provide anglers with plenty of good action throughout the year.

While there are similarities between the three, each species has its own attractive qualities – and unique fishing techniques attributed to it. Let’s take a closer look at California’s Inland Salmon Slam and get to know landlocked kings, kokanee and coho a little better. Click here to read more…

One Pan Striped Bass with Asparagus Recipe

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Unless you're looking for extra fiber, it's probably best to fillet fish before cooking!


With striper season in full swing, I figured it was time to talk about one of my favorite aspects of these fish — and that’s eating ’em! Stripers have mild, white fillets that are absolutely delicious. In fact, I have a lot of clients tell me that they like ’em better than halibut. I’m not totally sure I’d go that far, but they’re pretty close.

To get some new ideas on how to cook ’em up, I talked to our man, Scott “The Sporting Chef” Leysath, the world’s leading authority on cooking stuff you catch and shoot (and also co-host of the popular TV show Hunt Fish Cook and he suggested his super easy One Pan Striper with Asparagus recipe.

“This one’s quick, easy, colorful and only requires a big skillet or wok and a handful of fresh ingredients,” he says. “When asparagus isn’t in season, substitute any green vegetable like broccoli, sugar snap peas or green beans. Check out your local Asian market for the best price on fresh vegetables!”Click here to read more…

2 Great Herring Rigs for Ocean Salmon Fishing

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The Westport cut-plug is deadly

The California ocean salmon opener has, not surprisingly, sparked a lot of interest in saltwater salmon fishing and I’ve received quite a number of emails this weekend from folks asking about how to rig up for kings in the salt. Well, that’s a subject worthy of a book and I could literally go on for days, but here are a couple of my favorites. These two are super quick and easy — and effective!

Before I begin, a quick word on bait selection. Regardless of the rig, you need good, quality bait. Buy only the tray variety if it’s available! There are lots of trick things you can do with baits like brining and dyeing them, but this time around, let’s stick to the basics. The anchovies this year are pretty small, so herring or small sardines are going to be your best bets.

The rig above is a basic “Westport” cutplug rig. Starting with a whole fish, make a “double 45” cut just behind the gill plate. Place the knife on the fish and rotate your wrist so the blade is at a 45-degree angle to it’s body at the same time, remove the head with a cut that angles 45 degrees from top to bottom. Remove the guts and you’re ready to follow the instructions above.

Now, I have a single hook rig pictured…where legal, you can also got with two hooks in tandem and run one near the front of the bait. When trolled, a cutplug herring has a beautiful roll to it that kings love. Run it with or without flashers….You can also mooch with the Westport rig, but in California, be sure to switch to circle hooks (as per the law).

The Strip & Squid is a great searching tool

On the troll you can also use the Strip & Squid rig. This is best run behind a dodger or flasher as the rig itself doesn’t have much action on its own. Simply take a fillet of baitfish and add it to a Hootchie rig. It’s kinda goofy-looking in the water but you get a nice combination of flash, smell and color that sometimes is the hot ticket.

I’ll post more rigs as the season moves on, but these are kind of like a quick start guide to get ya going…

More Salmon Techniques

The (not so) Secret Sturgeon Bait

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Kinda like using crawdad tail meat on your sardine-wrapped Kwikfish is a non-secret “secret” these days, the use of salmon roe for sturgeon is also one of those “things that nobody really talks about but everyone kinda knows about.

Still, it is worth mentioning that diamondbacks do seem to really have a taste for the orange caviar in certain situations. Capt. Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sportfishing in San Francisco Bay tells you what you need to know…Click here to read more…

Plugging for Steelhead 101

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Now that side-drifting’s all the rage for steelhead, pulling plugs is rapidly becoming a lost art.

Not too many years ago, most steelheaders who fished from boats backtrolled wigglers like Hot Shots and Wiggle Warts. Then, side-drifting eggs got popular – thanks in part, to some schmuck who wrote an entire book on the subject – and a lot of anglers…well…pulled the plug on plug pulling.

There’s no denying that drifting eggs will almost always produce more steelhead than any other method, but pulling plugs does have its moments. They can be a real day saver in high, off-colored conditions but also often yield spectacular results when things are low and clear as well.

In tight quarters, you can sometimes put a plug into a spot that no bait drifter could reach – and, generally speaking, plugs also give you your best shot at a really, really big fish. In addition, plugging is a cool way to get people who maybe can’t wade or cast all that well – kids or older folks – into some steelies.

But all of that’s really just a bonus.

Click here to read more…