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During the past 10 days the salmon bite on the Sacramento River has taken off. The season got off to a slow start - normally, we see good salmon fishing by mid-August - but this season on the Sacramento is about a month late.
The best place to fish has been in the Corning area with boats launching from the Woodson Bridge launch ramp. This ramp is about 1 1/2 hours from Grass Valley. Jerry Chan of Grass Valley fished there last Thursday. He, his brother and his daughter, Tiffany, took limits of salmon up to 20 pounds by 11 a.m.
Far and away the most effective bait has been salmon roe. But be forewarned that not all salmon roe is created equal. Fresh roe is up to 10-times more effective than a commercially preserved product.
Freshly cured roe has a lifespan of only a few weeks, unless frozen. The only legal commercial sources for fresh roe are in Alaska, so most of the product available has been preserved and does not produce the scent trail that makes the fresher product so effective. "Strictly Fishin" in Redding is the only shop I know of that imports fresh roe from Alaska and cures it in-house.
Your best bet is to get some from a friend until you can catch your own supply.
The number one system for fishing roe in the Corning vicinity is "boondoggling." This involves drifting your boat sideways downstream in water 10 to 30 feet deep. A small "kicker" engine is used to keep the boat positioned over the target runs and away from obstructions. You fish the roe rig upstream of the boat dragging it along the bottom.
You are fishing in water that your boat has just passed over, but at depths of more than 10 feet the salmon are not disturbed by the hull passing overhead. The terminal rig is a No. 1 hook with an egg loop, attached to a 36-inch, 15-pound leader. This is tied to a barrel swivel attached to the main No. 15 line.
To get the rig to sink to the bottom, attach a pencil lead or slinky drifter as a sliding set up, on the mainline above the swivel. The salmon will be just off the bottom and they do not look down for roe. They will only take the bait when presented at or slightly above their level. By putting a buoyant puff ball on the leader near the hook, your bait will lift off the bottom into the zone. Hooks larger than a No. 1 will add more weight to the roe and require more floatation.
The advantage to boondoggling is the high percentage of hook sets when you drag the rig past stationary fish.
The second place method is "back-bouncing" roe. This is done by pointing the bow upstream, using a small motor, go downstream slower than the current. Your bait is presented downstream of the boat, in water the boat has yet to pass over. This system generally uses a leader to hold the sinker 18 inches below the swivel. The water depths for this are similar to boondoggling. The term "back-bouncing" refers to the lifting and lowering of the weight that "bounces" the rig down the river bottom.
A third option for use in shallow water ( 18 inches to 6 feet) is to cast your boondoggle rig across the current from the drifting boat. This will place your roe in a drift-line different form the drift-line your boat is on. In shallow water, the boat will spook fish and the other two techniques are less effective.
Tim Brady of Weaverville fished below the Woodson Bridge on Friday. In addition to limits of salmon, he also caught and released a sturgeon weighing more than six pounds that took his roe bait. Incidental sturgeon and steelhead are a common occurrence here during the fall.
The fishing in this stretch of the river is currently described by Gary Manies as "as good as it gets." Manies is a full-time guide and a frequent source for my Sacramento River reports. He owns the "Strickly Fishin'"Shop in Redding (530-241-4665) and guided the Jerry Chan party last week.
ooo
Denis Peirce writes a weekly fishing column for The Union and is host of "The KNCO Fishing & Outdoor Report," which airs 6-7 p.m. Fridays and 5-6 a.m. Saturdays on 830-AM radio. He may be reached via e-mail at denisp@theunion.com.
The best place to fish has been in the Corning area with boats launching from the Woodson Bridge launch ramp. This ramp is about 1 1/2 hours from Grass Valley. Jerry Chan of Grass Valley fished there last Thursday. He, his brother and his daughter, Tiffany, took limits of salmon up to 20 pounds by 11 a.m.
Far and away the most effective bait has been salmon roe. But be forewarned that not all salmon roe is created equal. Fresh roe is up to 10-times more effective than a commercially preserved product.
Freshly cured roe has a lifespan of only a few weeks, unless frozen. The only legal commercial sources for fresh roe are in Alaska, so most of the product available has been preserved and does not produce the scent trail that makes the fresher product so effective. "Strictly Fishin" in Redding is the only shop I know of that imports fresh roe from Alaska and cures it in-house.
Your best bet is to get some from a friend until you can catch your own supply.
The number one system for fishing roe in the Corning vicinity is "boondoggling." This involves drifting your boat sideways downstream in water 10 to 30 feet deep. A small "kicker" engine is used to keep the boat positioned over the target runs and away from obstructions. You fish the roe rig upstream of the boat dragging it along the bottom.
You are fishing in water that your boat has just passed over, but at depths of more than 10 feet the salmon are not disturbed by the hull passing overhead. The terminal rig is a No. 1 hook with an egg loop, attached to a 36-inch, 15-pound leader. This is tied to a barrel swivel attached to the main No. 15 line.
To get the rig to sink to the bottom, attach a pencil lead or slinky drifter as a sliding set up, on the mainline above the swivel. The salmon will be just off the bottom and they do not look down for roe. They will only take the bait when presented at or slightly above their level. By putting a buoyant puff ball on the leader near the hook, your bait will lift off the bottom into the zone. Hooks larger than a No. 1 will add more weight to the roe and require more floatation.
The advantage to boondoggling is the high percentage of hook sets when you drag the rig past stationary fish.
The second place method is "back-bouncing" roe. This is done by pointing the bow upstream, using a small motor, go downstream slower than the current. Your bait is presented downstream of the boat, in water the boat has yet to pass over. This system generally uses a leader to hold the sinker 18 inches below the swivel. The water depths for this are similar to boondoggling. The term "back-bouncing" refers to the lifting and lowering of the weight that "bounces" the rig down the river bottom.
A third option for use in shallow water ( 18 inches to 6 feet) is to cast your boondoggle rig across the current from the drifting boat. This will place your roe in a drift-line different form the drift-line your boat is on. In shallow water, the boat will spook fish and the other two techniques are less effective.
Tim Brady of Weaverville fished below the Woodson Bridge on Friday. In addition to limits of salmon, he also caught and released a sturgeon weighing more than six pounds that took his roe bait. Incidental sturgeon and steelhead are a common occurrence here during the fall.
The fishing in this stretch of the river is currently described by Gary Manies as "as good as it gets." Manies is a full-time guide and a frequent source for my Sacramento River reports. He owns the "Strickly Fishin'"Shop in Redding (530-241-4665) and guided the Jerry Chan party last week.
ooo
Denis Peirce writes a weekly fishing column for The Union and is host of "The KNCO Fishing & Outdoor Report," which airs 6-7 p.m. Fridays and 5-6 a.m. Saturdays on 830-AM radio. He may be reached via e-mail at denisp@theunion.com.
