Sacramento River - Discovery Park to Garcia Bend 10/09/12

Here is the information for the float trip from Discovery Park to Garcia Bend.

Conditions: Sunny - Light breeze
Tide: three hours of outgoing,two slack, four incoming
Fishing technique - Strictly vertical jigging
Includes a short lunch, snag recovery rerigging time, occassional paddling to push past upriver wind conditions, a fish caught, and last two hours strict paddling, no fishing because it was taking too long and the last stretch was not very fishy, flat, no structure or contours.

Dropped off a vehicle at Garcia Bend (free parking for cars $8 for trailer/launch).  From Garcia Bend to Discovery Park via Highway 5 takes about twenty minutes.  If going in the morning, there is a ticket booth person collecting money.  Entry plus $3 per kayak.  Safer to launch from powerboat ramp as there are more cars there.  Hand carry by the beach has a lot of undesireable foot traffic.

Discovery Park to Miller Park (3 hours)
This is the best part of the trip in both scenery and fishing conditions.  Lots of holes and hot spots along this section. Pass through old town and opportunity to stop at a few river access restaurants.  Great stretch for photographers and non-fishers.  Miller Park has a free launch which would make an optimum end point.  Miller park area is considered the hot spot at this moment in time.  There were forty bankers in a fifty yard stretch.

Miller Park to Minnow hole (3 hours)
Curvy section with lots of good trenches and a few deep holes including the Minnow hole (banker zone).  There is no launch in this area so only option is to make it all the way down to Garcia Bend.  There is another private launch up from Garcia Bend but don't know what they charge,

Minnow hole to Garcia Bend (2 hours straight paddling no fishing medium paddle rate.)
Long straight and fairly boring.  It's a straight trolling area because it is wide flat and not much structure for holding up fish.

If I did the full length again (which I am going to) I will bring my trolling rigs and troll through the basic spots and just jig the holding areas.  The Discovery Park to Garcia Bend is the most interesting and most fishy section of the three.  It would be worthwhile to repeat this section multiple times versus the full length if strictly wanting to catch.  Boat traffic was minimal with all fishing boats no rec or jet skis (Monday).  You do need to be a little careful about wake as these guys are running by full throttle in the wide open areas.  Bright colors would be a good safety feature possibly a whistle as well.  Be very careful about snags.  The Sac gives off the appearance that it is running slow.  It has definite torque to it.  What happens is that you will get snagged up.  Your rod is going bendo which causes your kayak to turn sideways.  You get panicked and grab the line to try and free.  The extra tension or the line breaking while you are sideways throws you off balance and you are in the drink, your kayak upside down, your equipment everywhere and sunk.  If you get a snag, pop open your bail or free spool your reel.  Quickly spin your kayak so it is pointing upstream.  When you are heading back up stream close your bail and paddle well above the snag.  Keep your front pointed upstream and slowly drift back taking up slack.  Jiggle lightly and use the jigs weight to free itself.  If you can't get it free, cut the line.  If your using braid or heavy line, do not wrap it around your hand and try to break it off.  You run a high risk of the line not breaking, the line getting stuck on your hand and your kayak turning sideways and you getting dragged down. 

I am interested in doing a Garcia Bend to Clarksburg as well.  That stretch becomes hot during the winter run when the large Salmon start coming through.  I remember last year that jigging this area was the only game in town.  Lots of guides launching out of Clarksburg.  The average size this year is running in the low 30" range versus last years mid-20" jacks.  The average winter fish they were catching were mid-30's. 

Did the float with Yester.  As I was strictly doing this trip as a recon mission, I utilized a jig with no hooks so I could actually go through the motion but not take the risk of actually catching something and throwing off my time schedule    He can post the fishing report,

Good info and report Steve. I'm surprised the last leg was not too fishy. There are plenty of salmon caught on that stretch by powerboaters.

The jigging technique is such a pain for me. I've lost every jig I've tried this year. And at 6 bucks a pop that adds up.

Wes has some jigs that have the two single hooks up on the top of the spoon, they are basically almost connected to the swivel, that might be an option for me.

Thanks for posting up this information! I wanna do this trip sometime just have to get over my fear of the kayak in the Sac!


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Awesome,  hey i have a question, i don't have a kayak and was wondering what kayaks you have and what size.  i was thinking of getting a perception pescator 12 or trying to get a used ocean kayak with the rodpod.

was the water cold?  i was going to just wear my duck hunting waders.

JimmyD

Awesome,  hey i have a question, i don't have a kayak and was wondering what kayaks you have and what size.  i was thinking of getting a perception pescator 12 or trying to get a used ocean kayak with the rodpod.

was the water cold?  i was going to just wear my duck hunting waders.

JimmyD

Tarpon 140 (14')
Either will do it.  I think the OK Trident is the preferred way to go.  I recommend whatever gets you on the water comfortably and safely.  Lots of info on the site just need to search a bit.  Lots of used kayaks available here and on craigslist.
Not horribly cold but getting colder every day.  Still people swimming in it.  Waders work but make sure you have the chest belt to slow the amount of water that will fill the waders should you go in.

Sweet Steve, I want to do this too.
If you think you'll go on a wknd in the winter, I wanna go.
Before I started Kayak fishing  I had thoughts of putting the touring boat in at Knights landing, and pulling out at Disco or Miller.

I'll do this trip anytime.  Very leisurely and always new scenery.  It would be nice to get it a bit more dialed in on spots.  Just let me know when you are free and we can float it.

sweet trip and report Steve.  I think this will be in my future next year 

Yeah, very good report, Steve! I live close to these waters and truly appreciate the info. Thanks for sharing!

Be careful out there guys...especialy around the bend near the minnow hole...there were a couple of kayakers fishing right on the bend where all the boats cruise through...I was rippin' through that area on Sat on my way down to Garcia from Discovery on my boat when I saw a couple of kayakers jigging near the pilings across from the minnow hole...stay safe guys