American River Salmon Oct 30 & 31st weekend

Let me know who's intrested in going the weekend of the 30th-31st for the opener. I am planning on hitting the lower portion of the river the first day and depending on how it pans out I will either try it again Sunday or head upriver.


From DFG news release  (attached)
American River
Open Oct. 30 through Nov. 28 from the SMUD power line crossing at the southwest boundary of Ancil Hoffman Park downstream to the mouth of the American River. The daily bag and possession limit is two Chinook salmon.

i will definetly be out there on the opener! Ill be heading out of howe and going down stream myself..been out there everyday tryna hook these big stripers im seeing but been seeing a lot of salmon coming up! there in there now pretty good. i just hope thier still somemore when it opens..see u out there Eric.

i will definetly be out there on the opener! Ill be heading out of howe and going down stream myself..been out there everyday tryna hook these big stripers im seeing but been seeing a lot of salmon coming up! there in there now pretty good. i just hope thier still somemore when it opens..see u out there Eric.

I was thinking Discovery and paddling up towards Cal Expo on that Saturday. Depending on how it goes either the same on Sunday or possibly around Sac State or Harrington. Ya last weekend the striper bite was slow but there was a bunch of Salmon surfacing. Let's only hope there still in there at the end of the month. Let me know next time your heading out and we can try and hit the striper bite.

Hey guys, I'm interested in trying the AR again.
Halloween plans are just now coming together.
I'll have to wait and see exactly which morning is free for hooking up another AR salmon

I'll be out there Saturday for sure - not sure exactly where or when, but it'll be good to coordinate. 

Im in for sat.  Sunday night im taking a guided trip night fishing the lower AR.

I may be moving, but if I can swing it, i'd sure like a shot at a salmon this year! 

OK Saturday is it for me too.
What launch will give us the best chance to get towed around by a big one?
Al - come on out to the AR! Kayak fishing is way more fun than moving

Hi, I am new to this but any who where on the Sac river are you planning this. would like to go for some SALMON but that is a good drive for me.

JerBear

How do you rig/fish for river salmon? I've never done it from a yak, any info would be helpful.

Thanks

I was trying to find the park you were talking about and ran across this article,

 State cancels American River Salmon Festival - Other News

Wed 06 Oct 2010 11:25:42 AM PDT

The American River Salmon Festival, once a rite of fall for outdoor enthusiasts, has been canceled for the second straight year because of "negative economic conditions," according to the state Department of Fish and Game.
 so is this true or did something change?

I was trying to find the park you were talking about and ran across this article,

 State cancels American River Salmon Festival - Other News

Wed 06 Oct 2010 11:25:42 AM PDT

The American River Salmon Festival, once a rite of fall for outdoor enthusiasts, has been canceled for the second straight year because of "negative economic conditions," according to the state Department of Fish and Game.
 so is this true or did something change?

Hey Jerry the Salmon Festival is something that DFG puts on at the hatchery to educate people on the rivers and the salmon. It doesn't have to do with the actual salmon season due to open up on the 30th. Hope that helps. Here's the link and the full article.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/news10/2010100401-No-Salmon-Fest.html

DFG News ReleaseAmerican River Salmon Festival CanceledOct. 4, 2010Media Contact(s):
Harry Morse, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8962
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) reminds outdoor enthusiasts that the American River Salmon Festival has been canceled for 2010. Due to budget and staff cuts experienced by many of the sponsors and partners, as well as state employee furloughs and negative economic conditions, DFG and other festival sponsors have had to cancel the event for the second year in a row.

The annual October celebration is normally held at the Nimbus Hatchery and Lake Natoma, providing the public with a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the American and Sacramento rivers and their connection to the salmon population.

Also canceled is The American River Salmon School Days, a field trip for fourth grade schoolchildren that has been held in conjunction with the festival in previous years. The American River Salmon School Days instructed students about the importance of clean and healthy rivers as well as habitat for salmon and other species.

A possible resumption of the festival and The American River Salmon School Days will be considered in the future.

How do you rig/fish for river salmon? I've never done it from a yak, any info would be helpful.

Thanks

If you're anchored up in a 15 ft+ channel or slot in the river, then I'd flatline a sardine wrapped k13 (depending on current, the faster the current the smaller, the lure the slower...you get the picture)  No weights or anything (unless you're using braid then a mono leader would be necessary).  Pretty straight forward.

If you're drifting downstream with the yak, use a regular drift rig style setup.  The only difference would be the style of weight.  I like to use sploosh balls or bouncing betty's.  You'll want to pick a size that'll drift faster than you.  Your line should always be below (downstream) from you at all times "tapping" the bottom.  Bait up with tuna (I shit you not!).  Go buy a can of oil packed tuna and wrap up little balls with spawn netting (you can buy this stuff from wal-mart, FW, etc.).  So so so much cleaner and cheaper than using roe.  Winter run fish are usually fresh and are more prone to pick up baits.

I'll snap some pics of my favorite setups for you in a bit.

Here's the actual DFG link to the Inland-Salmon-Regulations PDF I attached in the first post.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/news10/2010052801-Inland-Salmon-Regulations.html

Spent the day on the Klamath today using roe, was a little slow. I will be looking forward to AR on the 30th see ya there. I will try the tuna.