Whats the word on Sacramento Salmon Season Opener?

hey Montana- I have heard about that spot.  Seems like the go to spot outside of Natomas Basin.  Matt and I will add that to our scouting list.  I like to try out an area a few times to get it figured out.  Watt is just convenient as I live right there so I can go floating if I have a couple of hours before or after work.  Thanks for the info.

That spot is in the barbless hook section I think,  only problem I see. I am going to try go up there this evening and scout it out.

How far up past watt ave do they run?

How far up past watt ave do they run?

Nimbus Dam, its a slight hurdle they can't overcome.

Wen out last evening with Steve at Discovery from 5 till 730. We had a quick fish out each and jigged also. Saw a few big salmon caught. Most were caught in the middle of the Sacramento River where Steve was anchored up.
I was anchored up at the mouth by the buoys. Saw two caught within 20 feet of me! No love for me, yet they are there! Seems most luck is still in the Sac. The current was easy to move around in and paddle through.

Should be time for some kayakers to get some salmon!

Matt

We had a quick fish out each and jigged also...... No love for me,

But the question is......were you using a sardine wrap on the Kwikfish?


The Slayer and I are probably hitting the river at O'dark thirty tomorrow for some.

I rigged with the sardine....
Good luck!

08/04 Mouth of American at Discovery Park

Decided that it was a good time (Thursday evening) to test the waters so to speak.  I didn't want my first try to be a weekend morning with all the "combat" fishing going on.  Grabbed Matt and we hit the river.  Since we had scouted out the zone the weekend before we had an idea of the water levels (way low) and the general area where everybody and their mother were setting up.  We had been testing out the anchor systems on the American as well as a try down stream on the Sacramento (One lost anchor system for each of us). 

The water was surprisingly easy to paddle around in.  The American was the usual eddy like conditions with the wind dictating where you are going on the kayak.  The hard left turn when you got into the Sacramento current was gone.  It was still pulling you down stream, but at a much more slower pace.  Almost comparable to what we were seeing drifting downstream of Watt.  There were three boats tied up to the wing dam buoys right at the mouth popping jigs.  There is a nice pool there that drops off from the wing dam at 8' to about 28'.  There is also a good color change separating the clear waters of the American and the filth of the Sacramento.  The main fleet was slightly downstream of the opening (you have to leave a channel open for the pass through boats entering and leaving the American.  There were fourteen boats.  After questioning a few, we were told that the schools had been coming up the center heading up to the Feather.  No action on the inside for American River fish.  Matt attempted anchoring first but with only a 50' section and an 8lb mushroom it wasn't angled enough to catch so he slid down.  That was enough for him as he is not all that gung ho about the Sacramento River.  I dropped my 10lb mushroom with about 80' of line in the 23' ft water column.  I had let too much line out and reeled in a bunch and settled in with right at 65'.  I stuck and didn't move.  I was still kind of spooked about being somewhat surrounded by all the boats and a lot of cross traffic (I pulled in upstream from the main fleet slightly in from the back boats but still right off the channel way for boaters.)  There were a strong presence of recreational boaters with the majority being cool about all the fishing boats and treating it like a no wake zone.  But like usual there is always a bunch of I own this river jerks who busted ass right through there creating some nice wakes.  The worst one I caught from behind and it went over the top and got up to my back.  Once I was felt confident I wasn't going to drag anchor things were a lot more calm.  I decided to stick with one pole and dropped a sardine wrapped k16 chrome/chartreuse with a ten inch dropper and a 3oz weight.  That had pretty good action.  I was dreading the fact that I might catch something and didn't have that all worked out yet how I was going to land a pissed off Salmon.  I remember catching them off the boat and it could be a somewhat Chinese firedrill.  My plan was to catch one, see if it cooperated, as we had no net it would have to be really polite, and the first sign of unmanageability, the knife would come out and I would wave by by to my lure.  My other rig I had a 3ok Gibbs minnow in chrome and shaded back.  A bit too much current for jigging while anchored there and I didn't feel confident enough to run two flatfish. 

There was one fish caught right as we got there, and I saw two more caught in the fleet.  Fortunately on the way out one of the jiggers/snaggers hooked up a feisty one and I got to see it take three leaps that easily cleared six feet.  It was a fantastic fight.  The guy was able to wrangle it in.  Pretty much was happy myself as I pulled in and dragged my boat up to the ramp (the water is about ten feet below the end of the kayak/canoe launch area.  Out side of no net, I felt pretty good about the rigging and how things worked.  Got to see some fish caught so they are there. 

08-05 Mouth of the American River (Discovery Park)

Had a light day at work and spent the day reflecting on the prior days outing.  The mouth is definitely doable on a kayak, but its the boat traffic that will determine how safe it will be.  I am pretty much going to take a pass on weekend at the mouth.  Not having a net was a big waste of time.  Why go through all that effort and not have one of the key things that is almost a requirement.  I said screw it and figure a new was mandatory before I do another Salmon attempt.  I scouted some prices and checked Craigslist for nothing that would work.  I figured the old standby of Walmart was worth a go so after work I headed down to the local Walmart.  They had a couple of nets but were out of the bigger size.  I figured I was that far into it, I should head even farther out and try the Natomas Walmart.  It turned out they had a perfect net at a cheap price so I picked it up.  I subliminally had chosen a Walmart that was a couple of miles from Discovery Park, and it so happened that there was a kayak strapped to my roof and a bunch of salmon fishing gear in the back.  Fifteen minutes later I was paddling out to the combat zone with a netted out kayak.

I did a full drift down to almost the pump station to test out the current.  Coming back up I was thinking about anchoring up at the bottom of the fleet.  Just then another boat drifted in and the guys in the last row had a fit so they moved off.  I was kind of wanting to be downstream of all the boat traffic so that I had drift room just in case I caught something and wanted to free drift, or if a fish caused me to drag anchor.  I also figured that maybe it was better off in the center or up top in case something did happen, there would be some help if I got dumped or dragged downstream (most boaters are pretty cool).  I paddled through the fleet letting everyone check me out and learning that it had been a donut for the fleet so far.  I got to the top of the fleet and had a choice of the end spot at the center of the channel or on the inside.  One place you definitely do not want to be in is the upstream towards the center of the channel spot.  If you are not in something at least the 18' +, probably don't want that spot.  That is the turning lane as well as catches the big wakes from the crossign boats.  I took the inside which is usually a pretty sought after location as it is still deep channel 25' but a turn lane into the American with fresh water scent for the Salmon.  The word was out that it was Feather River Salmon passing through so most were lined up towards the center.  I already had my anchor marked out for 65' so I nailed it first shot.

***My procedure for anchoring- find the spot where you want to set, get well ahead and start unraveling your anchor line.  If possible have it tied off so that all you have to do is drop anchor and let out the loose line without having to do any tying off.  By this time you are probably down stream too far so paddle pretty far up and then a bit farther as you will want to have enough room to turn your kayak around so that you are pointed down stream (if you are anchoring so that you face downstream).  Dropping anchor facing upstream is not good as the line will come taught and then it will pin you perpendicular with the current hitting you broadside.  You have to almost use your paddle to force the front around to get the current off the side of your yak.  The much better way is go beyond your anchor drop zone flip a u-turn, get to the spot, back paddle to hold you for a few seconds and then drop the anchor off the side that your QRAS, float line is located.  Wrong side big problems.  Work the loop so it slides to the far back, check an object off the bank to ensure you are not dragging anchor, and take a deep breath.  Your set.  Drop your pre-rigged lines and sit back.  Getting the anchor up, don't just grab the rope and pull your self upstream.  Two things will happen, you will pull yourself into the dangerous perpendicular to the current again, or you will force the anchor to bite deeper or even wedge itself permanently into the bottom structure that is holding you.  I prefer to just cut loose the anchor line/float, U-turn and then take the line as far upstream as I can go, and then haul ass pulling up the anchor so that you are almost pulling it upstream or straight up.  The other way I do it is to leave it clipped in and back paddle a ways so that I have enough room to flip a U-turn with the anchor line still attached.  The let it go and do the U-turn is much easier.

I spent the afternoon bouncing around on the wakes, comfortable enough to have both rods out with flatfish first one same as the day before and the second a K-14 Red stripes and Chrome with Sardine wrap.  Ended the day at sunset with zero fish caught in the whole fleet of seventeen anchored up boats and three jiggers.  It is still early and the word is the schools are still bunched up in the bays and have not started the big migration.  Kind of like the Shad, if the schools are there your catching, when they are not, it is a barren wasteland. 

I am now 150% more comfortable with my river fishing rigging and will have no hesitation about being able to kayak fish on either the American or the Sacramento (not factoring in the combat fishing weekends.)  I can honestly say that I am prepared and comfortable in my gear and abilities (two submersions in rapids on the American as well as self rescue) to catch a Salmon.  Now if I can only find that one sorta retarded/half blind/borderline suicidal Salmon, that will cooperate and grab one of my lures (and not let go).

Check out in the center of the pic.  You can see a big yacht that cut right through the first section of the fleet of anchored boats.   Granted the fleet takes up the whole side and slightly over the half way mark, but come on.  I don't think the guy was trying to be a dick but just wasn't quite sure what was going on until he was through the first row and figured out he had to go to the left half of the river which is the only open route.  Plenty of sky boats blasting right through to the American.  95% are cool though treating it like a no wake zone.  Lots of smaller than my 14' Tarpon, aluminum boats that get rocked just as bad as my kayak.  Plenty of jet skiers too probably the most annoying.  The deep draft boats even when they are easing through can create some hella wakes.

Many chartered boats out there in the pack? I would like to get on one prior to kayaking it. Any recs for a good outfit?

They are here in numbers both in the Sac and AR. Here's a preview of this morning AR run.

Slammin fish Ab.  That face is actually a bit scary.

08/20 Sat - Did a volunteer support paddle for the American River Parkway Foundation with Matt, making sure none of the Corporate Sponsors drowned at the San Juan Rapids.  Gave us an excuse to paddle down from Sunrise to Harrington and checking out all the fishing holes along the way.  My first time paddling the area.  Between the clear water, the bikinis, and great weather, it was good to get out of paddling with a bunch of fishing gear.  I stripped my kayak down to bone stock and it is waaaaay lighter and a lot less stressful paddling.  Did I mention the bikinis?

08/21 AM.  After a day breather it was time to log some fishing hours.  After getting up three hours past 0-dark-thiry (I really gotta work on that getting up early thing), I figured I would head down to my own little hideaway, Clarksburg.  Once again, zero boats out there and unfortunately zero fish as well.  I paddled farther down stream thinking that I would set-up at a lower bend but it actually straightens out with a lazy curve so ended up anchoring just at the end of where they have shored up the last of the S-turn with all the rocks.   There is a six foot drop where apparently the dredging ends so I set-up so my kwikfish was right at the deep hoping that might be a rest stop for some wary Salmon.  I only marked a couple of large fish go by and they were up in the water column so don't think they were Salmon.  I kept thinking that if Salmon were smart bastards they would swim upstream in a single column.  That would be me sitting in a fifty yard wide river with a two Kwikfish wobbling at a diameter of about a coffee can width.  A Salmon is say the width of a softball.  So basically, if you blind folded someone, placed a coffee can somewhere between the fifty yards, and had them throw the softball, the odds of the ball rolling into the can is roughly my chance of catching a Salmon.  Damn, this is going to take a while.  Still though, my system for getting on the water, anchored, and packed up is smooth.  Got it down pat, except for the catching part.

08/21 Sun PM.  After seeing Abs fish, it got me motivated to head out on the water for some clean water fishing.  Headed over to my Watt spot and set-up.  A good sign was seeing half a dozen fly fisherman lined up below the bridge.  Unless it was a big class, seeing fly fisherman is usually a good sign as they tend to come out when the fishing is good.  I didn't go by them to see what they were flicking so not totally sure what they were going after.  Talked to a couple of Salmon Surveryors who I assume are working with the DFG possibly on tan Tarpon 140 Kayaks (a guy and a girl).  I had just set-up so didn't have anything to report.  Didn't get a chance to ask if they were doing any catching upstream as I had my hands full of treble hooks and sardine filet.  Really nice evening on the water as the recreational people all disappeared around 7:30 and I had the river to myself. 

This is a great thread.  Good luck on your quest.  I like the softball/coffee can analogy.  Keep rolling that softball...   

08/11 Thu  Discovery Park

Got some free time in the evening so headed out to Disco to see what the Salmon bite was like.  Long story short, nada for me, one big mama caught out in the center on a kwikfish and right at sundown a small jack was picked up by the jiggers/snaggers at the wing dam.  I heard the bite had really dropped off significantly from the weekend prior.  It was surprisingly slow out there with maybe a dozen boats and even before sundown the numbers dropped to five.  Just have to wait for the next wave to come in.  I've got some connections in the Bay area and have been watching the fishing reports.  The key is when the charter guys start running more days inside the Gate for Salmon. 

08/11 Fri Clarksburg

Had a little more time that usual in the afternoon so made the 45 minute drive to Clarksburg (Merritts Landing) to see if I could get in the way of some incoming Salmon.  I'm thinking that there is a certain pattern that the fish take kind of like a super highway.  It's just a matter of finding the zone.  The stretch below Freeport down to the Delta is pretty much just a non-descript canal.  I'm hitting the bends in the river but have no clue which side a Salmon would take in a S-turn.  Been setting up at different distances from the bank looking for the sweet spot.  Matt is disallusioned with Salmon fishing so he switched to bass and caught around 20.  I on the other hand will settle for another zero and another lesson learned.  The current is really affected by the tides.  I really didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but I have been seeing significant changes in the current and couldn't figure out why.  High tide in Clarksburg makes it like a lake where you hardly have to paddle.  Useless for Kwikfish.  Coming up on Low tide it is like being on the Sacramento at Discovery Park.  The tides are important for how you are going to fish.  Jigging is a possibility at high tide, but the area really doesn't offer any holding areas like the mouth or 160 where the Salmon might hole up for a while. 

08/12 Sat

Actually hauled my ass out of bed at 0-dark-thirty and headed down to Clarksburg.  Screw Discovery Park on the weekends.  My buddy said he lost count at fifty boats down there.  Screw that.  It was me and a couple of bank guys.  I caught the end of high tide so as I launched it was like a lake.  Set-up anyways and put in my five hours.   Low tide was around 1pm and man seeing the conditions change was very informative.  I didn't even make it to full low tide, but it was ripping and great conditions for Kwikfish.  Only bad thing is that there is tons of trash (leaves and branches as well as actual trash) that gets pushed down.  I had a report about Clarksburg from back in the early 2000's.  It was mainly about guys catching Sturgeon, but one guy reported about the opposite bank being lined with Salmon fishing.  It dawned at me that almost all the hotspot Salmon places (Verona, Discovery Park, The Minnow Hole, Freeport) everybody pretty much lines up on the East side of the river.  At Clarksburg the west side is where the channel was dug out and the East side is sandy and shallower.  I had always been fishing the deep side but figured that maybe it was time for a shift.  I drifted around my usual down river spot on the end of the S-turn and then back up just across fromt he launch.  There is a nice channel that runs from the halfway to about twenty feet from the far bank.  That was the spot.  Easy. No more long paddle down and up.  Straight across, drop anchor start fishing.  Still no love.

08/13 Sun

As I crashed early Saturday night it was not overly difficult to get out of bed and on the river by 6am.  Clarksburg again, opposite the launch, slightly closer to the center.  It was a bit scary as there is a lot of tree parts floating down and being set-up facing downstream is always sketchy.  Long story short zippo.  Saw a couple of what looked like guide boats drifting through with spinners.  That was a good sign as I am not the only one who thinks that there has to be some Salmon action in the area. 

Took a long nap and got up mid-afternoon dreading no more fishing till the end of the following week.  Stupid work.  Still loving getting on the water even though no catching.  Didn't feel like making the haul to the Sacramento so fell back on my usual spot at Watt.  It takes 12 minutes to be on the water.  Nice.  Clear and cold.  Still a few rafters coming through but not many.  Lots of Striper action as there were a half dozen boats running the stretch between Watt and Howe.  One other boat trolling spinners for Salmon.  No action from what I could see.  Stayed out until sundown and 12 minutes later back home.  Surprisingly, if I could have I would have gone out on monday, but that stupid work.  Crap.

08/17 Wed

The stars aligned and everybody else was having issues at work so I had nothing to do.  Grabbed Matt and we headed out to Clarksburg for a evening run of Salmon/me and Bass/Matt.  Didn't check the tides and we missed low tide so it was looking a bit rough for anchoring up.  Put in a couple of hours but with a northern gust, I was getting pushed upcurrent and there was barely enough current to keep the Kwikfish wiggling.  Total hassle.  Switched over to a Spinner and tried trolling and jigging for a while.  Have to work on getting the right weight/lure/depth/current/paddling speed.  Tough business but will alleviate the slack tide fishing.  Should have went to Discovery Park instead.  Matt caught a dozen Bass throwing Cranks.  I'm leaving the Kayak on the cartop so I might get to fish everyday through Sunday at Caples.  Sweet.


 

 

I guess I haven't totally skunked out.  I snagged or it snagged itself but this was one unlucky little guy.  My pole tip was bouncing like I was getting a bit but I had a Kwikfish on it so couldn't understand what the hell would be nibbling.  Finally decided there was something fishy going on and brought it up.  I thought my Salmon luck was bad.