Whats the word on Sacramento Salmon Season Opener?

As long as your sharing roe I might just C&R any females.  Get a smoker yet, I was looking to pick one up.  Not sure I would use it that much after a couple of Salmon though.  More stuff for my patio area which I don't need.  Smoked salmon would be killer though especially during the winter time.

I actually haven't caught a trout this year.  Pitiful.

09/29 Thu.  Haven't been out to the Watt/Howe stretch in a couple of weeks.  Got a text from Matt to see if I wanted to head out.  Figured what the hell.  It would be different.  Naoaki, Wes, and a few others might be out.  I like to do my own thing because I feel it makes me focus better on my plans rather than seeing what others are doing.  Went out sort of half-hearted as the water in the evening is basically shut down since mid-day and only starts pumping back up as we are just coming off the water.  Sort of a buzz kill on the bite.  Met up with the guys, but decided to fish below the foot bridge.  Really wanted to make it below Fair Oaks bridge to anchor up and throw out a couple of Kwikfish.  The water is so low that there really is no good spot with current or depth.  Figured might as well troll around with spinners.  Only saw one fish caught the whole afternoon by a little aluminum with four guys trolling spinners.  Ended up with a nice paddling afternoon but no fishies.  Good thing is nothing to have to clean.  Probably spend more afternoon time once the gravel bed work is done and we start seeing some consistent water flows.  The temperature should start dropping which will kick the ocean fish into gear and into the rivers.  This will also knock out a lot of the fair weather fisherman leaving more open water for those willing to get a little wet and cold.

9/30 Fri.  Usually I have the evening free but instead I had dedicated this time for some afternoon Salmon related activities.  I just picked up a cheap smoker off of Craigslist ($15 Brinkmann charcoal smoker).  I had brined up three steaks each in two different brines.  I wanted to start with a standard brine of white sugar, salt, and water.  This was to give me a baseline on smoking time and flavors.  The other brine I got from Raymac. 

1 cup soy sauce
2 cups apple juice
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 tsp onion salt/powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt/powder.
1tbsp garlic pepper
1 TBSP Tabasco sauce

repeat mix until fish is completely covered
soaked in marinade 1 & 1/2 days
Only 1 pan of alder chips.
gas smoker
smoked at 200 degrees for 5.5 hrs.

Now, that stereotype about Asians and math, well, I crushed that myth.  I was reducing the basic brine method as I was only doing three steaks so had to do some division.  Half of 2.25 is not 1.75.  I don't know where that came from and it would probably been much better if it had been the sugar instead of the salt that I calculated incorrectly, but wow was I off.  No big deal though as it turned out to be a great mixer for sauces or in eggs.  The RayMac brine on the other hand was spectacular.  Big thumbs up on that mixture.  I ended up doing it over night as I was worried about the plumes of smoke coming out of my patio and the neighbors freaking, but under cover of darkness it worked out fine.  I knew with the charcoal smokers you have to be careful about over cooking so I spent a good part of the time slowly adding mesquite briquets as well as spritzing the smoke box every twenty minutes or so.  This kept the temperature in the low to ideal mark.  I was really getting tired of eating grilled Salmon but the smoking brings on a whole new aspect.  Great stuff.  I need to pick up a freshie for smoking which I will do the prior two brines and maybe one more variety.

10/01 Sat.  Need a freshie for the smoker so headed out while butt crack of dawn was still sleeping.  I am going to start the night fishing so in these instances I might even head out an hour or two even earlier and hit the dredger holes before I head out to my spot as all the power boaters are gone by that time.  Just need to get my glo-in-the-dark rigs and flash box set-up.  Got set-up and ate smoked salmon, cream cheese, and crackers.  Three naps later and it was 1pm.  Not a take down.  This was not good.  Two skunks would not be good.  Gave Matt a call and he relayed the shitty fish day.  Got off the phone and after thinking about time to pack it in, the rod went horizontal and started surging.  Sat there and watched it for a while, remembering to let it hook itself.  Finally, wrestled the pole out of the pole holder and life is good.  Pumped it up to the boat so I could see if the lure was pinned and saw that it was a good hook set so I let it run itself out.  Got it on its belly and went in for the net.  Almost screwed that up, when I got the lure caught in the net, but as it was pretty much belly up and I made sure to drop the net way down, the hooks got caught on the far side of the net which allowed me to scoop the main part of the body in.  Happy days again.  No skunk.  Threw the lines out and prepped the fish.  Sat for another hour before heading in. 

10/02 Sun.  I had adjusted my anchor position when I caught the one the day before so set-up in the new location right off the bat.  Sat there and sat there and sat there.  Got a single take down that didn't stick.  It was a brutal day of nothing.  Don't know whats up but the spot is quickly becoming average.  It was a really good spot when they were turning the water on and off during the week, but with the water levels being kept consistently high, I don't think I am getting that pool of fish running by first light so I am relying on catching a school coming by or a few taking a rest in the deep stretch.  Once the water levels settle and the temperature stabilizes hopefully things will pick back up, otherwise I need to start scouting some more.  Skunk.

I had brined up three steaks each in two different brines.  I wanted to start with a standard brine of white sugar, salt, and water.  This was to give me a baseline on smoking time and flavors. 

Try the Indian Candy Brine on the Salmon and you will never go back.

Thanks Abdiver,

I read a few of the guys talking that up.  I'll look up the recipe and give it a try.

American River Night Fishing (and later the Port of Sacramento)

With the daylight hours dwindling and temperatures dropping, the word is to start hitting the dredger holes (deep cut channels) along the 160 to I-80 stretch of the American.  I've been fortunate enough this year to have done pretty good on the actual catching side of Salmon fishing so, a change of pace is in order.  A whole new technique and corresponding tools are required making for some fun projects and a whole new challenge.  There are some pretty good articles about this specific technique and the local veterans and guides have been doing it for a long time.  For me it also opens up another option to stay away from the Salmon "fleets".

I was over due on the night fishing kayak preparation so basically used the 360 light stick that Abdiver posted with a few easier for me alterations.  I picked up the standard colored light stick and did the led internal flip and then glued the whole thing into the perfect fitting pvc pipe.  I used another piece of pvc tubing as the base for the light stick as I use my rear pole holders for quicker access to my net and spinning rod.  For the front I saw that they had a key chain model of the light which one of the color options was red on one side and green on the other (white flashlight side).  It is the green housing one that has the green/red.  Because the green side has a clear lens I just dabbed some silicone to dull the direct light and allows the light to just come through the green housing.  The red uses a red led so it glows red on its own.  A broom stick spring clip (the clips you attach to a wall which you can snap the handle of your broomstick or mop in.  That was the perfect size to hold the red/green light.  Although for kayaks it isn't a legal requirement, I prefer the non-getting run down accessories.  Out side of that the kayak is ready to do some night fishing.

For this type of fishing the lures used are the glow in the dark tubes (some people call them gitzits.)  They are basically glow in the dark squid tubes with a 1-1.5 oz jig head.  Glow in the dark spoons and kwikfish can also be used.  Most often than not a scent strip of sardine is added to kill any human odor as well as to entice a strike. 

The other project was to develop a lighting source to charge the glow lures.  Pretty much any lighting source will work, but the different lights impact the intensity and longevity of the glow.  The sun, flashlights, spot lights, camera flashes, led lights, and uv lights are all used and everyone seems to have their own preference.  My research showed that UV lighting had the most positive response with very short activation time required, a non-harsh glow, and longer lasting glow.  I also saw that some of the people bought or made charge boxes.  Basically boxes that used whatever chosed light source and totally encased the lure and light.  Cool.  Went on the prowl for uv/black lights that I could buy locally.  One thing I saw was that their is the market for those CSI blood/stain UV hand held wands.  Where do you get those, from the CSI market maybe.  Well, after some research I found that the same light is used by pet owners (cats/dogs) to find where pets had accidents (and also people who are germaphobic and want to scout out hotel rooms).  Perfect.  Headed down to Petsmart.  They have two hand held models.  One was $21 and the other $25.  The difference between the quality of the two was huge.  One was a total piece of crap so I ended up splurging and got a light that was ten times better.  As a side note, I thought I had a perfect cheap solution when I was scouting around at Walmart.  In their Ghosts and Goblins section (Halloween) they have some small handheld black lights that would be perfect if they werent so cheap.  Cheap in that they were $7 but also cheap that the 3W bulb barely worked.  I tested one out and it did charge the lures but it was very weak and most likely would not do a very good job.  Next, I needed a box to store it in so headed down to the local Goodwill with some measurements. Found the perfect small plastic tool box that was exactly what I needed $3.  Headed over to the dollar store and picked up a plain mylar balloon for the reflective lining.  Using some silicone I just covered the sides, formed the mylar around the edges and trimmed.  Perfect.  A bit sloppy but in this case the more crinkles the better.  Charge box done.  It even has a storage area on the top where I can keep my extra tubes and jig heads.  This will work perfect because I am going to be traveling light and leaving anything not going on the kayak at home as I hear car break-ins are on the rise with all the Salmon fisherman leaving cars early and late.  Having nothing inside hopefully deters anyone from doing a smash and grab.

With that I am ready to go.  I'll start by drift jigging the tubes and if things allow I will probably also pick up a couple of glow in the dark Kwikfish that I can sit on anchor with at the I-80 railroad track holes. 


Here is a link to one of the best overall articles about this type of fishing. 
http://www.bassjack.com/salmon_night.htm

Good luck and be careful if you decide to give it a try.  My new spot is out that way so I spend a lot of time in that area (during the day) so know where most of the tricky spots are (tree trunks, old bridge wreckage, current changes, debris, eddies, etc.).  If you decide to try this I would suggest that you do a few day recons to get a feel for where the holes are as well as any safety issues.  For the last couple of weeks I saw about a dozen boats at sunset so there is decent boat traffic that you have to look out for.  If you read the article you will see how much he emphasizes boating etiquette and safety.

very cool Steve 
I roll ninja at night

Back when I used to (glo)bead at Hazel in the 90's we just flashed our lure boxes with a small photo flash unit.
I suppose you could just use your H20 pruf cam that we all seem to carry these days.
Worked like a charm glow lasted for quite awhile.

Good luck out there Steve.  Be extra careful cruising around out there, not so much for the boaters but also for the sea lions.  Watch that game clip, they've been out in full force around 160.

If you don't get any on the gitzit bite, I'd suggest hitting the black train bridge just west of I80.  There's a deep trench that runs on the north side of the river.  In the past we used to destroy them on glow k14's and lighted k16's...

http://www.bassjack.com/salmon_night.htm
Thats a cool option to have as I dont think we have any night salmon fishing up north.

Good luck out there Steve. Be safe.

10/6 Thu.  Night fishing try number one.  It rained during the day but was forecasted to be clear at night.  That would be perfect as it would reduce the number of boats out and give me a chance to test the waters without a lot of boat traffic.  I tried to think through all the issues with night fishing by kayak in a river, but you can only predict so much.  I also varied my technique in that the info I got from Striper Slayer about anchoring up and running kwikfish was a lot more of what I prefer.  There is nothing that lays a pole vertical as much as a Salmon on a kwikfish while anchored.  I picked up a couple of different models as there was only one style of actual kwikfish with a painted glo head.  I also picked up another flatfish which was the same K14 size but in a different brand and it seemed to be a glo impregnated plastic, whitish with spots.  I tested them out at home and man what a difference.  The Kwikfish brand with just the painted head was very weak in the glowing.  I used my blacklight flash box and it barely got a glow.  I also tried flashing with a digital camera flash as well as a standard lamp.  Both got barely a light glow.  What a piece of crap.  The other one on the other hand went nuclear with just a few seconds in the glo box.  I had heard that you don't want the super glow but rather a nice dull glow to it, but after five minutes or so it settled into a nice dull glow.  With the tube baits and now glo lures in my flash box I was out the door and at 28th street by 8:30pm.

The original plan was to park in front of the night watchmens office just before you go back into the lot in front of the skatepark but I noticed that there were lights on and a bunch of cars parked there.  I figured nobody would mess with the car if they thought I was just one of the skaters cars so I parked in my usual spot.  As I am usually setting up in the darkest ass crack of dawn when I go out in the mornings, setting up in the dark was no problem.  I know the layout so well I don't even need a flashlight.  The moon was at a two-thirds full so it was illuminating enough as it was.  I was on the water by 9:00 pm as I fully rigged everything and got all my gear set-up before I paddled off the bank.

There were three boats trolling right out front.  They were all just using their red/green bow lights so I switched off my 360 degree white stand up light and just used my box lights.  The stand up light stick has the ability to use the red end so I switched it to that instead.  I paddled upstream to the railroad tracks where the deeper cuts were and got my anchor ready.  I took the inside current (you have to kind of see the layout as there is not only the three big railroad pillars, but upstream and in between them are the old pillars from the prior railroad tracks.  This is where I ran into my first problem.  Because of the multiple pillars, there are a bunch of eddies that form with current that almost S's around them.  Just below the span there is current coming through, but it quickly fans out so when you anchor up, you aren't straightened out facing downstream, but rather you swing around like a fan sometimes getting turned almost 180 degrees.  I tried in three different spots farther down and in the center of the channels but you couldn't get set in one spot.  I ended up using my paddle to keep it directed downstream.  Problem two came when I tried to cut up some Sardine strips.  Doing some detail work in the dark with the kayak slowly twisting and your eyes shifting made things tough to do.  The bad part came when you look up and you go into almost a vertigo state.  That part was not good as getting the spinsies on a kayak anchored up in a river at night is not good.  Even using the light from my fish finder didn't help because your peripheral vision is still affected.  The third problem came after about an hour when the bow lights turned off.  What the hell.  I tried tapping the on button with the paddle and my back light stick, but the button was recessed so it wasn't possible.  Finally I did a risky move by crabbing it up as far as I could then lied down and edged out to the front to turn it on.  That was way too risky to do again.  I ended up getting lines out and hanging out for about an hour or so and then even tried a little bit of jigging with the tubes.  The Kwikfish which did not light up still did not work very well and was basically useless as the dull glow died after a couple of minutes.  The other one worked great as did the tubes.  I figure they would be effective to around a half an hour before they would need another zapping which was quite easy with the flash box.  After that the temperature dropped and the temperature change caused some fog to form and slowly roll in from the sides.  That was really cool.  All the boats left right when I got on the water which I had figured as the boat launches closed up around the 9:30pm mark.  I figured I would float down the north side channels and then to the south side hole just below where I launch at the old house with the pump.  I ended up jigging and trolling that hole until midnight and figured that was a good enough test run to get the info I needed.  I was off the water at midnight and back to the blackened and empty lot.  The worry about my car getting jacked or vandalized did way a bit in the back of my mind so I think I will park in front of the security office next time.

So, after my first trial run I learned that I needed to, 1) pre-cut Sardine stips both for the tubes as well as for the kwikfish.  I will probably cure a bunch and wrap up the kwikfish before I head out as trying to fillet and wrap at night consumes a lot of time and is very difficult.  2) Either figure out if there is a auto shut off on the life light sticks as my stern light did the shut off thing as well, or possibly mount the bow light closer to the center so I can engage it easier.  3) Figure out a better place to anchor up by the railroad tracks.  I might just have to wait until I see a few boats doing it to get an idea where the primo spots are.  4) Park in front of the security office.

10/7 Friday.  Got pissed off at work so I turned my phone off and headed out to Howe.  Met up with Mr. Matt who had already picked up a small Jack as well as Novofish who just likes to come out and paddle around but throws a spinner without a hook because he prefers to not have his paddling interrupted by Salmon.  Zippo for the half dozen people out on the water.  Most of the fish were caught earlier than ten so morning bite seems to be working.  Had the guys drilling for river bed samples so that clouded up the water.  We called it quits by 3pm as it smelled like a crap day.  Back to the office at 4pm less pissed off.

10/12 Wed.  Tonight, checked off two Salmon techniques in one shot.  I wanted to get my second night trip in to get my corrections squared away.  Filleted up a few left over Sardines and packed them in some non-iodized salt that I used for brineing.  I also went through my kit and only pulled out the things that I would use as I want to make sure that I leave nothing in the car when I am gone to hopefully reduce the chance of someone breaking into my car. 

I was originally going to go back out to the Dredger holes by I-80, but after reading MontanaN8V's report about the port, it got me thinking.  I really like the port and hadn't been out there in a while.  I figured what the hell, there was probably nobody doing any night fishing there versus a decent amount of people at the Dredger holes.  With that, I made the quick drive down to the port.  It was great to be back.

One of the time savers I came up with was to get dressed in my waders and boots at home versus waiting until I was at the place in the dark to get changed.  Reducing my kit also makes things much easier.  I was on the water rather quickly and headed over to the locks.  I've fished the area quite a bit so remembered I needed my bush anchor to clip up against the side walls.  After clipping in, I zapped my glo squid tube in my flash box (which works exceptionally I might add), hung a salted Sardine strip on the hook and sent it over the side.  I anchored up right in the center of the gates where the gap allows a little bit of current to pass through.  It took about twenty minutes before I hooked up.  I've never caught a Salmon on a tube jig so didn't know what to expect.  The best I can describe it is that it felt exactly like when you are jigging a Gibbs Minnow at the pump house below Howe and you get snagged up.  Not the best description, but when I got the bite I actually thought I was snagged because it felt just like a jiggly snag.  I actually tried to jiggle the lure free thinking I was snagged, but when I gave it a hard tug to see if I could force it free, it moved and gave a head shake.  Score.  Played it blind, got it to the top and played it by sound, and used the glistening of the scales to net it.  I actually thought I might have picked up a big Catfish because I didn't think I would actually catch a Salmon.  Used my Flashlight and saw that Salmon face and instant gratification.  Got it on the clip and done for the day.  Fished until midnight for nothing so loaded up and headed home. 

Even though I picked up a fish, I only saw two fish roll so I think that it might still be a bit early to put much time into the port.  The best thing though is that if the Salmon bite is slow I can always paddle up to my Striper honey hole and catch some Stripers.

Although I got my night fish as well as at the port, I still have to spend some more time learning the different night fishing techniques and locations.  After this, I just have two more techniques, above Sunrise using barbless hooks and my nemesis Clarksburg.  Then on to Mogan Stipers, yea baby.  Big baits, big fish.

10/13 Thu.  Was planning on heading out for a night run at the 160 dredger holes as now I had an idea of what I was doing with my successful run at the Port.  Got a text from a Matt that some of the guys were going to be out.  I haven't been all that social lately so thought it would be fun hanging out with the Sac Crew.  My Howe mojo is pretty low so didn't expect much but figured I would go out and get some paddling in. 

Headed up stream to the Watt stretch trolling with a spinner and a K14.  Made it up to the thin section then switched over to a spinner on the drift back.  Zippo. Man, the water is moving these days. I figured I would head down to the Howe stretch to see if anybody was catching anything as most of the guys went down.  No action.  On the float down I figured I would try something new.  Matt had told me about his refined system where he casts his spinner directly downstream of his drift.  Let it sink to the bottom and then slow retrieve it back.  The bite would come in the first ten feet and after that the current and drag would bring the spinner back up in the water column where there would be no chance at a bite.    I had just drifted past the walk bridge throwing spinners and marked a deep hole where it dropped from 14' to 21' and marked three fish.  I paddled back up to the bridge and I figured why not switch over to something that you could keep in that strike zone.  Dug out a Gibbs minnow and threw it on my kwikfish pole.  Started my drift and bounced it from barely touching bottom to two feet off.  Kept spooling line as the depth dropped.  Got to the hole, felt a jiggle and set the hook into a solid object.  Head shake, fish on.  Strong puller but much easier to fight when not anchored in current.  Nice five minute fight.  Played it out until it was on its back.  Wedged it into the net and done.  Right at sunset so called it a night.

Not expecting to catch a fish so a big plus day and getting out on the water with the usual suspects is always a pleasure. 

Catching a Salmon on a Gibbs Jig, check.

I've got two for the smoker.  Going to try the Indian candy brine as recommended.

right on steve, your killing out there and Im very impressed with your detailed reporting! Wtg bro your doing great and your definetly figuring out the sac area honey holes and its fish! Im curious to see now if you can figure out these Monstrous AR stripers, there tuff trust me. well done brother, well done.