Fall Fishing Excitement Aboard A Lake Shasta Houseboat   By: Cal Kellogg November 6, 2007 More Articles by Cal

I think we should go to the legislature and propose a law that states all Golden State sportsmen get a paid leave of absence from work from September 1 through the last day of November.

Now why would I make such a proposal? Well, it’s simple. There are just too many outstanding opportunities for the sportsman that is forced to work Monday through Friday to sample during those months.

During that period sizzling striper fishing is on tap in the delta, trout in mountain lakes and foothill reservoirs go on their annual pre-winter feeding binge, bass in most waters can be taken on topwater plugs as they assault baitfish, big kings are available in a number of different rivers and there is almost always an excellent sleeper sturgeon bite in the upper reaches of Suisun Bay and the west delta. Of course these are only some of the fishing opportunities available.

Barring any new legislation, what’s a sportsman to do? Well, if you’re like me, you’ll be spending most of the time that you’re not stuck at work out on the water or in the woods.

Over the past six weeks I’ve been on a long list of outstanding fishing trips. All things considered, I believe trout fishing in our mountain lakes and foothill reservoirs and striper fishing in the delta are the two hottest options available to northern California anglers at this time.

My most recent trout fishing trip took place on Saturday, October 6. Originally my dad and I were planning to make a run up to Hat Creek for some fall fly fishing, but late in the week a low pressure area moved through the north state, dumping rain on the hills and valleys and dusting the high country with snow.

On one hand, I was pretty sure that we would catch trout up at Hat Creek despite the weather, but since fishing is generally dicey in the wake of a retreating low, I didn’t want to wager a four hour one way drive against the possibility that I was being overly optimistic. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, because I had a pretty good Plan B that was a lot closer to my house.

Living in Auburn, Dad and I are less than an hour and a half from French Meadows Reservoir. While the possibility of catching trout on a fly rod was off the table, I felt sure we would encounter some great fall trout action while soaking baits and casting lures from the bank, and we might even hookup with one of the lake’s husky brown trout.

There was a good possibility that road to the lake would have snow on it, so we didn’t get off to an early start. Instead we got a little extra sleep and enjoyed out coffee before rolling out of Auburn at about 8 o’clock.

It had rained overnight and the drive to the lake provided spectacular views of mist filled canyons framed by crisp blue sky. When we were about 10 miles from the lake we started noticing patches of snow along the road. As we drove the snow got deeper and more widespread.

At one point the woods were blanketed and big fluffy clumps of white hung from the bows of the pine trees. As the road started winding down the ridge to the lake the snow abruptly disappeared, but the sight of the azure blue lake surrounded by snow capped ridges was awe inspiring.

I directed dad to drive around the lake to the second launch ramp where we quickly deployed our gear. Dad tossed out a spinning rod armed with ball of Power Bait. I rigged my first rod with an inflated night crawler and started casting a chrome/blue Cripplure on my second rod. Within 5 minutes both of our bait rods got hit. Dad missed his fish, but I reeled in a feisty 10 inch rainbow.

After putting on another worm I nailed a trout on the first cast I made with the Cripplure and that 12 inch rainbow joined my first trout on the stringer. When I turned around after putting the stringer back in the lake, I saw my bait rod pulsing wildly and reeled in my third rainbow. It was another colorful 12 incher with intact fins and a clean square tail.

Dad got off to a slow start, but once he brought in his first trout there was no stopping him as he hooked rainbow after rainbow. The high point of the day came when an 18 inch rainbow inhaled Dad’s Power Egg/night crawler combo and headed for the middle of the lake, nearly taking Dad’s rod with it. As Dad fought his big trout I hooked a small one of my own and we managed to get out lines crossed, prompting a massive tangle and a lot of laughing!

By mid afternoon, we’d landed in the neighborhood of 30 rainbows ranging from 9 to 18 inches. Some of the trout were recent planters, but the majority of them were holdovers with sharps square tails. Despite the fact that it was Saturday and we’d caught easy limits of trout, we didn’t see any other folks fishing.

Now, anglers out there in Fish Sniffer land interested in hooking something more substantial than a feisty trout, need look no further than the delta, where fall striper action is in full swing. My first striper adventure of the fall season took place back in early September when Paul Kneeland, the Fish Sniffer’s Advertising Director, Gene Rush and I hooked up with renowned delta striper troller Mark Wilson.

It was the kind of day that I dread in the delta with 25 mile an hour winds right out of the box first thing in the morning. When the day starts off that way, you know the conditions are only going to get worse as the day progresses. Mark was undaunted by the wind, saying that it would keep the fishing pressure light.

After launching Mark’s boat at Brannon Island, we motored out of the Sacramento River end of Three Mile Slough and started trolling shallow running Bombers tipped with white plastic worms as soon as we entered Horseshoe Bend. Action came immediately and within the first half hour we picked up a number of keeper stripers up to 6 pounds.

Once the bite slowed in Horseshoe we headed across the Sacramento and started working the west bank. The action was slower and fine weeds kept fouling our hooks, but that didn’t stop us from picking up a couple more small keepers. As the morning wore on we found ourselves working around the sand bars just above the Rio Vista Bridge. The sand bars seemed to hold a good concentration of bass and we nailed three more keepers to 6 or 7 pounds.

Mark fishes with a great deal of confidence, moving quickly and covering a bunch of water. By early afternoon Mark suggested that we start moving back down river, hit the old dairy and the outside shoreline of Decker Island before finishing the day back in Horseshoe Bend.

As we pulled up to the dairy the wind was really blowing and the river was covered with white caps. Mark pulled us in close to the bank and we spooled our lures out behind the boat. I don’t think we’d covered 100 yards when the clicker on Gene’s rod screamed, signaling that he’d hooked a quality fish.

Mark maneuvered the boat offshore while Gene kept steady pressure on the big bass. Once we were offshore and safely away from snags Mark dropped the motor out of gear and I stood ready with a Boga Grip. Two or three minutes later the exhausted striper boiled to the top off the portside. After a little maneuvering I snapped the Boga firmly on its lower jaw and hauled Gene’s prize aboard. The broad bodied 17 pounder represent a new personal best striper for Gene.

Horseshoe gave up a few more keepers, but none as impressive as the lone bass Gene boated at the Dairy. In the end we boated an impressive 17 keeper stripers to 17 pounds and pulled off the water with three full limits. Mark had really given us a clinic detailing how to catch delta stripers on the troll.

In the weeks since our trip the striper action has continued to improve overall with a few day-to-day ups and downs mixed in due to the weather and tides. These days Mark and other trollers are still catching big numbers of bass ranging from keeper size up to 20 plus pound monsters. In addition, bait anglers soaking fresh shad, sardines and live bullheads are getting in on the action too.