A little salmon excursion

[Bigcat]

Spent 3 days fishing for king salmon in Sacramento California last week with my Dad, brother, and another friend. We had lots of fun even though the weather has been too hot which has delayed the salmon run. Usually by the end of October it is hot and heavy but this year it is just starting. We fished the American River which is a tributary to the Sacramento River. The fish have come up river about 100 miles to get to this point through the San Fransisco Bay and Delta system. Just wanted to share a few pictures. The 3 pictures are of fish that are about 10, 15, and 20 pound kings in order.
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[DonInDenver]

Nice pictures and fish!! What did you take them on??
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[Theekillerbee]

Those are some nice fish! Are you allowed to keep them?
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[Bigcat]

Don, we catch them using a size 4 Red Gamigatsu (not spelled right!) barbless hook. We use 2 or 3 small (3-5 millimeter) colored beads on the line just above the hook. Usually red, orange, green or floro yellow. We use leaders that are 12-20 feet long and then a 1 oz river sinker. The long leaders make casting interesting in sometimes very crouded combat situations. Essentially we are trying to floss that long leader through its mouth and the sinker pulls that leader through until the hook sets in the far side of the mouth. Once they enter the fresh water they no longer eat. Some think they strike at the beads but I don't think they ever see them. Quite often when they are thick in the river you snag some in different parts of their body and once landed the foul hooked ones have to be released but they give you a heck of a battle. Some people use bigger hooks but a size 4 will catch them well in the mouth and pretty difficult to snag them with other places. Any fish larger than 20 pounds usually drags you down stream about 300-400 yards to a section of river that is less fast where they can be landed. We use 14 pound test line so you have to play them the whole time and can't really lay the wood to them or else they will break you off easily. We usually catch many in the 20+ pound range and a good handfull of ones in the 30+ pound and I have seen 4 over 40 pounds. I'll attach a picture of my brother DMR with a 42 pounder. You can keep 3 fish daily. Probably more info than you wanted!
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[DonInDenver]

Cool! Thanks for the other picture and all the information. I really appreciate that kind of detail.
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[Majja]

Wow those are some very nice fish. Thanks for the pics
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[sockeyeslayer]

I too was on the Sacramento last week Wednesday-Saturday mourning and we had 5 kings in the twenty's all on silver trons and the weather was awesome wasn't it?? We fished where the two river's meet ( Sac, American) in an area called Viera's up to walnut grove and then we moved up river close to the airport at the Elkhorn marina I believe!! Great time and I am headed back a week from today!!
Thank's for the report It got me all excited again
Jared Johnson/ SockeyeSlayer
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[Bigcat]

Sockeye slayer,
The sacramento can be really good this time of year. Especially when the run is late like it is this year. It should be excellent in about a week or two. It should be about at its peak about then. I used to fish the Sac a lot when I lived there and could launch my boat 10 minutes from home. i know all the spots you mentioned and have fished and wakeboarded by all of them. The river is about the only thing I miss about California. We used to get them trolling with silvertrons, jigging with gibbs minnows, and back trolling with flat fish wrapped with a sardine wrap. Now that I live here in Utah its too far to take my boat so we just shore fish in sections of the river that tend to congregate the fish. The weather was beautiful but actually a bit too hot for my taste for the salmon run. The water temp was still 62 deg and it needs to get down to 58 to really get the run started. Usually it gets down to about 58 by the third week in October. Good luck next week. I would focus from the mouth of American/Sac river and down from there when you go back. Most of the upper sac run has passed and most of the fish now will be turning up the American. You should catch bigger fish next trip and probably see some big Bucks in the mid to upper 30's but good luck finding many that are real chrome with good pink/orange meat! After awhile it all looks the same color as chicken.... But they are still a rush to catch! Let me know how it goes and take some pictures!
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[Wasatch801]

Hey Bigcat,

I'm also from Cali. I used to life in Fremont and Chico, CA as well as Reno. I used to fish the Feather quite a bit. But I am very familiar with the American too. Where did ya get those bright sammies.... Howe, Watt, Goethe Park? They are nice for river fish! I hate those brownies for eating, but they still give one a nice tug! I miss salmon fishing in the ocean and rivers of CA. Went out earlier in the season off of Duxbury. We caught TONS of cohos and only two small chinooks. Thanks for the memories..... wish I could get out there before the run ends! My buddy in Folsom just got a new 23 ft. Seaswirl!!!
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[Bigcat]

Wasatch801...the feather can be off the hook when the run peaks. They catch some real bruisers up there with many in the 40's and an occasional 50+ pounder. We fish about 1/2 mile down from Nimbus dam off of Hazel Ave. It is a popular area and can get crazy on the weekends. I have fished it for about 10 years now and always fish within 20 feet of the same spot every year. It is the same croud every year and we are know each other well and its always good to catch up with old friends. We joke that we have a certain rock in the river that has our own name on it and we go and stand on it to fish every year. I hear that Goethe park can get really good in November when the upper stretches close on Oct 31st.

Even though the salmon I caught were pretty bright the meat was just average in color. Most of the fish we got were hens and their meat is always questionable this far upriver just because they are sucking all of their energy and nutrients out of their flesh into their roe sacks. The bucks definetly have better meat this far up stream. The bucks really haven't started to show up yet, maybe next week. Hopefully sockeyslayer will hook into a few big bucks to stretch his string.

Nice to know there are a few Cali boys out there to share the salmon memories! I look forward to our annual trip in October for the whole rest of the year!
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[waterat]

Hey Bigcat,
You can place me on that list of Cali boys. I grew up about 30 miles south of Sacramento. I also have fished the Feather and American for salmon, steelhead, and shad. It has been almost 3 three years since my last trip back to fish. I even have two new rods with less than 5 fish each that I bought just before moving to Utah. I miss the big fish that can make your arm cramp just trying to land them.
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[Bigcat]

I can relate to that arm cramping! LOL Mine is still recovering![cool] My thumb also cramps cause I like to fish my baitcaster with a light drag and just thumb it to give it a little extra drag. (when they run really hard I get my thumb out of the way or risk burning some skin!) I never did hit the steelhead run or shad run while I was there and I am sure I really missed out. I lived each year for the salmon run though. What is 30 miles south of Sac??? Is that Twin Cities, Lodi, Walnut Grove?? I lived in Elk Grove for 4 years.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Ah yes...old memories. I used to live right over the levee on the American River, just above Watt Avenue. Got to hit it many mornings and evenings during "rush hour" for other folks. Got lots of honks from jealous commuters when I was bendo on a big fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My most fantastic flyrod session ever was in mid October one year. An early big storm had brought a bunch of salmon up the river overnight. I walked over the levee with my 9 weight flyrod and couldn't believe my eyes. Hundreds of salmon rolling in one long run and not another angler on the river. From early afternoon until dark I was hooked up constantly. Every cast hooked a salmon...fair or foul. Cost me a lot of flies to pop off the foul hooked ones. Of course, I knew the guy that made them, so I was okay. I figure I "pliers released" about 20 fish, after bringing them into the shallows. Don't know how many others arranged their own freedom.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept a couple of egg-laden females to smoke and for the roe. (My daughter took the picture and cut the fish in half)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As a matter of fact, I had more fun fishing for the small jacks and steel head later, with the roe. On light tackle those jacks really whacked both bait and glo bugs (and beads) and really put up a scrap.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Anyway, after that marathon flyrod session, and carrying those two fish back to my house, my hands locked up into clenched fists and they were sore for days. You can't beat fun.[/#0000ff]
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[Lundman]

I too have done the nimbus shoulder to shoulder combat fishing. That was where I caught my first salmon and learned the propper way to put yarn on a hook.

I was stationed at Mather AFB and spent many a afternoon rafting the American river and drinking many beers. The shad fishing was great too -- had a few 15 plus days doing that..

Thanks for the ole memories.....
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[Bigcat]

Glad to know others have experienced the love of the American River salmon run! I already can't wait til next year!!
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[waterat]

The north end of Stockton, almost into Lodi
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Wow! There are a lot of NOR CAL transplants here. Count me in. I grew up in Antioch. East Bay and the heart of the Delta. I spent many a day tromping the sloughs and channels. Thanks for the pics. They rock![/size][/black][/font]
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