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King salmon biting off Bodega

Fishing and hunting

 

King salmon fishing (trolling) off the Sonoma Coast turned red hot this week, with many anglers bringing home full limits (two fish) of hard-fighting kings to 30 pounds. I spoke to Capt. Rick Powers, of Bodega Bay Sportfishing, Wednesday morning while he was aboard his party boat, The New Sea Angler, and his clients were hooking fish as he was giving me the report.

Rick said his clients must have hooked more than 200 salmon in the last three days.

“They are full of fight and a lot of them get off, but everyone on board his having a blast because there is so much action,” Rick added.

He got full limits of kings up to 28 pounds on Tuesday for his 13 customers. On Monday he had 37 salmon for 20 anglers, and the only reason they didn't get the full 40 was everyone on board was tired out from hooking and fighting the salmon. 

His daily rate is $90 an angler. Call him at 875-3344 for information and reservations.

Sturgeon fishing continues to be good to awesome (depending on the tides) in San Pablo Bay and the lower Napa River (Marker 7), according to Keith Fraser, of Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael, and Joel Sinkay, of Leonard's Bait Shop at Port Sonoma.

Keith had one client this week who anchored near the pump house and hooked a 73-inch sturgeon on his first cast, followed by a hook-up on a 76-incher on his second cast. Striped bass are plentiful and also hitting shrimp baits, and trolled jigs along the Marin shoreline. Keith is also getting some good reports on halibut action for anglers drifting his live shiners.

Joel's fishing buddy hooked 10 sturgeon this week on the Napa River near the Towers and Marker 7 using live shrimp. Joel said lots of anglers are also hooking many small stripers off the banks at Port Sonoma this week.

Joel has decided to sell Leonard's Bait Shop and he is offering it at $95,000. If you've always dreamed of owning a place where you can fish every day, this might be it. Call Joel at 762-7818 for more information.

Lake fishing has been somewhat slow this week with few reports coming from Clear Lake and Lake Sonoma. Berryessa action is fair to good, according to guide Sid Silberberg, who has had some success primarily because he knows the lake so well. You can contact him at 650-583-3333 or at bestguide@hotmail.com.

The upper Sacramento River is finally down to its best summer-fishing levels and action has picked up according to Bob Grace, at the Ted Fay Fly Shop in Dunsmuir. Bob said there is a good caddis hatch now and fishing is good-to-great up and down the river. The same is true for fly-fishing on the lower Sac between Redding and Red Bluff.

Sierra rivers such as the Yuba, Truckee, Carson and Walker are finally dropping down enough to be fishable, although they are still unseasonably high. August should be a great month for all of these streams.

A reminder that guide Jim Andras, of Leland Fly Fishing, has a great July deal on local-guided fishing trips, which are $200 a day for up to two anglers. Call Jim at 530-722-7992 or reach him at jimandras@flyfishingoutfitters.com.

Leland is also hosting a bunch of fly-fishing seminars (for kids, women and beginners-to-advance fly-fishers) over the next several weeks. Check their website at www.flyfishingoutfitters.com.