Bill Lynch: The fishing is always great

I was on the phone this week with a fly-fishing guide I know in Idaho. “How’s the fishing?” I asked him.

He laughed and gave me the answer I’ve heard hundreds of times before. “The fishing is great, but the catching is so-so.”

If you are angler, you know that fishing is always great. And you don’t have to drive to Idaho to find it. Right now, the catching is good, depending on when and where you go and what the weather is like.

If catching is what you value most in your angling experience, then call Rick Powers at Bodega Bay Sportsfishing, 707-875-3344. Rick continues to file positive reports of full limits of rock fish, lots of lingcod and impressive numbers of Chinook salmon on almost every trip. It is a good way to spend the day on the water and you will be catching, not just fishing.

San Francisco Bay is also providing lots of catching when the tides are right. Call Keith Fraser at the Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael before you go, 415-456-0321. Keith, who has been fishing the Bay since there was water in it, will tell you whether the tides are right or not, when and where to fish and what bait to use. He will direct you to places like China Camp and Paradise Park where you can fish from shore, or if you are interested, he can also connect you with a Bay party boat.

Right now striped bass and halibut fishing is fair to good, and salmon being caught inside the Bay off Cal City, opposite Tiburon.

The Napa River is even closer. Just head toward Napa on Highway 121 and turn right onto Cuttings Wharf Road. It will take you to several spots along the Napa River where you can fish from the bank and gets lots of action on small stripers. Every now and then, you’ll also hook a keeper. The best local source for information on the Napa River is Sweeney’s in Napa, 255-5544, 1537 W. Imola Ave. They also have the latest info about Lake Berryessa and Clear Lake action.

If you like lake fishing for bass, check out the Sonoma County Belly Boat Bass Club, scbbbc.com. This is an informal group of about 40 anglers who love to get out on the water and catch fish. It is open to anglers of all skill levels. They hold monthly tournaments, but don’t take themselves too seriously. New members are always welcome. They meet at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at Coddingtown Round Table Pizza in Santa Rosa.

If you are more into fishing than catching, then you might consider fly-fishing. Those of us who enjoy trying to fool fish by casting hooks covered with yarn and feathers at them are really into the fishing part of the equation. Even if we do catch fish, we usually throw them back. It either makes sense to you or not, but if you like fly-fishing or want to try it, there are plenty of choices, unfortunately none of them close to Sonoma.

My favorite spot is the upper Sacramento River near Dunsmuir. Bob Grace, the owner of the Ted Fay Fly Shop there is a great source of information on that river and can hook you up with a good guide. Call Bob at 530-235-2969.

For the lower Sacramento River (only about a three-hour drive from Sonoma), call Tyler Lee at 530-515-3787 or email him at tylerlee72@gmail.com.

Moving north into Oregon, call Jim Andras at Andras Outfitters, 530-722-7992, and fish for steelhead with him on the Rogue River. He is the best guide I have ever fished with and a great guy. You can stay in Ashland and take in a play or two during your trip. Theater and fly-fishing go together like wine and chocolate.