Big salmon catches off our coast

Capt. Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sportsfishing was out on his party boat, the New Sea Angler, Tuesday morning when I called him for a fishing report. “These (salmon) are big, strong, fighting fish, some of the biggest we’ve seen in years and we are hooking a lot of them,” he said. There was excitement in his voice.

It was 9:45 a.m., and he already had at least one salmon per angler on his boat, and more fish were hitting as we spoke. “The salmon are averaging 18 pounds and I know we’ve hooked, and lost, fish that weighed over 30 pounds,” he added.

The fish are so big and strong that more than half the hook-ups end with them breaking the line or getting off some other way. But that also makes for exciting fishing. The added bonus is that all aboard also get to fish for rock and ling cod and bring home limits of them too.

That’s why fishing with Rick is popular and you need to make reservations well in advance. Call Rick at 875-3344.

• Inside San Francisco Bay, striped bass fishing is only fair, with most of the action provided by leopard sharks. There are signs that halibut fishing might improve soon. For the most up-to-date information contact Keith Fraser and Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael, (415) 456-0321.

• One of your best bets for good local fishing is the Napa River with Capt. Patrick MacKenzie, a Sonoma Valley-based fly fishing guide who specializes in the Napa River, San Pablo Bay and local lakes. Patrick says fishing is good right now and that August is going to be the time when even more bass start moving into the river.

Right now he’s taking anglers out, even beginning fly fishers, and they are getting some good action. He said it is a good time to learn how to fly fish with sinking lines and is willing to teach inexperienced people how to fly fish.

The other great thing about fishing with Patrick on the Napa River is that it is usually at least 10 degrees cooler than in downtown Sonoma. So, on a really hot day here, you can enjoy refreshingly cool temps while catching fish just a few miles southeast of town. Call Patrick at (707) 721-6700, or email him at Mackenzieonthefly@gmail.com.

• On the other hand, if you like the heat, then guide Hogan Brown is the guy to call. Hogan is a fly-fishing guide based in Chico, whose home waters include the Sacramento, Yuba and Feather Rivers, as well as several lakes in that area.

At this time of year, Hogan spends a lot of time guiding on the Sac for striped bass. The water is relatively slow-moving and the air temperatures are hot. But the fishing can be too.

Hogan is usually booked well in advance, so if you want to fish with him, call (530) 514-2453, or email him at hoganbrown@hotmail.com.

• Good trout fishing is a little harder to find these days and mostly north of us near Mt. Shasta. In spite of lower than normal water levels, Fall River, Hat Creek and the upper Sacramento River are pretty good places to fly fish for trout now. Bob Grace at the Ted Fay Fly Shop in Dunsmuir says that anglers are finding fish from Dunsmuir downstream, although the water is very low. But icy-cold waters from numerous springs along the way keep that water cool for the fish. Bob is a good contact for fishing in that area. Call him at (530) 235-2969.

You can also find good fishing right now on the Sacramento River between Redding and Anderson. Call AC Flyfishing in Redding to book a guide for that part of the river, (800) 201-5047.