Meandering Angler: Fishing with the Buff

Bill and Dottie Lynch dug out a pair of Buff shawls, perfect for fishing or social courtesy.|

I occasionally rummage around my fishing tackle shelves and dream of the day when I can actually put the stuff to use again. During such a rummage recently, I pulled out two Buff tubular bandanas that Dottie and I use for protection from the sun.

I think we bought them at a fly shop in Montana. I had no idea until recently that the Buff USA headquarters are in Santa Rosa.

They’re cool looking and come in lots of sexy fish patterns.

Although Dottie sewed cotton surgical style masks for us and some of our friends and neighbors, the Buffs are handy for daily walks on the streets when you don’t expect to meet anyone, but might by chance. You just wear them around your neck and pull them up if you need to pass. It’s nice to know that I can put some of my fishing stuff to some use.

Meanwhile, salmon season opened off the Sonoma Coast on May 1 with few boats on the water.

“There’s lot of salmon out there, right off Bodega Head, but my party boats are still tied up,” said Rick Powers of Bodega Bay Sportsfishing. He added that several of his friends fished from their own boats and limited out on nice salmon caught very close to the harbor.

“I’m taking reservations now for trips starting June 1, and I will open sooner if I can. The good news is that when I do open, I’ll use my large boat, but limit the number of passengers so we can maintain safe social distancing, which means a better experience for the people who go out,” he said.

In June, Rick’s clients will be able to fish for salmon, rock and ling cod and Dungeness crab. Call him at 875-3344 to make a reservation.

Fishing inside San Francisco Bay is fabulous, according to Keith Fraser at Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael. Anglers with access to a boat and a place to launch it are catching good-sized halibut and striped bass using live shiners, anchovies and smelt, of which Keith has a good supply.

Although the public piers along the Marin Shoreline are closed, there are still plenty of good places to fish from shore and Keith can direct you to a good spot. Call him at (415) 456-0321.

Inland, virtually all of the lakes near Sonoma, including Berryessa, Clear Lake, and Lake Sonoma, are closed.

Fly fishing on the lower Sacramento River, Fall River, McCloud River, Pit River and upper Sacramento River is good. Some guides are working on a limited basis, including Hogan Brown, hgbflyfishing.com, AC Flyfishing in Redding, acflyfishing.com, and Kirk Portocarrero, sacriverguide.com. Kirk also guides on Shasta Lake, where the fishing has been excellent this week.

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