THE FISHING REPORT: Transitions

Clearly summer has given way to winter and this period of time when everyone and everything has to adjust is upon us. Humans crank up their heaters and put on jackets. Animals take refuge in their expanded winter coats. Some birds fly south and some fish swim upstream. But all life is aware of the changes and adapts accordingly.
The ocean salmon season ended last Sunday and what a season it was. Predicted to be the best in a decade, only the final numbers will tell, but it was certainly a good one. I know personally that I had some of the best salmon fishing in quite a while and it was close to port for the most part as well.
Crabbing and rock fishing is what is on the ocean anglers menu these days. Ports up and down the coast have been extremely busy with all sorts of people from all over the state. Some don’t have a lot of experience out on the water or on the launch ramp and patience and care should be taken when dealing with them. I don’t think I have seen as many kayaks ever as I did on opening day weekend at Bodega Bay. Of course, the weather was absolutely gorgeous with temperatures in the low 80s, and it seems that everyone came out to enjoy the bounty. And bounty there was. Crabs filled the pots and most anglers with a little knowledge got their 10 crabs. Those that were fishing the outer bay were out fished by those that set a bit further up the line. Counts really climbed as you got closer to the Russian River mouth. I don’t expect to see a significant drop off until the commercials set this Thursday or whenever they negotiate a price with the wholesalers.
Rock fishing remains open until the end of the month and by all reports, the fishing is still very good. Ling counts seem to have dropped partly because boats haven’t been running the 20 plus miles up or down the coast to the better ling cod spots. The crab/ rockfish trip is a great combo trip when the weather is cooperative. I will mention that if you are prone to seasickness you may want to stay away. There is a lot of slow moving and drifting and on top of a winter swell, even the saltiest fisherman has been known to sell a few “Buicks” under these conditions, as the saying goes.
The rivers are in transition as well and while there are a few salmon still in the rivers, we are waiting for a significant rain event to bring in the steelies. I have heard reports of a few steelhead being caught in the lower river around Guerneville. Fishing for them in these low, clear conditions can be demanding however. Typically anglers will target the slow moving deep holes where they are forced to hang out, with bobbers and jigs or bait is going to produce the best. It is still unclear to me as to why the Russian River is the only west coast river not to have a “low flow” closure restriction for fishing.
The lakes, too, are changing. The temperatures tend to even out bringing cold water to the surface. This is known as “turning over” and all of our local lakes have now turned with surface temperatures around 60 degrees. The fish can be found feeding on the abundant shad that will now congregate to spawn in the top 15 feet of the lakes. I was fishing Lake Sonoma last weekend, and while I was trolling for steelhead, managed to catch several good size small mouth bass and a largemouth bass along with several of the steelhead in 200 feet of water. The bait is abundant and even a small white fly tossed to rising fish produced a quality fish.
For more information and/ or reports please contact Hunt Conrad at Prospect Mortgage, 431-9715.