TOP PICKS

FEATHER RIVER-Flows jumped from 5,500 cfs to 6,900 cfs, and salmon fishing success increased commensurately. Salmon have been biting Kwikfish at Shanghai Bend and around Gridley. Steelhead fishing was good in the Low Flow Section, with spinners, roe, and nightcrawlers scoring for spin fishermen, and egg patterns and small nymphs working for fly fishers.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Sacramento-Salmon fishing was good again last week at the mouth of the American River, but most of the fish have been small. Again, it's still a waiting game interspersed by flurries of action. Some striped bass are being caught by shore fishermen on bloodworms and mudsuckers at the Port of Sacramento.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Red Bluff-Salmon fishing was outstanding once again last week, with limits common. Lots of the fish being caught continued to be small, but some monsters weighing over 40 pounds are now showing up in greater numbers. Back-trolling plugs like Kwikfish and FlatFish are still getting lots of bites, but the roe bite is now coming on.

DELTA REGION: SACRAMENTO RIVER side-With plenty of baitfish throughout the system, and cool water being dumped into the system, fishing is good and continues to get better. Salmon are being taken in the Rio Vista area and up by trollers and everything is working. The only problem is the fish are mostly jacks still, and there are a ton of anglers going out. Fish early and late, especially this week since the Rio Vista Striped Bass Derby will be going on. SAN JOAQUIN RIVER side-The Benicia State Park and First Street in Benicia had crowds of anglers as another school moved through but mostly jacks were taken and a few small stripers. Fishing for stripers was good at the Middle Grounds and other usual haunts such as Chain Island and Honker Bay. The upper Suisun Bay has also started to see some sturgeon action.

GENERAL

NORTH COAST RIVERS

CHETCO RIVER, Brookings, Ore.- Early king salmon continue to be caught in the Chetco River estuary, building excitement for October's ocean season at the mouth of the river. At least five kings were caught Sept. 24, according to guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. The past week produced two to three fish a day. "For so early in the season, the fishing has been good," Martin said. "The last week of September is usually the start of the season, so with a few fish a day already being caught, I think it's going to be another well above average season." Plug cut herring and whole anchovies have been working best trolled the last two hours before high tide, Martin said.

COOS RIVER, Coos Bay, Ore.-The day-to-day of fishing on the Coos River and it's forks have been changing on a daily basis. Reports indicated that there are hundreds of Chinook showing on the South Fork Coos, but most boats are feeling lucky to catch one salmon after a day of trolling on some days. While downstream on the Coos River the bite has been on or turned off for most anglers. This following week should be some of the best fishing this season, said WON Field Reporter Curtis Palmer of River Secret's Guide Service.

COQUILLE RIVER; Bandon, Ore.-This river has had more boat traffic on it this year than any year in history, said guide Curtis Palmer. "I feel that this extra explosion of boat traffic has shut down the bite on many days." Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) released information that there would be over 300 percent more king's returning over the average return this year. "My daily catches have been good, but are not as high as past seasons on this river and I feel that the extra fishing pressure is responsible for the lower catch numbers," Palmer said. With storms hitting the coast this next week, he is expecting the salmon to race upriver towards the town of Coquille.

ROGUE RIVER, Gold Beach, Ore.-Fishing has been slow in the bay of the Rogue River, but over the weekend things changed as a big run of Indian Creek kings showed up, along with some silvers. Reports have been coming in indicating that the best time to fish here has been first thing in the morning on the flats near Indian Creek "As close as I can tell from talking with anglers, there have been 15-20 salmon a day being caught in that area." Guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers reported the surge in action over the weekend. Guide Bill Divens is still doing well upriver around Lobster Creek.

RUSSIAN RIVER-Smallmouth bass fishing has improved with the slow-down in water users, and anyone working with a Rooster Tail or minnow-imitating lure in the impoundments behind the temporary dams, or in the slower-moving deeper portions of the river will find good action on smallmouth running 12 to 16 inches.

TRINITY/KLAMATH RIVERS FORM CHARTS

TRINITY RIVER, Douglas City-More and more fresh salmon and steelhead are showing daily in the Del Loma to Junction City stretch of river, and some limits are being taken by anglers willing to put in the hours and not discouraged by slow stretches. The best fishing can be as likely to occur mid-morning as at first daylight.

TRINITY RIVER, Willow Creek-Fishing for salmon and steelhead improved greatly last week with lots of fall run Chinook salmon and steelhead streaming upstream from the mouth of the Trinity at Weitchpec. They are taking backtrolled plugs, backbounced roe, and big spinners. Some nice steelhead are showing up, as well.

KLAMATH RIVER, Iron Gate Dam-More and more salmon are starting to show up, and while most are typically released, lots of these early fish are in quite good shape. They are being caught on backtrolled Kwikfish and backbounced roe. Some small steelhead are also being caught on nightcrawlers, back-trolled Hot Shots, and streamers swung on fly rods.

KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath Glen- The quota for adult salmon was reached last week, so no more may be kept. Lots of anglers have left the river, but fishing continued to be outstanding, and anglers can keep 3 jacks (salmon shorter than 22 inches). There's lots more elbow room now since many anglers have left the river.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

AMERICAN RIVER-Flows should stabilize this week, marking the end of the salmon augmentation program. Some salmon are now being taken at night in the Dredger Hole on Glo-in-the-dark Gitzits. Night fishing is allowed only below the Highway 80 Bridge.

Some are also being taken by trolling Kwikfish, and others are being caught in Nimbus Basin.

FOLSOM LAKE-Fishing continued to be slow with very few being caught. What little action anglers have been finding has been mostly on jerkbaits and topwater lures early in the morning and dartheading and drop-shotting plastic worms either in lighter smelt- or darker crawdad-imitating patterns later in the day. Hopefully, the weather change last weekend will spur bass going into a fall feeding binge.

MCCLOUD RIVER- The upper McCloud above the lake continued to see lots of pressure but continued to produce fish. Smaller trout were being caught on nymphs on the Lower McCloud.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Redding-Trout fishing was excellent, once again. Rainbows from 12 inches to 3 pounds continued to be caught on drifted Glo-Bugs and nightcrawlers, as well as dead- drifted egg patterns, caddis- and Mayfly imitating nymphs under floats on the long rod.

UPPER SACRAMENTO RIVER-The water is cooling down as nights get longer, and some of the best fishing of the year is getting underway. Plants of large trout are continuing through the town of Dunsmuir, and anglers are doing very well on bait, lures and flies. Downstream of Gibson, anglers are catching nice rainbows from 14 to 20 inches on small nymphs dead-drifted under indicators. These are native trout coming out of Lake Shasta.

YUBA RIVER-Trout fishing on the Yuba River continued to be very good, with anglers scoring on caddis and Mayfly nymphs under indicators, as well as dry flies. Steelheaders were scoring some nice steelies along Hallwood Road and Walnut Ave. Trout fishermen were walking up and up- and downstream of the Highway 20 Bridge.

SIERRA LAKES/RIVERS

BLUE LAKES-Upper Blue Lake is scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week. WON Editor Bill Karr reported ,"I didn't even go to Blue Lakes as I intended, there were actually lines of cars heading up the road to Blue Lakes, and it must have been a zoo up there." Hunters use the Blue Lakes area as a base camp for hunting Zones X8 and D5 which both opened this past weekend.

BOCA LAKE-The lake is at 77-percent capacity. Flows were dropped in the Little Truckee and most of the fish in the river moved down into the lake. Some big browns and macks were seen chasing smaller fish up at the inlet-macks to 30 inches! Trolling has been the way to go.

CAPLES LAKE-The lake is scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week and has been planted twice earlier this month. Fishing should be good. WON Editor Bill Karr checked out the lake this past week. "Caples Lake was still full, and it looked like there had not been any water taken from it this year at all. There was relatively high boat traffic for a Friday." CARSON RIVER (East, West)-The DFG planted 1000 pounds of catchable rainbows in each of the West Carson and East Carson this past week. Alpine County is scheduled to make another 1800-pound plant of 3- to 4-pound rainbows in the West and East Carson this week. Fishing has been very good. WON Editor Bill Karr made a trip through the area this past week and reported that the West Carson River had decent flows for this time of year, and there were trout in most of the normal stocking areas, with medium fishing pressure and most of the fish being caught the DFG planters under a foot long. The biggest fish checked in at the Carson River Resort ranged from 7 1/2 to 9 pounds.

DAVIS LAKE-The lake is at 79-percent capacity. Ed Dillard reported good action while trolling Wee Dick Nite spoons at 9 feet deep from Honker to the island. His last trip produced 32 rainbows, mostly 16 to 16 1/2 inchers with a 19-inch big fish. Shore fishing was still slow, but there was some fly fishing success on blood midges at Fairview reported by one of Dillard's friends.

DONNER LAKE-Fishing is still slow with no recent DFG plants.

FEATHER RIVER CANYON-The North Feather above Hwy 70 is scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week. Trout action had slowed since the last plant three weeks ago, but anglers were still catching fish, according to Mike Hanson at Caribou Crossroads Resort.

Call 530-283-1384 for more info.

FRENCHMAN LAKE-The lake is at 81-percent capacity. Mountain Hardware and Sports in Blairsden reported good action for trollers working Dick Nites, Sockeye Slammers, and Needlefish at 20 to 25 feet deep in the channel at the north end of the lake at Turkey Point. Mid-morning has been best.

GOLD LAKES BASIN-Gold Lake has been producing the best of the main lakes in the basin. Running flasher/worm combos at the dam and in front of the 4x4 campground at 10 feet deep was producing limits of 12- to 16-inch rainbows. Shore anglers were doing best at the boat ramp and Camp 16 on worms. Sardine Lake was kicking out some fish on Panther Martins. Salmon and Packer were slow.

ICE HOUSE RESERVOIR-The lake is at 68-percent capacity. Fishing has been surprisingly slow here despite plenty of DFG plants this summer. Cooler water temps will improve the bite as fall weather prevails.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR-Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters reported good action for float tubers at the dam and the upper end weed beds. 20 fish days are common for rainbows running mostly 13 to 16 inches with a few 20 to 21 inches. Call 530-541-8208 for info.

JACKSON MEADOW RESERVOIR-Rainbow trout fishing was good from the shore and trolling near the dam. Shore anglers did best on the left side of the dam on worms and marshmallows. Trollers were running Jointed Rapalas and Dick Nite spoons in front of the dam and at the inlet. The fish have been excellent quality-17 to 18 inches.

JENKINSON LAKE (Sly Park)-Not much of a change here-planter rainbows at the first dam on bait for shore fishermen and some smallmouth bass coming out of the Narrows on plugs for boaters.

LAKE TAHOE-Trolling was good for both Mickey Daniels at Big Mack Charters and Chuck Self at Chuck's Charter Fishing at North Shore. Daniels caught seven or eight 4 to 7 pounders on Sunday despite strong winds working Sling Blade/Koke-a-nut or minnow combos on suspended fish at 240 to 260 feet deep. His clients lost 5 or 6 more fish. Chuck Self limited out in 3 hours trolling Coyote and Needlefish spoons at 160 to 180 feet deep. Self said conditions were getting right for rainbows and browns to move up into the shallows-he saw a trout over 10 pounds roll on the surface behind his boat as he was putting out the trolling gear.

LOON LAKE-The lake is at 59-percent capacity. Trollers were still picking up fish all over the lake. Bite should get even better as the water cools. Dale Daneman at Dale's Foothill Guide Service fished here over the weekend and landed 14 rainbows-the first 5 in only 30 minutes after an early start. The fish came on Sep's Side Kick/brown grub combos fished in the top 10 feet. Wind and waves chased boaters off the lake by late morning.

PROSSER LAKE-The lake is at 66-percent capacity. Trollers were doing very well on limits of 16- to 18-inch rainbows in the middle of the lake over the channel at 20 feet deep using a flasher/orange spinner combo.

PYRAMID LAKE-Joe Mendes at Eagle Eye Charters picked up 100 and 57 cutthroats on his last two trips jigging for perch with light spinning tackle. The regular trout season opens on October 1 and the prospects for a great opener are excellent. Call Joe Mendes at Eagle Eye Charters at 775-574-0900 or George Molino at Cutthroat Charters at 775-476-0555.

RED LAKE-The wait going over Carson Pass to Red Lake was only about 15 minutes before 1 p.m., but that's when up to 2 hour waits can begin due to blasting, so time your trip accordingly.

SILVER LAKE-WON Editor Bill Karr did a tour of Alpine County this past Friday and found Silver Lake down just a little, but still higher than normal for this time of year, and only light fishing pressure. Dale Daneman at Dale's Foothill Guide Service fished here recently and his clients landed 22 fish in 4 hours-21 rainbows and a 20-inch Mackinaw-on Sep's brown grub/Side Kick combos. The lake dropped 6 feet since this past week and will be dropped another 6 feet this week to make way for dam repairs by EID. Larger boats will probably not be able to launch, small aluminum boats most likely will still be able to put in. Use Caution!! STAMPEDE RESERVOIR-The lake is at 91-percent capacity. The kokanee trolling is over for the season and the trout trolling has been slow. The best bet is shore fishing for planter rainbows using bait or casting spoons and spinners-try from the dam to the mouth of Sagehen.

TOPAZ LAKE-The trout season closes on September 30 and reopens January 1. This will be the last report until the opener.

TRUCKEE RIVER-According to Mountain Hardware and Sports, fly fishing has been the best from Hirshdale to the Nevada border on October caddis, BWO, baetis and midge patterns, especially on cooler overcast days when the bite lasts all day.

UNION VALLEY RESERVOIR-The lake is at 72-percent capacity. Kyle Neeser at Crystal Basin Tackle reported that the kokanee schools were breaking up and fishing was getting tough. There were still some kokes hitting at the dam at 70 feet deep, but the season for them is pretty much over. Some macks have been caught out of deep water off the dam and along the deep ledges at 120 to 175 feet.

WEST WALKER RIVER-The West Walker is scheduled for a DFG trout plant this week. There were certainly plenty of big fish still in the river from the North Mono Chamber of Commerce plant. Sam Foster at the Toiyabe Motel said two 5 1/4-pound rainbows had been checked in at the Walker Store. Some catch-and-release anglers using barbless hooks were reporting 30 fish days.

NORTH COAST LAKES

CLEAR LAKE-The pros fishing tournaments this past week found bass averaging 3 1/2 pounds at both the north and south ends on Lucky Craft LV500s, swimbaits, frogs, flippin' and everything else. The only problem, all of the tourneys on the weekends now through October, fish mid-week if you can although the biggest events are behind us.

LAKE BERRYESSA-Saturday October 15, Casting for Kids will hold their annual kids fishing event for youth 5 to 16 years old. Boaters are still needed to volunteer for this event. If interested contact Jason at 707.966.2111, ext. 143 or send an email to jgjordan@usbr.gov . You will have to do a lot of sorting through kokes, if you are looking for some good enough to eat, as the season is very close to being over. The action shifting now to bass and with shad starting to ball up, the spoon bite is getting better. Blade Runner spoons in 1 3/4-ounce size and 1-ounce Morning Dawn seem to be the best by the Putah Creek Bridge and in the deep creek channels leading into coves.

NORTHEASTERN AREA

LAKE ALMANOR- Needlefish smelt patterns, gold Speedy Shiners and Pin minnows behind a dodger are good set ups to start trying as we move into the fall bite. The east shore and west side of the peninsula have been good areas for trolling.

BATTLE CREEK RESERVOIR- Rim Rock Ranch reported water levels are being brought down, which makes access more difficult but the fishing could actually improve. There were no reports this past week, so that means pressure is almost nonexistent.

BAUM LAKE-Vaughn's Sporting Goods in Burney reports good fishing continues here. Nightcrawlers and floating baits are still doing well, as are two-toned Kastmasters and Panther Martins. Nymphs of choice are copper Johns in red or pt's. For dries, best luck seems to be with callibaetis cripples.

BRITTON LAKE-According to Vaughn's Sporting Goods, little has changed here. The crappie bite is still on, with some nice stringers still being reported. Try crappie jigs or mealworms for best results around structure. The smallmouth bass also continue to bite.

BURNEY CREEK-Vaughn's Sporting Goods reports no changes in technique here. There's good nymphing at the base of the falls still with green copper Johns. Bait and lure fishermen are still catching trout above the falls.

CASSEL FOREBAY-Rim Rock Ranch reported fishing is still good but has slowed a bit. Pressure is very low, so some peaceful but good fishing can be had on this stretch of water. Salmon eggs, worms, and lures have all been producing. There are still lots of fish in this area so give it a try! Fly fishing has been slower than usual but the evenings still produce some fish. Temperatures have been warm, so take advantage as the bite will shut down a bit as temperatures cool. Try PMD's, Adams and callibaetis first as they consistently produce the most.

FALL RIVER-According to Vaughn's Sporting Goods in Burney, anglers have been mainly nymphing, but there has also been some dry activity. There has also been some good dry fly action on PMD's and a few tricos and BWO's are starting to show.

IRON CANYON RESERVOIR-According to The Fly Shop, the fly fishing is good here since the reservoir turned over cold, trout loving water piped in from McCloud Reservoir, although there have been no new reports. Expect hatches of callibaetis and midges and bring a clouser minnow and a deep sinking 7 line to find the aggressive rainbow and brown trout.

UPPER HAT CREEK-Rim Rock Ranch reports September can be the best fishing month of the year, as the crowds are light and the plants still heavy. Worms continue to be the most consistent producer this time of year and there are still plenty of big fish here.

HAT CREEK (wild trout section)-Vaughn's Sporting Goods reports nymphing was best with fishermen doing okay on the stretch just below the powerhouse. Anglers found good results with pt's and copper Johns and callibaetis cripples were working, with a few PMD's picking up fish.

MANZANITA LAKE--Rim Rock Ranch said there were very few reports coming in at this time, but the kayak activity has slowed way down so the fishing should pick up. As temperatures cool this lake should produce some great fish in the month of October.

Prince nymphs, birds nest nymphs and bugger patterns should entice some bigger fish in the weeks to come. Now is the time to start going after the huge browns in this lake, but remember to check the special regulations on this catch and release lake.

McCLOUD RIVER-The Fly Shop reports this is a perfect choice for this time of year because wading conditions are perfect, crowds are light and insect hatches are returning. To find the best fishing, get on the water between 9 and10 a.m. Fish the shady spots in the afternoon with a dry and dropper set up. Cool, shady late afternoons through the early evening can entice fish out from their hiding places.

PIT RIVER-Fishermen are doing best with black stones, copper Johns in red and birds nest in larger sizes fished on the bottom. There have been good reports from the few fishermen braving the increased flows. Be extremely careful of slippery rocks here and wear your PFD's. There's road work and improvements along the Pit River. Road closures of two plus hours are possible between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The road will be open over Columbus Day weekend and Veterans Day weekend. Beware of the truck traffic along the road that parallels Pit No. 3. These trucks take up the whole single lane road. Finding a spot to pull over could mean backing up a ways.

SHASTA LAKE-One day it was 92 degrees, the next raining on last weekend. This is the beginning of the changing of the seasons. Fall is a wonderful time to fish here, especially with all of the fall colors. Hopefully in a few weeks the lake will turn over and the bass, trout and salmon will be closer to the surface. In the meantime, fish for trout at 25 to 60 feet with Paddletails, Apexs and Hum Dingers in the Pitt River arm by Bridge and Packers bays as the bait is still in there. Also fish for salmon there or Diggers in front to dam from 80 to 100 feet down with Paddletails and Apexs in black and white or Wiggle Hoochies in white.

MOTHERLODE

AMADOR LAKE-Crappie and catfish are top bets with good action on both, but no really big catfish caught. Anglers fishing the docks used mini-jigs and live minnows (you must bring your own, the store doesn't sell them) for crappie, and Kathy Isaac at the store said the bite is hot. Anglers fishing the weekend for catfish reported good action on smaller fish caught on anchovies and sardines.

CAMANCHE LAKE-About the only thing happening is improving trout action as the water temperatures cool off. Most anglers are fishing 35 feet down, trolling flashers and nightcrawlers and Rapalas work best.

DON PEDRO RESERVOIR-The trout action is on fire, with fish chasing shad in a frenzy, also willing to eat a trolled spoon. Guide Monte Smith guided two groups on the lake, with Monday's trio starting out strong with a hookup immediately, and steady action until limits were in the boat at 9:15 a.m. The bite was a little slower on Friday, but the open water produced limits for two anglers by 10 a.m. Smith said his homemade spoons worked best for his anglers, but others on the lake found success with Apexes, Needlefish, Ex-Cel, and Speedy Shiner spoons. Most of the fish came from 20 to 50 feet down, but a few were as deep as 70 feet.

LAKE McCLURE-Some bigger bass are starting to show up. Two in the 4-pound class were caught. Crawdads worked for one and also worked for a catfish, the 5 pounder fooled by one of the anglers who also caught the bigger bass. The other hit a popper.

LAKE McSWAIN-Great trout fishing continued for both trollers and shore anglers. Diana Mello at A1 Bait said the trollers caught limits on flasher/'crawler combos, while shore anglers used orange, chartreuse and rainbow Power Bait. Top spot for shore anglers was the handicap dock.

LAKE PARDEE-Still some kokanee willing to bite, with one pair of anglers bringing home limits of jumbo spawners caught upriver on Apexes fished 100 feet down. Big sockeye was a 17 incher. The Recreation area bank traffic is light, so now is the time to enjoy some solitude at Pardee, hooking trout with Power Bait, Kastmasters and nightcrawlers. Anglers targeting catfish are doing great using chicken liver along the eastern shoreline and southern end of the lake.

NEW HOGAN RESERVOIR-A good bet for striped bass for both trollers and anglers hunting the boils where the bass are chasing shad to the surface. Trollers can use anchovies and shad, while flukes and topwater lures work well in the boils. The lake level has stabilized, and black bass fishing is fair for anglers using Senkos, jigs and drop-shotted worms.

NEW MELONES RESERVOIR-Trolling has blasted off, with 16- to 17-inch fish weighing 1 to 3 pounds hitting Ex-Cel and Needlefish spoons, Apexes and Rapalas scented with ProCure or Bang threadfin shad scent. Night fishing is also a good bet. The bass bite is tough due to dropping water levels, the fish moving out to the drop offs and steep banks.

TULLOCH RESERVOIR-A great bet for trollers using shad or shad imitation lures, with rainbow limits common, and some nice holdovers showing. The fish are in the top 15 feet scattered through the main lake on up the river arm.

NORTH SALTWATER

BERKELEY-More big shark action on the California Dawn, with a 230-pound cow shark caught on Friday and two more big pig sevengills on Saturday. Captain Bill Clapp of Bill's Sportfishing and Guide Service reported good halibut action on Thursday, with three anglers hooking 5 halibut to 12 pounds. His fish came from several different bay spots. The Happy Hooker went for sharks too, only they targeted threshers, finding 11 fish for 11 anglers.

BODEGA BAY- Captain Bob Monckton on Reel-lentless reported successful tuna, salmon and rockfish trips. A trip targeting waters 44 miles southwest found 8 albacore to 25 pounds for a single angler. Earlier in the week, his anglers had from one around to salmon limits and fish to 25 pounds fishing closer to home. Captain Rick Powers on the New Sea Angler said the combo trips are still finding salmon, although not every trip. The bottomfishing is a sure thing, with rockfish limits and lingcod counts into the 30s.

EMERYVILLE-Rockfish remained excellent with limits the norm, but the salmon action picked up too, with limits on all the six-pack boats and one around and better on the bigger boats. There was a 25-pound thresher shark caught on the New Huck Finn on Saturday, along with 21 salmon, and a 3-foot long barracuda.

EUREKA-On Friday, a few boats ran out 55 miles to the warm water and found albacore and a bonus dorado caught on Dontmattah. The dodo weighed 16 pounds. Top boat on tuna was Team Forreal with 20 albacore. Bait worked better than trolling jigs, said WON subscriber Lonnie Dollarhide.

HALF MOON BAY-Rockfish and lingcod have been the main draw in local waters, although some of the boats are running up for salmon. The rockfish action has been great with limits the rule, and a nice compliment of lingcod and cabezon on tap.

SAN FRANCISCO-On the Bass Tub, tuna blood hit the deck last Tuesday, but the weather and water wasn't prime, and 8 anglers only scored the one albacore, a 35 pounder. The weekend trips targeted rockfish, lingcod and halibut, Saturday's trip to the Marin Coast, and Sunday's half day charter targeting halibut in San Francisco Bay. That half day trip scored 8 halibut to 21 pounds, all from Alcatraz, for four anglers. Captain Jacky Douglas on the Wacky Jacky said the salmon action again picked up for the weekend crowd, with some boats getting limits, most of the action around Duxbury. Big fish was a POINT SAN PABLO-Captain Frank Miller on the Fury said the wind made things tough for his Saturday group, but they did hook 8 striped bass at the Brothers before the wind hit hard, then later they caught a keeper halibut and some small ones. Sunday's group out of Reno caught a few shaker stripers, then caught 5 leopard sharks, keeping 2.

OYSTER POINT-Captain Jack Chapman on the Lovely Linda Too said his trip on Thursday scored a big variety of bay gamefish, with leopard sharks, striped bass, halibut and a white seabass that bit live bait off of Candlestick Point.

SAUSALITO-King salmon to 32 pounds were boated, the weekend action stepping up a notch with limits on the New Rayann for 10 anglers. The Outer Limits had a 25 pounder, the Salty Lady a 25 pounder, and the Blue Runner had a 25-pound white seabass.

NORTHERN FOOTHILLS

AMERICAN RIVER-Georgetown Ranger Station reported that the river was running low and clear with only light fishing pressure.

BULLARDS BAR-The lake is at 73-percent capacity. Emerald Cove Marina reported little fishing pressure on the lake this past week. The bass fishermen are waiting for fall to arrive and the water temp to drop.

CAMP FAR WEST-North Shore Resort reported little fishing pressure on the lake and only a few small bass taken this past week.

COLLINS LAKE-The lake is down 20 feet from full-still very high for this time of year. Trout and catfish were still making up the bulk of the catches this past week. The biggest fish checked in was a 6 3/4-pound catfish taken by Laura Perry of Olivehurst on a live minnow. Trollers have done the best on the trout out in the middle of the lake over the channel at 25 to 35 feet deep. Shore action for trout has been very slow.

ENGLEBRIGHT RESERVOIR-The lake is at 95-percent capacity. There were few reports of any trout action, but the bass bite was good this past week. One angler picked up 8 or 9 bass to 2 1/2 pounds on live crawdads in Hogsback Cove across from the marina.

FRENCH MEADOWS RESERVOIR-The lake is at 64-percent capacity. The Foresthill Ranger Station reported that camper and fishing pressure was lower this past weekend with the opening of the deer season in the D zones. Hunters are reminded that the lake and campgrounds are in a State Game Refuge where the possession of firearms is prohibited.

FULLER LAKE-Fishing should be good with the DFG trout plant this past week.

HELL HOLE RESERVOIR-The lake is at 73-percent capacity. The Georgetown Ranger Station reported that trollers were catching mixed limits of trout and kokanee while working areas at the dam and powerhouse. There were a LOT of hunters in the mountains for the deer season opener this past weekend.

LAKE OROVILLE-The lake is at 88-percent capacity. Bruce Gibson at the Paradise Tackle Company reported that bass fishing was very good all over the lake this past week. Shad and pond smelt finesse jigs, brown/green pumpkin jigs, brown or green tubes, ghost ripbaits, and topwater lures were all working. Gibson said there was a very good topwater bite in the early morning until the sun hit the water. Fish the main points and adjacent steep walls from 10 to 30 feet deep, and be sure to check out long flat points with structure on the ends. No word on the coho trolling.

SCOTT'S FLAT LAKE-Scott's Flat Lake Marina reported very slow action this past week despite a lot of boats on the water-either no one was catching fish or nobody wanted to give up any secrets!! Smallmouth bass action should be picking up as the weather cools.

SUGAR PINE RESERVOIR-The Foresthill Ranger Station reported slow trout fishing. There hasn't been a scheduled DFG trout plant since July 4.

STUMPY MEADOWS RESERVOIR-The Georgetown Ranger Station reported that trollers were still picking up some planter rainbows on flasher/worm combos worked up at the inlet.

THERMOLITO AFTERBAY-The lake is at 88-percent capacity-133-foot elevation. Bass fishing was good in the coves this past week for anglers throwing jigs up against the edge of the tule banks. Most of the fish were small, but some 3 to 4 pounders were caught. Fishing is best when the lake elevation is over 132 feet. The water temp was 72 to 74 degrees in Skier's Cove last week.

- Western Outdoor News

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