Trout opener is tomorrow…I have never been a guy that gets
really excited about the trout opener or heading up to the mountains to trout
fish on the opener. It seems like the few times I have made that move I have
been utterly disappointed with high water, cold weather, rain, even snow, and
lethargic fish…not the vision I place in my mind of fish that haven’t seen
flies in months and are awaking from a winter slumber willing to mindlessly
throw themselves at my flies. As I have gotten older the opener is more about a
theoretical representation or meaning… it is one of the last official signs of spring
and means summer is right around the corner. I kinda look at spring along the
line of a few milestones…Spring break comes and goes, Baseball season opens, I
put my garden in, the shad show up, and the trout opener…That shad showing up
and the trout opener are really interchangeable as to when they happen…some
years shad first opener second and then others vise versa….Any way if you are
heading up or going somewhere for the opener, enjoy your self! Relish in the knowledge
that if fishing is not how you frame it in your mind it will be soon! As summer
is on its way.
Reports
Lower Sac Shad…They are here and here in good numbers. Wade
fishermen and boat guys are catching fish most afternoons and evenings. Finding
a wind free warm day is going to be best. Bit starts around 4pm and lasts until
about 730pm…Early start to the season so I imagine it will be good most of May
and by early June may taper off.
Stripers – With the shad showing up the bite has slowed from
what I have seen and heard. While there is always fish around and really all
one has to do for fishing to be good is find a few hungary fish with the shad
around that can be tough. June-Oct is best and should be great this year!
Only a few open
dates Left for Summer Fishing!
July
6, 13, 14, 25, 29,
August
1-3, 5, 6, 9, 27
Sept
3, 17, 24
Oct
1, 8, 15
Carp, Largemouth, and
Smallmouth on the Lower Sac are picking up as well and this is a great time for
a combo shad/bass trip!
Lower Yuba River - still
high but there is fish around and success seems to be if you find the fish on a
given day. I have heard some good reports and had a few good days but have also
struggled to find fish at times...Not sure what to think. Bug life is good,
fish I have caught seem healthy...Only thing I can think of is it is tough to
cover all the possible holding water at the given flows and some days you
find'em some days you don't. Wade fishermen have been finding a few risers
in the evening and midday but I have not taken the time to search them out.
Nymphing with attractor nymphs and fishing streamers has been my go to.
Baseball – Giants are fun
to watch period…They have had some bumps and ups and downs here over the first
month and a sweep of the Padres while the Dodgers get swept by the Marlins is
not a bad way to set up the end of April. Pitching is solid but I worry about
Cain and Peavey though both have show signs of positive steps forward. All the
young arms in the Pen are fun to watch and look great and then struggle at
times…In the end a good start to the season and fun to watch a line up like
this hit every day.
Rock and Roll music…Cleaned
up at the record store this last weekend filling out my Bruce collecetion with
The River, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska, Born in the USA, and Born to
Run…Been listening to those pretty much every evening this week. I also order the
new Sturgill Simpson on vinyl…Kind of a late band wagon guy for Sturgill as I
just discovered him with this new album but have been listening to all his old
stuff. One of the great things about him is his band! The drummer and lead
guitarist are AMAZING!!! Search out some live videos on You tube.
NEW GEAR…
Been fishing the new Air Flo Sightfree G5 or Generation 5 sight
free fluorocarbon salt and fresh water tippet….I rarely get excited about
tippet as I just kinda have always figured if a clients ability to land a fish
gets down to the break strength of one companies, say 4X, tippet to another
then SO MANY things have gone right that to hell with it if it breaks it was
not meant to be. That said the new G5 stuff is really cool. The break strength,
per the mad scientist Matt Callies not test, is better then listed on the spool
and I must say the competition. What has me really pumped is the diameter and
stiffness…the tippet is thiner and moves better then much of the tippet
material on the market.
With spring in the air it
is time for bass, shad, stripers, carp you name it…bigger rods and bigger fish.
A few of my recent favorites that are easier on the pocket book are the Scott Tidal and the Echo Boost. I have
the Tidal in the 7 and 9wt and for $495 they fish like a $800 rod. The Boost
from Echo I have been fishing in the 9wt and is one of my favorite striper
rods! For $249 you would be hard pressed to find a better salt or big game rod
on the market at that price. Obviously there are some great rods on the market
for 700-900$ but most anglers don’t spend as many days with their 7-9wt bass,
shad, striper rod so cheaper options that fish great are a good thing!
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