Sacramento River Salmon Fishing Report July 31, 2021 / “Barge Hole”Opening Day Madness!
I can’t think of a opening day salmon fishing event, anywhere on the west coast, that gets as up close, personal, wild, memorable, crazy, eventful, and down right entertaining, as it does at......The “Barge Hole” Located in Northern California near the town of Cottonwood. The Sacramento River’s most popular salmon playground. Known world wide by salmon fishing enthusiasts, this place is filthy rich in salmon fishing history (which we will expand on later in this blog). The Barge Hole sits at the confluence of the Sacramento River and Battle Creek. Only a few miles up Battle Creek lays the Colman National Fish Hatchery. This federally funded fish hatchery is what makes the famous Barge Hole, famous. The hatchery’s agenda is to successfully spawn 13,000 pair of Fall Run Chinook Salmon annually. Theoretically this is to successfully rear 13,000,000 juvenile chinook salmon at the hatchery. In turn releasing these juveniles in their first year, back into the Sacramento River. Where they will then “out migrate” to the Pacific Ocean. Growing and maturing, only to return again to the hatchery where they were born. Returning as three year old chinook salmon. Sadly only one percent will make it back to spawn. The hatchery hopes for 130,000 Fall Run Chinook Salmon to return annually. Hahaha! In actuality it seldom happens . Bla, bla, bla....Anyhow! What does return, let’s say 60,000-90,000 for example. These returning king salmon will at some point come into the Barge Hole. Before heading up Battle Creek to the hatchery. Some holding for months before entering the small creek. Making the barge hole essentially the gates of the hatchery, if you will. Come opening day (Sunday August 1, 2021), all the salmon that have already arrived in river, prior to the season opening. Will be holding up at the “gates of the hatchery”. Otherwise know as the Barge Hole.
Like the salmon runs in general of this past decade, the Barge Hole opener isn’t what it used to be. In the past decade there have been some good opening days, and some terrible ones too. I can remember one opening day in the not so distant past. Maybe five or six years ago. Where only sixteen chinook salmon were boated at the Barge Hole. A couple years prior to that, I’ll say possibly 2014 or 2015 I remember the CDFW biologist (fish counters) tallied up 600 King Salmon that were boated on that particular opening day. However for the last handful of years it has been below average for certain. I’ll say 100 salmon or so were caught by anglers on the last three openers. Despite dwindling salmon numbers, and tougher fishing for less fish. The gathering of die hard salmon fishermen who show up to take place in this bumper boat style salmon fishing. Show up regardless of expectations. Point being, it’s a hell of a show no matter how many salmon get caught. To grasp the magnitude of this annual salmon fishing event. It’s almost necessary to be in attendance. Jet boats roll into the hole at all hours of the morning, prior to daylight on opening morning. The darkness littered with red and green navigation lights, white anchor lights, and a Heinz 57 variety of LED lights. Before ever setting eyes on this salmon fishing hole. It would be safe to assume this particular hole would have to be large in size, judging strictly on stories told. The barge hole is not by far the biggest salmon hole on the the Sacramento River. It is probably one of the deepest salmon holes in the Sacramento River. Sonar registering 52ft of depth behind the “ledge” in the guts of the hole. The barge hole is actually fairly small in surface area. Between 50-80 jet boats typically show up for the opening day event these days. Quite a spectacle to see that many boats, full of fishermen. Crammed into a area where normally a half dozen boats might make it feel crowded. In the moments before legal start time (one hour before sunrise) to salmon fish. The dozens and dozens of salmon fishing vessels jockey for their favorite position. Chomping at the bit to drop their plugs in and wait for the instant yank by a mature king salmon. At once all
anglers in the hole start to deploy their Kwikfish, Killerfish, Hognose’s, Maglip’s, T-55’s, T-60’s, and probably even a few spinners. Letting them work their way to the river bottom. Where the salmon lurk. Hold on a second now! Let me say that at this exact moment on opening morning at the Barge Hole (Legal Start Time). You will instantly find out just how good or bad the salmon fishing will be. On a good year the sound of boat motors will be overtaken by hoots and hollers as anglers start to hook up on chinook salmon that have congregated for a month prior to opening day. Full chaos ensues shortly after the opening volley of hooked up king salmon gets underway. Boaters are in such a small area, when a fished is hooked they will run across, or through, a handful of anglers lines in other boats. To make the experience even more chaotic. The boils and currents of the famous salmon fishing hole, push, pull, and swing vessels randomly as the river currents surge. As you can imagine this situation instantly turns into full shit show. As multiple anglers on different boats hook up at the same time. This may carry on for several hours. Depending on how many salmon are in the hole opening morning. Sadly this has occurred on only couple opening day events this past decade. The sound of crickets, along with blank stares, and angler scanning through the madness waiting for someone to holler “FISH ON”, is more indicative in today’s times. Still nothing, as anglers impatiently watch on. Minutes pass by, then the 10 minute mark passes by. The realization quickly sets in. In our current sophisticated times, salmon are not a priority of federal funding. Leaving the salmon’s sustainable existence in the Sacramento River completely up in the air from year to year. Shockingly this hasn’t affected the attendance of the anglers. Anglers who will still show up annually to partake in this gladiator style salmon fishing event.
Northern California’s king salmon fishery was unrivaled historically. Until the Central Valley Water Project was put into motion. Since the completion of Shasta Dam, the Chinook salmon of the Sacramento River have been all but decimated from its waters, and the waters of tributaries flowing into the Sacramento River as well. The Sacramento River is the only river system in the world to posses four individually distinct runs of chinook (king) salmon. There are the Fall Run Chinook Salmon (which we are now fishing for), the Late Fall Run Chinook Salmon (Oct. 31st-Dec. 16), the Winter Run Chinook Salmon (federally endangered), and the Spring Run Chinook Salmon(listed as endangered). Historically the Winter and Spring Run Chinook Salmon were the most abundant. With run counts between 400,000(SR) and 500,000(WR) annually. Both species meeting their fate with the loss of hundreds of miles of spawning habitat due to Shasta Dam’s completion in 1945. The Winter Run Chinook were Federally listed as a endangered species in 1994. When run counts fell to as little as 200 specimens. The Spring Run Chinooks are headed down the same path. Also listed as endangered in 1994 under the Endangered Species Act. With run counts of only a couple thousand specimens. Sadly the Fall Run Chinook that we are aloud to fish for now, was the smallest in run count numbers, of the four distinct runs of salmon historically. Today we are lucky to see 60,000-80,000 Fall Run Chinook Salmon annually. Struggling to sustain healthy run counts. Salmon season was closed on the Sacramento River from 2007-2010. When run counts essentially vanished. Roughly between 16,000-30,000 king salmon came back to spawn in 2007-2009 during the time the season was closed. Which may seem like a lot of salmon to some folks. I can assure you it is not! Considering the fact that when I decided to become a fishing guide in the early 2000’s, here in Northern California. Run counts of the Fall Run Chinook Salmon averaged between 200,000-400’000 annually (“the good ol days”). Struggling would be a understatement, if used to describe the Sacramento River’s Fall Run Chinook Salmon’s run count currently. If you learned how to salmon fish in the last decade, and are successful at it on any level. You are a bad ass! The generation of salmon fishing guides before myself. The men who I looked up to as mentors or roll models, if you will. Said the same thing to me about missing the “good ol days”. In conclusion it would be safe to say things have been heading down hill for decades. Regardless of the current years run count. The die hards of this sport will still show up with high hopes at Barge Hole this Sunday morning, August 1, 2021. All for the love of the sport.
Looking back in time for some barge hole history. I reached out to a couple salmon fishing guides that I looked up to when I first started the trade, in the early 2000’s. I wanted to express to the readers of this post, a accurate account of time’s past in the legendary salmon fishing hole.
As a new fishing guide on the Sacramento River in 2005, I was still learning about king salmon. I had two years of deck handing experience with fishing guide Dave Jacob’s. The foundation of which I built my style of salmon fishing around. Prior to the deck handing experience I had caught many salmon. On many rivers in California. However this was far from the credentials needed to make for a successful fishing guide. Guiding for hire isn’t about knowing how to catch salmon with your friends or by yourself. It’s more about your ability to teach your guests the sport of fishing. Enabling them to become successful in a days time. It’s about being intellectual, interacting, and conversing with your guests. It’s about making them feel comfortable and confident in their ability to catch their own salmon. So as a FNG to the trade, there is a learning curve that every fishing guide must go through. At the same time you are educating yourself and learning how to become a successful fishing guide. As well as providing a experience that will in turn develop a relation with your guest, keeping them coming back every year. During these trials and tribulations of the trade. I was forced to watch and learn from much more experienced fishing guides. Fishing guides who had a ton of time under their belt as guides for hire (the OG’s). I remember watching two of the most influential and talented salmon fishing guides of my time, as they fished in close proximity to me on many occasions. Making catching salmon for clients look effortlessl. Without tangle ups, flaws, or mishaps. If and when either one of these two fishing guides entered a salmon hole, please believe it wasn’t going to be long before the nets started flying around, and salmon were being boated. Masters of a lost trade, and a style of salmon fishing most guides of today’s time find difficult to become successful at. Salmon fishing guides Jeff Glavaris, and Scott Kenyon would systematically enter a fishing hole, and empty it out. Of both anglers and salmon. As I struggled to produce salmon with regularity. These two guides would catch their first salmon in the hole, then another, and another , and another.....and you get the point. These two mentors of mine were unarguably just plain and simply bad asses. Their fishing styles similar, and results always the same. Returning to the boat ramp with fish boxes full of salmon at the end of their guided fishing trips. The style (art) of fishing they shared and conducted is called “back bouncing”. The bait? Salmon Roe (cured salmon eggs)! Although the technique of back bouncing is still widely used in salmon fishing abroad. It is seldom, if ever, used in conjunction with cured salmon roe these days. Undeniably the fastest and most effective way to limit out a boat full of clients. The deadly technique is difficult to learn and just as difficult and frustrating to teach your guest. Boat control has to be flawless and precise. Teaching clients to properly lift and set their weight of varying sizes up and down off the river bottom, as the captain meticulously backs you through holding king salmon, is mandatory. Untaught anglers who can’t grasp the concept or find the river bottom with their weight, can keep the whole boat from catching salmon. On the other hand a properly taught group of clients can turn a boat full of anglers into a deadly salmon catching machine. Scott Kenyon and Jeff Glavaris were not only masters of fishing. But also masters of teaching. Allowing themselves to put on jaw dropping demonstrations, as they would constantly catch one salmon after another. During every salmon season for many years that I can recollect, and many years before I was around.
Back bouncing became a thing of the past eventually in NorCal salmon waters. Taken over by the technique of boondoggling. Which first appeared on the Sacramento River in the 1990’s. Brought to California by legendary fishing guides Frank Townley and Hardy Dunn (who since have both passed). Boondoggling catches salmon, but is otherwise brainless. Making it much easier for just about every Tom, Dick, and Harry to get their hands on a salmon. Essentially with very little to no skilled required. Except to get the bait in the water by any means necessary. Making the technique a instant hit for salmon anglers of all skill levels. Fishing guides included. Leaving the more difficult art of back bouncing eggs, to dwindle away with time. Salmon fishing guides of the last decade in Northern California, have more then likely never back bounced a single egg in their guiding career. Completely unaware of its historic success and capabilities in catching salmon for clients. Completely unwilling to do anything but drag bait (boondoggle) to catch salmon. Unable to step out of their comfort zone boondoggling keeps the guides in the status quo. Meaning all the guides catch about the same amount of salmon as each other every day with this style of fishing. In turn taking over the Sacramento River salmon fishing more and more each passing season.
I reached out to these two mentors of mine recently. Inquiring about old photographs from the barge hole. As well as some factual knowledge or first hand experiences they might share about their time spent in the barge hole. Pictured in the red “Ski Barge” (the first jet boats of the time), are both Jeff Glavaris and Scott Kenyon. Fishing together in 1985 in the famous barge hole. Fighting a king salmon, while another angler photographed the ongoings of the two legends. Jeff informed me, and I quote “if there were more then five boats in the barge hole at that time, it was considered crowded”. A far cry from the dozens of boats in attendance on any given day during the salmon season’s of today’s times. Scott Kenyon reminded us all who attended the 2020 salmon season opener at the barge hole. That there is no replacement for experience and good eggs. As he rolled into the barge hole, dropping in on the “ledge”, and putting on a real time clinic in front of 50 plus boats. During one of the toughest opening days the barge hole has seen. To these gentlemen my hat will always stay off. As they paved the way for myself and many others who met their aquentance.
Mike's Fishing Guide Service for Sacramento River fishing targeting King Salmon, Striped Bass, White Sturgeon, American Shad and Rainbow Trout. The Best Sacramento River Salmon Fishing Guide and Striped Bass Fishing Guide on the Sacramento River.