Sacramento River Salmon Fishing Report August 23, 2021 / The Salmon Are Coming!!

Salmon fishing guide Ryan Tripp dips his net to scoop up a king salmon for his guests. Tripp found great success fishing out of Red Bluff, Ca since the upper river opener.

Plug fishing remained solid on the Sacramento River out of Woodson Bridge as a née batch of dime bright king salmon moved into the area this past week.

Mike Rasmussen dips his Beckman net on a Sacramento River king salmon Amanda Gradney hooked using a K16 Kwikfish.

Hear ye, Hear ye! “The salmon are coming”! I say, “The Salmon are coming”! 

      Small waives of newly arriving chinook salmon continue to move through the Sacramento River. With solid consistency and numbers behind them. When newly arriving king salmon make their way into the upper Sacramento River, instinct pumps the brakes on their migration. The much cooler river water temperatures are the salmons first indication that migration has been completed, and the ripening process begins. Meaning, a king salmon which shows up now won’t spawn until late October-November. So the time spent after they arrive, but before the salmon spawn, is what I call the “ripening period”.  Also referred to as the “maturing process”. Traveling at a pace equal to that of a power walk (about as fast as you can walk without running). The chinook salmon covers ground quickly. Tracked moving as much as twenty two miles in a twelve hour period. These kings can reach the 250 river mile mark (roughly where the start of the upper river begins) very quickly when need be. Migrating salmon have one thing on their mind. MIGRATING! Becoming much easier to catch once they find their resting (ripening) spots in the upper river’s 55-65 degree water temperatures, and deep holes. This is where the salmon will continue to live for the next two months.

As new batches of salmon roll into the upper Sacramento River. They are usually first detected by anglers fishing out of the Chico, Ca region of the Sacramento River. Where social media platforms host personal and business posts of anglers as they first run into the schools of arriving king salmon.  Leaving the Chico, Ca area they continue north roughly fifteen river miles. Arriving at the popular fishing guide hang out at Woodson Bridge in Corning, Ca. Historically Woodson Bridge hosts ideal river water temperatures, and is the primary location for the ripening period. Allowing anglers both recreational, and fishing guides for hire to target the salmon from mid August through September. The salmon leave Woodson Bridge in late September heading for their spawning grounds. Which encompasses the Sacramento River from Redding, Ca down river to the town of Cottonwood, Ca. Home to the famous Barge Hole, as well as the Sacramento Rivers only fish hatchery. Coleman National Fish Hatchery. A Federally funded fish hatchery. Heavily restricted by federal funding.

      This 2021 salmon season has started off great. Well better then the past few salmon seasons anyhow. The season has a feeling of a large return. The early part of the salmon season on the Sacramento River, played out just as it should. The upper Sacramento River salmon opener on August 1, 2021 also played out as if there was going to be a larger then usual number of chinook salmon around this season. The second push of salmon arriving didn’t stop  migrating until they hit the “canyon region” of the upper river. Indicative of this particular push of early August Kings. A solid mix of bomber four year old chinooks showed up with this push of fish as well. Fishing guides working the upper river did very well in the first two weeks of August. Boasting big group limits on several occasions thus far in August. A solid fish per rod average kept customers in almost every reputable fishing charter boat, happy. In turn making the early season guided salmon fishing trips, enjoyable for the working guides. It’s always easier to walk out the door at 3:30am when you know your going to put some fish on the deck. A feeling I recognize to have been absent from this salmon fishery since the 2015/16 early seasons. Salmon were found holding in ALL the salmon spots. As apposed to only some salmon being in only a few of their favorite spots. As has been the case in the last handful of years. A almost certain sign that there is much more to come this season. 

       As “run timing” ( the calendar time associated with the arrival of different chinook salmon runs into the Sacramento River) would historically indicate. The next push of arriving king salmon will be much larger in “run count” (numbers of salmon). And should arrive in direct correspondence with this full moon cycle we are currently in. Woodson Bridge in Corning, Ca should be their home. Loading up thick in the ten to fifteen miles of river surround the popular boat launch. Quickly turning it into ground zero for fishing charter services, and fishing guides. Who flock to the popular boat launch in great numbers.  It won’t be long now until we know for certain how substantial this 2021 salmon run is going to be. 

       This past week may have been a early indication that in fact, things may just be right on course for the Woodson Bridge showdown. Robert Petty of NorthStateSalmon.com got into some chrome early in the week. As did salmon fishing guides Jacob Frye and Dakota Townley, on Tuesday after the two returned from a few day tuna fishing trip in SoCal. Ryan Tripp also scored big on his first fishing trip to Woodson Bridge this season. Boxing over a fish per rod average in his first two days back at the “playground” (Woodson Bridge). All in all a solid performance from the crew of guides who are local to this boat launch. Showing up at Woodson Bridge on a hunch they would likely get in front of the start of this big push of chrome kings. This next week will let us all know what we have in store for the peak of the 2021 salmon season. Tight Lines!

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Teresa has her Phenix Rod on a hard bendo while fishing out of Woodson Bridge this past week.

These three guests of Robert Petty’s NorthStateSalmon.com got their hands on some quality king salmon fishing below the Red Bluff, Ca diversion dam on August 15, 2021.

This action photo captures fishing guide Ryan Tripp putting a king salmon in his boat on August 11, 2021.

Clean chrome chinook salmon like this one held up by Teresa from Vacaville, Ca showed up south of Woodson Bridge on Sunday August 15, 2021.