Sacramento River Salmon Fishing Report CORRECTION For August 22, 2016

    Yesterday, August 22, 2016 SalmonSacRiver.com released a weekly salmon fishing report for the Sacramento River.  The salmon fishing report released by SalmonSacRiver.com insinuated skepticism on the success or lack of success the trucking program had for the juvenile salmon of the Sacramento Valley. These are the salmon and statistics in question, this years returning mature adult salmon are the product of the success from the trucking program, implemented to enhance salmon stability in the Sacramento Valley. Trucking the juvenile salmon ensured the babies safe passage and reduced mortality from predation and water pumps littered along their passage to safety.  Trucking the future of our salmon though the maze of mortality was the decision made considering the overall health of the rivers at hand and the almost non existent successful spawning of wild (non hatchery) salmon on the valleys rivers.  It was brought to the attention of SalmonSacRiver.com that in our previous salmon fishing report on August 22, 2016 there was some very important statistical and factual information left out, when comments from the report blamed the trucking program as the probable cause to a slow and less then par showing of salmon on the Sacramento River thus far in the 2016 season.  It was brought to our attention, very tactfully I might add; that we as recreational and sport fishing salmon enthusiast would not even have a season to complain about if the trucking program had failed to exist. 96% of this years returning adult king salmon are of hatchery origin.  And 100% of these returning adult hatchery fish were trucked to their dumpsites and allowed them to get to the Pacific Ocean unlike the complete demise of their wild counterparts who are left to the wrath of a drought stricken and unhealthy river full of predation and pumping stations, making migration almost impossible to the Pacific Ocean. 

    Our views at SalmonSacRiver.com, now well informed, have changed to that of a more thankful tone when referring to the trucking program. And we felt it was our obligation to repost some factual information brought fourth by GGSA in a very tactful and educational approach. The bottom line remains many contributing factors are still hindering a heathy river and its salmon runs. THANK YOU GGSA FOR YOUR CONTINUED EFFORTS IN ENSURING SALMON IN THE FUTURE!!!

Sacramento River King Salmon Fishing Report June 22, 2016

Here we go!!! The countdown has started people. And it's official.  Mike Rasmussen of SalmonSacRiver.com has been branded for the 2016 salmon season on the Sacramento River.

    With roughly three and a half weeks until the 2016 King Salmon season opens on the Sacramento River, the anticipation builds. The Sacramento River from Colusa, Ca to Red Bluff, Ca has been fairly quiet since the big spring spawn of the striped bass migration up the river. With only the "die hards" and the "weekend warriors"  being the only source of activity on the Sacramento River in its northern section. That's all about to change on July 16, 2016. An armada of big aluminum jet boats and smaller private vessels are going to be occupying the river in its extremities on a six month pursuit of the migrating Chinook (King) Salmon. "With the outlook of our current reservoir storage and the overall water abundance we have in Northern California, we can expect a packed and very busy salmon season on the Sacramento River. Chinook Salmon abundance reports from state and federal agencies are lower than we expected. But in the same respect they changed their formula of prediction this year before the counts were done," reports Mike Rasmussen of SalmonSacRiver.com. The bottom line Mike continues to explain is that the Sacramento River system has water. This is something the fishermen have struggled with the past two seasons. The general outlook from the majority of senior guides on the river is a positive one. With some salmon already being seen in the system and the big run of fish this full moon cycle will push up the river, we can finally again expect an opening day to celebrate. 

Fishing report for the Sacramento River June 7, 2016

Another A-Rig fish held up by Damion Lyman of Redding, Ca who fished on June 5, 2016 with SalmonSacRiver.com fishing guide Mike Rasmussen.

     "A-Rig." Says Mike Rasmussen. A Northern California salmon fishing guide on the Sacramento River. The striped bass has turned up a few notches in the past few days, as Keswick damn upped the release flows from Lake Shasta. Thus bringing more stripers to the upper Sacramento River where SalmonSacRiver.com fishing guide Mike Rasmussen has been targeting them. The number of fish during the morning and late afternoon topwater bite has doubled the last few days as the stripers have started to keg up in the rivers narrowest pinch points. Switching half his anglers in the boat to A-Rigs has put some very nice schoolie size keepers striped bass in the box this week. Using small 3 inch ki-tech and reaction inovation swim baits on "the rig" has been working the best for Mike. John Pearl also with SalmonSacRiver.com who specializes in all the baits used by Mike and himself for the striped bass. Would like to make note of California's three hook rule. So no A-Rig can have more then three hooks per rig. If you are casting a rig that has three wire legs, then you are legal. If u are using a rig that has five or more legs, you must use dummy baits on the remaining legs once you have three hooked swim baits connected to it.  John also says. Using on off color swim bait on the rig is a good idea, for the fact that it usually be the one who gets hit. Johns knowledge of the all the tackle comes from his life long large mouth bass fishing at Clearlake. 

     The American Shad numbers in the upper river have also climbed dramatically with this water rise. The hatches of mayflies on the river every morning have made the shad very visible and easy to locate as they take the bugs of the surface of the river.  

     A few Sacramento River King Salmon have been spotted rolling by Mike the last few days. Keep in mind to book now for the best dates available  from SalmonSacRiver.com. Book on line now at the website or call 530 722 8876.