Smallmouth in the lower sac

[joshfish]

I know this isn't a warm water question but it is a bass question. I've heard there are smallmouth in the lower sac but can't really find any info about them. Looking for info on smallmouth fishing particularly the redding area.

[Charlie Gonzales]

Hook up with Hogan Brown, he will put you on them.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

In the late summer bass will work their way upstream out of the valley reservoirs like Shasta Lake up into the lower reaches of the "Upper Sac"....

Oroville and Pardee have SMB in the upper ends where the tributary flows come in.


Jim Christensen has been getting them in the upper/north Delta around Steamboat Slough where Sacramento River current runs through.

Some in the Bear and Consumnes Rivers.

They are in the little tributaries of the lower Sac near Red Bluff. Salt Creek is one......



There are Smallmouth in the Lower Feather River too.

Aug/Sept/Oct is a good time.


As Charlie mentioned, Chico guide Hogan Brown would know more than we do.....

http://www.hgbflyfishing.com/hgbflyfishing/Welcome.html
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[Moose]

Years ago, when I used to fish for salmon using spinners with conventional gear from the bank, I'd hook smallmouth from time to time. Often enough that it wasn't a fluke, usually a few each season, and usually along rip-rap banks with a fairly decent drop-off. The strikes were usually right near the rocky bank at the end of the retrieve. I was fishing the Sacramento from the town of Hood down to Clarksburg area where the turnouts are. I'd think you could do well in a boat, covering some ground, throwing small clousers along these rocky areas.

[joshfish]

Fished the mouth of a tributary of the lower sac. Caught 6 smallmouth and a bluegill. First smallmouth on a fly.

[Darian]

Good job. That's a nice Small Mouth ya got there. :cool:

[joshfish]

Thanks darian. That one is small compared to some of the smallmouth in that area. A friend of mine was gear fishing that spot a couple weeks ago and caught several that were over 3lbs. The biggest was 4.8lbs.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

We were in a jet boat on the Lower Sacramento River looking for King salmon in September maybe 10 years ago. We were below the Red Bluff Diversion Dam.

At lunch time we parked the boat in the shade at the mouth of Salt Creek. For fun we electric motored up the creek for a little ways. It was loaded with Smallmouth Bass that ate small poppers like crazy.

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