Shad are at the mouth of the Feather now.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

In the next 6 or 8 weeks or more you need to get there, probably in a boat.


Some of us old timer have had some wonderful experiences at the mouth of the Father river, entering the Sacramento river.

It has been a famous Shad destination for over 50 years but Stripers can be caught there too.

The Feather river has Smallmouth all the way upstream from the mouth to Gridley.

There are some spring run Stripers in the Feather river right now too.

When both rivers are low you can wade the big sandbar at the mouth.

We not only use to be albe to part all along the levee but actually drive down on the side of the levee.

This might be a year for doing that. It can be a little dangers so don't walt off the end of the sand bar.

In spring time during the draught of the late 1970s there might be 30 fly fishers wading there for Shad.

Today it is mostly anchored boats with some famous local guides there too.

Access in very limited today so you might have to launch a boat to get to the sand bar?


_______________________________________

One afternoon in the late 1970s Don Rotsma (Davis Lake Don) and I went to the mouth of the Feather river.

We parked on the levee and walk down onto the giant sand bar to meet up with a large bunch of CFFU members.

They were all wade fishing for Shad and it was very good as you can imagine "back in the day."

At sunset most of them went home but Don was breaking in a new 9 weight fiberglass fly rod he had just made.

Earlier that day he bought a new Scientific Angler "System 9" fly reel (Hardy made).

We loaded it up with backing, mono shooting line and a fast sinking 30' SA #10 HiD shooting head.

At about 10 pm as we were giving it our best to hook a Striper and huge school of Line Side showed up at the mouth.

We landed about a dozen Stripers from 10 to 20 pounds and then Don got a back lash in his mono running line.

We went back in on dry sand and got out a flashlight to try to get the snarl out of his new mono running line.

After we got it straightened out in was midnight and Don said let's cast a few more.

I said OK and Don hooked a monster Striper that was only going one way, down stream.

Don waded out and down the sand bar to the top if his waders and it finally brought off.


Right after that in the pitch dark local fly fishing legend Larry Cullens rowed over in his pram to say 'hello'.

I guess in the quiet he could hear us laughing and screaming. Behind his pram, floating on a streamer, was some 30lbers.

https://www.billkiene.com/forums/showthread.php?39895-Veteran-fly-fisher-Larry-Cullens-passes-away


We loaded up 6 Stripers in the middle floor of my new 1978 VW bus and headed home.

Don had a crazy idea so at 1PM we stopped at Bob and Peggy Giannoi's home and woke them up.

Bob came and looked at the carnage and we were all laughing link crazy.


_____________________________________________

One morning back then at one of my little fly shops professor Bill King from Sac State parked at my front door.

I walked out side to say Hello and Bill open the front trunk of his old VW bug to show me a 32# Striper.

He had just caught it wading at the mouth of the Feather river and said he was going to try for the 8# World fly record.

He had the fly, leader and one foot of his fly line saved to send in to the IGFA after he got a good certified weight.

______________________________________

All Perryman had the 6# fly IGFA record for Striped Bass with a 25#er back then (American in December?)

Ron Hayashi (merchant marine) had the 44# fly record on 10#? back then too.(Mouth of the Feather river)

Both of these guys are World Class fly fishers........

________________________________________

I spent 50 plus years in the fishing tackle business in Sacramento so I caught write a story like these every day for years.

[Carl Blackledge]

Bill,

I love all those old stories.....after hearing them , It might be why I claim the fishing ain't worth a crap now a days, and it isn't compared to then :)

Carl

[Dave T]

Thanks Bill! Great Stories indeed!
Is it fairly obvious over there by the mouth where there's decent access, if trying to wade?

Thanks!
Dave


In the next 6 or 8 weeks or more you need to get there, probably in a boat.


Some of us old timer have had some wonderful experiences at the mouth of the Father river, entering the Sacramento river.

It has been a famous Shad destination for over 50 years but Stripers can be caught there too.

The Feather river has Smallmouth all the way upstream from the mouth to Gridley.

There are some spring run Stripers in the Feather river right now too.

When both rivers are low you can wade the big sandbar at the mouth.

We not only use to be albe to part all along the levee but actually drive down on the side of the levee.

This might be a year for doing that. It can be a little dangers so don't walt off the end of the sand bar.

In spring time during the draught of the late 1970s there might be 30 fly fishers wading there for Shad.

Today it is mostly anchored boats with some famous local guides there too.

Access in very limited today so you might have to launch a boat to get to the sand bar?


_______________________________________

One afternoon in the late 1970s Don Rotsma (Davis Lake Don) and I went to the mouth of the Feather river.

We parked on the levee and walk down onto the giant sand bar to meet up with a large bunch of CFFU members.

They were all wade fishing for Shad and it was very good as you can imagine "back in the day."

At sunset most of them went home but Don was breaking in a new 9 weight fiberglass fly rod he had just made.

Earlier that day he bought a new Scientific Angler "System 9" fly reel (Hardy made).

We loaded it up with backing, mono shooting line and a fast sinking 30' SA #10 HiD shooting head.

At about 10 pm as we were giving it our best to hook a Striper and huge school of Line Side showed up at the mouth.

We landed about a dozen Stripers from 10 to 20 pounds and then Don got a back lash in his mono running line.

We went back in on dry sand and got out a flashlight to try to get the snarl out of his new mono running line.

After we got it straightened out in was midnight and Don said let's cast a few more.

I said OK and Don hooked a monster Striper that was only going one way, down stream.

Don waded out and down the sand bar to the top if his waders and it finally brought off.


Right after that in the pitch dark local fly fishing legend Larry Cullens rowed over in his pram to say 'hello'.

I guess in the quiet he could hear us laughing and screaming. Behind his pram, floating on a streamer, was some 30lbers.

https://www.billkiene.com/forums/showthread.php?39895-Veteran-fly-fisher-Larry-Cullens-passes-away


We loaded up 6 Stripers in the middle floor of my new 1978 VW bus and headed home.

Don had a crazy idea so at 1PM we stopped at Bob and Peggy Giannoi's home and woke them up.

Bob came and looked at the carnage and we were all laughing link crazy.


_____________________________________________

One morning back then at one of my little fly shops professor Bill King from Sac State parked at my front door.

I walked out side to say Hello and Bill open the front trunk of his old VW bug to show me a 32# Striper.

He had just caught it wading at the mouth of the Feather river and said he was going to try for the 8# World fly record.

He had the fly, leader and one foot of his fly line saved to send in to the IGFA after he got a good certified weight.

______________________________________

All Perryman had the 6# fly IGFA record for Striped Bass with a 25#er back then (American in December?)

Ron Hayashi (merchant marine) had the 44# fly record on 10#? back then too.(Mouth of the Feather river)

Both of these guys are World Class fly fishers........

________________________________________

I spent 50 plus years in the fishing tackle business in Sacramento so I caught write a story like these every day for years.

[Darian]

Dave T.... Not sure but immediate shoreline access at Verona (mouth of the Feather) may be restricted as the property is in the hands of tribal ownership. Owners of surrounding properties appear to be restricting access as well. Boating access is more reliable. Can't confirm it but I've been told that current owners allow launching for a fee....

[Dave T]

Dave T.... Not sure but immediate shoreline access at Verona (mouth of the Feather) may be restricted as the property is in the hands of tribal ownership. Owners of surrounding properties appear to be restricting access as well. Boating access is more reliable. Can't confirm it but I've been told that current owners allow launching for a fee....

Thanks! I’ll figure it out

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I would so much love to see someone fishing the mouth of the Feather river.

Maybe some pictures?

I can post them?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

and Stripers?

[Dave T]

Hey Bill,

I was out at the Feather river mouth on 4/9, but only had an hour or so to fish. I met two guys also looking for access and a good spot to fish. They said they had local info and that the shad were only found in the Sacramento and did not come up with the feather river. So I followed them about a mile south down River. Plant Growth was heavy all along the levee and river but there were numerous access trails, cars parked on the levee, etc. While I couldn’t cast far enough out into the Sacramento to fish it effectively, there were about ten bankies spin fishing and catching some, plus a few boats anchored.

There were two or three right at the mouth but on the Sacramento Channel side. And, sorry I did not see your photo request or I would gladly have taken one. I would rather have stayed, in hindsight, And fished at the mouth. It looked quite shallow enough to wade out the spot you had mentioned. And of course, the feather looked clear next to the darker water in the Sacramento and the spot just looked fishy to me. Any idea if shad also run up the Feather. My hunch is that they would, but I’ve no direct experience or info…?

If I get back over there, I’ll take a photo for sure!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The largest amount of Stripers and Shad actually run up the Sacramento river to around Colusa and above to spawn in the spring.

The Feather, Yuba and American all get Shad in fishable numbers.

All three get Stripers in the Spring spawning run too.

Although they most spawn up in the Sacramento river.

In high water years I believe they both spawn above Colusa and in low water years they spawn below Colusa.


When the Sacramento river and the Feather river both are very low there is usually a very large sand bar at the mouth of the Feather.


You could possible launch a boat at the Marina on the East side of the Sac just below the mouth.

You can park your boat trailer and vehicle there for a safe place.

I believe April and May is the timing for this location for Stripers and Shad and Smallmouth.

The Shad are usually right where the sand bar enters the Sacramento river.

If the sand bar every appears in the combined low flows it is a great experience.

In the 1970s we could park all along the levee and even drive down on the inside of the levee and just step off onto the big sand bar.

_________________________________________________


On late afternoon in the 1970s my fishing partners, Cecil or "Junior" Wilder and I went there for Shad.

Cecil recently passed and he was one of the top "Outdoors" that I knew well.

We walked out on the giant sand bar and fly fished for Shad.

He brought a Coleman stove and cooking utensils.

We cut open a big female and we ate the cooked sheens of "green" Shad roe.

When the Shad get further up the drainages the roe turns reddish.

It was kind of like delicate pork chops?

Eating the roe is a big deal with both the Asians and also on the East Coast rivers.

_________________________________

If the sand bar ever appears the wading can be dangerous because you can actually wade off the end and be floating down the middle

of the huge deep Sacramento river. One warm afternoon "back in the day" a teenager went off the end and was floating down the river

helplessly waving his arms. The were maybe 20 boats anchored in the Sac below the sand bar and no one was doing anything so I

screamed as loud as I could, "That kid if going to drown." All the sudden several boat pulled anchor and got him. I think everyone was

kind of in shock at first?


Some times someone would bring an 8 or 10 foot piece of white PVC plumbing pipe to push into the sand at the bottom of the bar so

no one would walk off.

_________________________________

One time there was two young guys in shorts and tennis shoes only that waded out to the necks! It was so funning because after they

cast their spinning outfits they put the reels under water and the tips of the rod were sticking up out in front of them.

It was a hot day in May..........I use to have a picture of them.

____________________________________


In a small boat with a little motor you can drive up the lower Feather river from the mouth in the twisting channels in the sand for

smallmouth and Stripers. That lower river is so nice for swimming and snorkeling too. Visibility in the summer is not great but you

can see the Smallmouth. Summer and early fall is best in the late afternoon shade. There are smallmouth in the entire Feather river

but not easy to catch in the day time.

____________________________________

Joe Shirshac and I were at the mouth on the large sand bar one evening "back in the day" and we were going for Stripers. I had just

built a big 9' #11, 2 piece yellow Lamiglas fiberglass fly rod with a cork foregrip and want to try it out. It had a soft tip as most

fiberglass rods of the era so it did not feel that powerful. I also had a new Fin-nor #3 anti-reverse on it. I was waded to the far side of

the Feather just a little distance up from the confluence. A huge old log was their just off the bank in a few feet of water . It was dark

and I saw something bust the top a few times right along the outside of the log. I cast a 6 inch black eel looking Striper fly down to it

and instantly got hooked up. In the low light I could see it was jumping. I landed it and it was a Smallmouth bass. I let it go and later

realized it was probably my personal best SMB on a fly. It was big...5,6 or 7 pounds? Going for Stripers it seem insignificant at the

time. Now I feel dumb that I did not get a photo because Joe always had a camera on him.