feather river salmon report

[steve sullivan]

I am new to this, but compared to steelhead fishing I would rate today as fair even tho I went 2/3. Of the 2 fish I caught, both were spring run (had tags in them, the 3rd that got away was probably also a springer), 1 of the 2 had nasty sores on him, the other was scar free but a dark olive color. These fish were on the small side, about 10-15 pounds and 30-35 inches. The scar free one I took home, and by the time I got it home it had gone from a dark olive to dark olive on one side and light olive to a light color on the other side (chrome, then light, then light olive, the dark olive). I was fishing in the low flow, but wont name the spot since it is fairly less known than other spots.

[Tony Buzolich]

Those tagged fish you caught were tagged in June when the Dept. of Water Resource people decided to see what would happen to these early fish. This would also account for the darker color. They were re-released back in to the river to see where they would end up and the condition of the fish when caught.

Hopefully you called the phone number on the tag and reported your catch, and hopefully you caught them at Shithouse or Mathews Riffle.

TONY

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Usually the fresher migrating Salmon are in the deeper, faster runs according to a guide friend in Oregon. He said they have more energy when they first come in and love to be in the faster, most powerful water. So maybe the fresher Salmon are in the "high flow" area below the Thermalito outflow?

This should be the time for many fish to be coming into the river now.

When fish start to pair up and build nest to spawn they get very aggressive.

We have always talked about intercepting the Fall salmon run lower in the drainage and earlier as to try to catch them in a fresher condition.

I think September is the big month for Salmon on the Lower Feather River below Oroville.

October is a real big month for Steelhead there too.

October is normally the big month for wading with flies for King Salmon on the Lower American River.

[steve sullivan]

Those tagged fish you caught were tagged in June when the Dept. of Water Resource people decided to see what would happen to these early fish. This would also account for the darker color. They were re-released back in to the river to see where they would end up and the condition of the fish when caught.

Hopefully you called the phone number on the tag and reported your catch, and hopefully you caught them at Shithouse or Mathews Riffle.

TONY

Yup, I called the dwr number and gave them the tag. They were not caught in mathews or shithouse, but were caught in the low flow but downstream of mathews. I am not going to give the name of the riffle on a public board but I am sure you know which one I am talking about. It has little spinner traffic, in fact their was not a single soul in either of the 3 forks the whole time I was fishing.

[OregonSalmon]

Kiene,
If ya wanna fish lower on the Sacramento drainage, row your pram out to the south tower of the Golden Gate, tie up, and cast long. Grow a pair would ya!!! Or has all that easy livin' in California made ya soft?