Captain Gordon Holt
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5"S" stands for 5 species of fish that migrate up the Sacramento River to spawn....Salmon, Steelhead, Striped Bass, Sturgeon and Shad!
King (Chinook) Salmon begin their migration from the Pacific Ocean thru the Golden Gate, SF Bay, Sacramento Delta and finally start making their way up the Sacramento River in late Summer/early Fall. The prime time for big salmon is between September and November, however, the early; smaller "chromers" are often caught late July thru August as they are moving quickly upstream. The best time of the day to fish for salmon is when the sun is not directly on the water. Therefore, early morning and late afternoons are best. The great thing about fishing the Sacramento River is that it is a large river with a large volume of water and there are always new fish pushing their way upriver so...a slow morning bite may very well be followed up with RED HOT afternoon bite! Steelhead are not common in the lower Sacramento River but you can hook into them starting in October as they begin moving into the tributaries; Feather and American Rivers to feast on salmon eggs. In November I start running combo Striper and Salmon trips for the big boys! The fish are not that numerous but when you hook into one you can bet it's big! There are many deep holes on the Sacramento River that hold HUGE spawning Sturgeon. Not uncommon to get towed around by a large 8-10' river monster when fishing for fall salmon. Most of these fish are oversized and cannot be removed from the water; must be safely released. They are fun to hook though as they have the power to tow the boat around!! I target these fish with heavy tackle/bait during the winter months as river flow allows. Prime months are February - March. There is an excellent Spring/Summer run of Striped Bass and Shad on the Sacramento River. Stripers are great fighters! There are many small "shakers" and just as many "keepers" over 18". The saying "BIg baits, BIG fish applies"!! I drift live minnows and troll big lures for big Stripers, There are days when fish are boiling and they will hit just about anything thrown at them! Lots of fun to cast an artificial minnow into a school and watch them fight over it! Shad are smaller fish but pound for pound are also great fighters and are much more numerous in numbers and fun to catch on jigs with light tackle or fly gear. I target Shad in March followed by Stripers. Shad are bony fish that are not good eating but are fun to catch and release! EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:
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