Yes! It's Salmon Season!

When mild manner John says the magic words: "Fish on!", he is transformed into the super, duper, fun loving, cool, fishing machine known as...  Johnny United!  The Ultimate Fisherman!  Or... J.U.

!?!??!?!  Really?

Wow!  This is my first time out fishing for salmon this year!

I hooked up with PRO-Fisherman in the American River.  We met Knightwing at our usual favorite fishing spot, doing our usual thing....  We were rusty from the long hiatus.  But anyway, what a fantastic feeling - to be out with nature so close to home.

The American River flow or discharge was 1,800 CFS!  PRO paddled Salmon/Steelhead Slammer aka SSS against the American River current several hundred yards upstream!!!  What a stud!!!

We started out using salmon roe behind a jet drive.  Within the first ten minutes, we got our first bite.  Yeah, fish on, baby!!!  The purpose of the jet drive is to resist the current and bring your bait to the bottom of the river where the fish is holding.  The side effect is that it creates a strong resistant and is difficult to reel in with or without fish.  Thus, with a jet drive, it's hard to tell whether you got a monster or a dinky until the fish is visible.  It turned out to be a beauty!  Nicely done, Knightwing.  It was a beautiful "half pounder" hatchery steelhead!

Stinger hook does the trick!

Here's the video:

We must have found a nice hole because the next couple of hours, we got a lot of bites.  JU missed a half pounder near the boat; Knightwing missed a dinky by the boat; and he landed a native steelie for the limit for the day!  What an exciting day.

Then we went downstream for some salmon fishing.  We were pulling sardine wrapped plugs.  Back and forth we went for two loops just to survey the river bottom. It's still early in the season for this spot, so no salmon was to be seen.  River conditions changed a lot since last year.

Until next time...

May God bless your day!

-J.U.