The chinook salmon season on the Sacramento River is cruising right along. We now find ourselves in the middle of August and are catching quality three year old king salmon everyday on the river. As the summer winds down for most working class families, with kids returning to school this week throughout the state's unified school districts. Parents getting back into the weekly family routine's, and leaving summers outdoor parties and vacations behind them for another year. Or at least limited to the weekends while the summer weather holds. As goes for the recreational boaters and salmon fishermen on the Sacramento River. Most recreational salmon anglers who fished during the weekdays while summer vacations and family outings were spent on the Sacramento River. Are now tied back down in life's daily working schedule and kids school schedules, only allowing for time on the weekend to chase Northern California's salmon on the Sacramento River.

Christopher Tocatlian holds up a Sacramento River salmon he caught while flatlining a T-55 Flatfish from Yakima Bait Co. yakimabait.com . This photo also shows off the new Hydro Turf flooring from Beckley's Boat Works in Colusa, Ca https://www.… — Christopher Tocatlian holds up a Sacramento River salmon he caught while flatlining a T-55 Flatfish from Yakima Bait Co. yakimabait.com . This photo also shows off the new Hydro Turf flooring from Beckley's Boat Works in Colusa, Ca https://www.facebook.com › Places › Colusa, California. A fresh new style of flooring for jet boats. Quiet, easy to clean, and very comfortable to stand on makes this new addition a big hit for fishing guides and customers that have seen the new floor!

The outstanding start to the first month of the Sacramento River's salmon season in Northern California has made for heavy boat traffic the last couple weeks on the river. The buzz from anglers, news articles, fishing magazines, and most of all social media and its outlet to countless salmon fishing enthusiast, have drawn salmon anglers from all across the state to engage in back bouncing lures and dragging cured salmon roe. In their individual quest to get in on the once again abundance of salmon migrating up the Sacramento River. Jet sleds and captains that had been absent from the river in its last few years of dwindled salmon returns are once again making their presence known as they all converge on popular Northern California boat launches and fishing holes. "On average people are catching every outing! At least one fish to the boat!" claims local salmon fishing guide Mike Rasmussen of salmonsacriver.com . And according to Rasmussen even a single adult salmon is considered a success by most private river anglers, and keeps them coming back to the river with enthusiasm and confidence. Looking and waiting for the next "take down" or "hook-up" from the powerful and hard fighting Sacramento River chinook salmon. With summer coming to a end fishing guide Mike Rasmussen reports the Sacramento River around Red Bluff, Ca was quiet for the majority of this week. Making salmon fishing this week, very successful for Northern California fishing guides.

Loren Driess a PG&E employee from Chico, Ca found a few extra minutes after work to get out on the river with long time friend and fishing guide Mike Rasmussen of Mike's Guide Service. Loren fought this salmon through downtown Red Bluff, Ca on t… — Loren Driess a PG&E employee from Chico, Ca found a few extra minutes after work to get out on the river with long time friend and fishing guide Mike Rasmussen of Mike's Guide Service. Loren fought this salmon through downtown Red Bluff, Ca on the Sacramento River in early August, 2018.

A solid movement of big adult kings mainly comprised of three year old male chinook salmon moved into the stretch of the Sacramento River from Hamilton City, Ca to Red Bluff, Ca this past week. The newly arriving chinook salmon that have been swimming through the much warmer waters of the California Delta and lower Sacramento River, have started to finally hit the brakes and hold up in the upper Sacramento River where the low 60 degree and high 50 degree water temperatures have made the salmon stop migrating and start holding up as they start to mature sexually for the up coming spawn. Accompanying the large mature three year old male chinooks that arrived this week are a solid accumulation of "jack" salmon. Much smaller two year old chinooks that make up approximately 12% of the Sacramento River's run of chinook salmon. The good numbers of jacks moving up river also indicates a healthy and probable abundance of salmon again for the 2019 salmon season. Sacramento River salmon fishing guides plucked off their targets at a much faster pace this week as boat limits were reached on daily guided fishing trips on the upper Sacramento River. Keeping paying customers happy and with stories and memories to head home with.

Sacramento River Chinook Salmon with a Yakima Bait Co. T-55 Flatfish in its mouth.

Fishing techniques for salmon fishing on the Sacramento River have changed very little over the course of the last several decades. Generally you either back bounce lures such as Kwikfsh or Flatfish. Or you drag or drift cured salmon roe (boondoggling). Both which have been producing full fish boxes for reputable fishing guides on the Sacramento River. The early morning bite has seemed mostly non existent while fishing lures. Typically a solid producer in the early morning hours of salmon fishing. While the morning bite has been off for lure fishing the mid day bite has been wide open. The newly arriving kings have continued to move, "hole hopping" in the low light morning hours only slowing down and seeking refuge and security of the deeper holes by mid morning when the sun starts to climb in the sky. Making the salmon feel vulnerable and unsafe in the shallower waters of the riffles and tail outs of the Sacramento River. This is when the fishing guides have been able to take full advantage of the newly arriving, dime bright kings that have started to keg up in the upper river. Great success was had this week while dragging cured salmon roe through the deepest holes on the Sacramento River. Fast and easy limits were had by clients of salmon fishing guides that knew what holes were holding salmon on a daily basis. And particularly the exact spots in the holes the fish were checking into everyday when they get caught having to seek darker, and safer water during the mid day sun. At the same time the Sacramento River fishing guides that prefer to fish lures by back bouncing through the deeper holes, have been having great success as well. Plucking off their fish as the king salmon that are reluctant to move into shallower water to avoid the disturbing rattles and vibrations of the lures, are triggered to strike out of self defense (instinctually driven to remove any threat to the nearby school). When cornered by veteran lure fishing guides, and threatened by the lures, the strike of a mature king salmon will most likely stick with a person for ever, and thought about for many years to come.

Client RJ, holds a Sacramento River salmon he caught back bouncing a T-55 Flatfish while fishing with salmon fishing guide Mike Rasmussen near Red Bluff, Ca last week.

The 2018 salmon season on the Sacramento River is well underway and waiting for the salmon fishing to get better is no longer necessary. Although the likelihood of salmon fishing to get better certainly exists and is very probable (according to captains fishing the salt, claiming the best run possibly ever seen by some of the captains). Being off the water now only means missed opportunities at the best quality salmon of the 2018 fall run salmon season. These kings showing up now are a great grade, and the quality of the meat is as good as it gets for river salmon. Still thick bodied and cutting bight orange even red on occasion, means its time to fill up the freezer for future consumption. Fishing guides on the Sacramento River are heading out daily with boats filled with guests eager to get their hands on a rod with a king salmon on the other end. Availabilities still exist to book a reservation with a local fishing guide at any number of salmon fishing destinations in Northern California. With the salmon run only predicted to get better and possibly reaching epic proportions during the remainder of this month, peaking in mid to late September, and running into the middle of October. Plenty of opportunities still exist. Tens of thousands of salmon are still on their way. For booking reservations in sizes ranging from family groups to big corporate groups callto:530-722-8876 , or by email at mailto:salmonsacriver@gmail.com or on the web at salmonsacriver.com. Get back into the world class salmon fishing the Sacramento River has to offer.

Fist bumps exchanged after landing a big chinook salmon on the Sacramento River with fishing guide Mike Rasmussen. The group was fishing Woodson Bridge boat launch near Corning, Ca when this picture was taken.

Mike's Fishing Guide & Charter Service For Sacramento River Fishing targeting King Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Striped Bass, Sturgeon, Shad And Trout the best Sacramento River Fishing guide and Sacramento River Charter on Sac River