At current time the Sacramento River is peaking out with it’s annual Fall Run Chinook Salmon (King Salmon) migration. Fishing has been superb this past week on the Sacramento River around the Woodson Bridge area. Both up and down river departures scoring limits of king salmon up to thirty pounds. Salmon fishing guides along with most recreational salmon anglers have found great success dragging ( boondoggling ) bait ( cured salmon roe ). With lure fishing for the kings using K16 Kwikfish and the larger T55 Flatfish still spotty to say the least. The majority of anglers have been choosing the drag-a-thon, spending most of their day drifting down the main current of the hole and powering back up the slack water side of the river and continuing this repetitively. Working from hole to hole with the other recreational anglers and salmon fishing guides. Almost brainless but highly effective. Having a very high volume of “Jack Salmon” around may be part of the reason much more success has been had by anglers drifting as apposed to anglers back bouncing lures. As the jacks are quick to pick up the eggs as they drift by. Quick and much more apt to chase down, or move out of there way to pick up the drifting eggs, the jacks have been filling up the majority of the daily bag limits brought in by fishing guides and private boaters alike. Mixed in with the smaller jacks ( 5 to 10 pound class king salmon ), are some three year old class kings running on average 16 to 22 pounds, and once or twice a week a four year old king is bought in weighing between 27 to 32 pounds. The just of matter is there are plenty of salmon to be caught right now and fishing is highly unlikely to change over the next month. As salmon will continue to move up the Sacramento River with this coming full moon phase approaching.

Shermin Williams Paint Co. contractors spent a day on the Sacramento River and were rewarded with great quality king salmon for their day spent on the Sacramento River.

A troubling issue that has come to the attention of all salmon fisherman as of late is the fact that very few hen ( female ) salmon are being caught. Or have been caught throughout the 2018 salmon season thus far. The season season started off great in comparison to years past, and a great deal of the salmon caught around the July 16th opener on the Sacramento River were hen chinook salmon. But since that push of fish that were caught moving up river during the opening week of the season very few hens have been seen. “We had a two or three day push of hens around Woodson maybe a week and a half ago but besides that I have only been bringing in one maybe two hens a week”. Reported Sacramento River salmon fishing guide Mike Rasmussen of salmonsacriver.com . The river guide also reporting a high volume of jack salmon making it into his fish box this last week. Seeing the high volume of jack salmon in river this season is always a reassuring sight to the salmon fishing communities of the Sacramento River. The abundance of jack salmon assuring a healthy run of three year old adult king salmon will be swimming up the Sacramento River next season. The jack salmon account for roughly ten to twelve percent of their spawned year class. The highest majority of the spawned year class salmon will return as mature adult three year old king salmon. So to see so many jacks this year you are safe to assume next years run of salmon up the Sacramento River will consist of maybe up to five times as many three year olds then there are jacks in this years salmon run. Good news to all anglers who know deviation will return to West Coast salmon stocks the following year in 2020. The year class that was spawned last year which was the lowest return of king salmon in Sacramento River history. The Sacramento Rivers only hatchery ( Coleman National Fish Hatchery ), was only able to produce six million baby salmon with the amount of eggs they possessed from the dismal return. This is less then half of the thirteen million baby salmon needed for the hatchery to release back into the river as juveniles. The 2020 salmon season on the Sacramento River will certainly be affected as well as the fishing guides who rely on the salmon fishing as a primary source of their annual income. It is very likely the 2020 salmon season on the Sacramento River will face the chopping block and again will be a likely candidate for a season closure. To make matters more concerning to salmon anglers is the lack of hen salmon seen caught so far this season. Guides and private boater alike agree there are plenty of salmon in the Sacramento River currently and certainly the best salmon season in many years on the river. The fact remains that we could have a million jacks and big adult males show up to spawn in the Sacramento River but without the correct amount of females needed to produce the thirteen million babies by Coleman National Fish Hatchery the 2021 salmon season may also hit the chopping block. There is still a great deal of time left in the 2018 salmon season that is currently underway for the amount of hens needed to spawn to show up, and likely will. Historically mother nature has done a pretty good job of balancing the males and females. Just another concern facing the salmon’s existence on the Sacramento River in these current times.

Michelle and Jonah, owners of Hi’s Tackle Shop in San Francisco, Ca came to the Sacramento River in Northern California to try their luck with river salmon fishing. Fishing guide Mike Rasmussen put the pair of pro anglers on the salmon they were loo… — Michelle and Jonah, owners of Hi’s Tackle Shop in San Francisco, Ca came to the Sacramento River in Northern California to try their luck with river salmon fishing. Fishing guide Mike Rasmussen put the pair of pro anglers on the salmon they were looking for.

The future of our salmon being what it may, has no baring on the outstanding salmon fishing that is currently taking place on the Sacramento River here in Northern California. Salmon fishing enthusiast, families looking for some adventures to do together in the outdoors, first time salmon anglers, and anglers who get sea sick and can’t partake in the salmon fishing in the Pacific Ocean around San Francisco, Ca should all take full advantage of the best salmon fishing season in nearly a decade here on the Sacramento River. Plenty of opportunities still exist if booking a reservation with a salmon fishing guide is what you are looking for. Most all reputable salmon fishing guides working currently are bringing in limits of quality king salmon well before the 2:00pm cut off time for the daily fishing charter. There is a solid month of limit out style salmon fishing still ahead of us here on the river and fishing guides like Mike Rasmussen have many availabilities for guest still looking to book a salmon fishing charter for the day. Rasmussen can be contacted by email at mailto:salmonsacriver@gmail.com , by txt or phone call at callto:530-722-8876 or by clicking on the https://www.salmonsacriver.com website link. The time is ticking and the last month of this season will only get better. So book a reservation to experience salmon fishing at its finest before the 2018 salmon season passes you by.

Tory from Lake Port, Ca holds up a bright king salmon he caught while drifting cured salmon roe on the Sacramento River near Corning, Ca at Woodson Bridge. Tory was fishing with salmon fishing guide Mike Rasmussen of Mike’s Guide Service.

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