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 1. Alan's Tip On Fall Delta Striper Fishing

 2. California Delta Large Mouth

 3. Using Fish Finder 

 4. Spring Run Striper

 5. Springtime Delta Bass

 6. Springtime Shad

 7. Frogging For Bass

 8.Delta Summer Fishing

 9.Vertical Spooning For SALMON

10.DROP-SHOTTING FOR BLACK BASS

11.Night Fishing For Salmon 

Vertical Spooning For SALMON

Spooning for Salmon in the Sacramento River and other local rivers can be
very effective. Salmon migrate up the river to return to their spawning grounds where they were born. The American River Salmon are the last to come through Sacramento. When they start to come the area from Freeport to the mouth of the American River is loaded with fresh run Salmon. The Salmon will usually stay in this area until the time is right, then they will make their way up the American River to their final destination.  The Salmon don't eat when they are making their way up the river to spawn. They will attack and kill anything that they feel is a threat to their spawning grounds. Sometimes I think they are just very angry and will attack anything that moves. This is why spooning is so effective.  When you are spooning keep the boat drifting with the current, do not use any motors. In the Sacramento River you will need a two to three ounce spoon.
Remember to keep the line straight up and down, if it is way behind you put
on a heavier spoon. Let the spoon go to the bottom and lift up hard on the
rod and then let it fall. Remember to follow the spoon down as you drop the
rod tip. This is very important because if you just drop the rod tip the
spoon turns over to fast. The spoon then falls to erratic (side to side) and
you will end up snagging the Salmon. All spoons are heavier on top where you
tie on the line. What happens is that if you drop the rod to fast the spoon
darts to fast and when the Salmon tries to kill it he misses it because it is darting to fast. The line gets caught on the body and when you lift up again the line on the side of the body guides the spoon right into the body. So if you are foul hooking the Salmon just slow the fall of the spoon and you will catch most of them in the mouth.
The reason this method of fishing is so effective is that you are staying
right on top of the Salmon as you are drifting with the current. I think it
just makes them mad as it bounces up and down right in front of them for a
long time. In any kind of fishing, lure presentation is the key to success.
The best rod for spooning is a glass rod, seven feet in length. Everyone
has one of the old Fenwick glass rods sitting in their garage from the old
days. Get it out of the rafters in the garage and put it to use. The glass
rods are more forgiving letting the spoon fall more natural. Graphite rods
want to snap back to their natural state making the spoon jump to fast. If
the hook on the spoon is getting caught on the line the spoon is turning over
to fast. Slow the fall down by pausing for a few seconds before you drop the
rod tip. The Salmon will always hit the spoon as it is falling, not as you
are lifting up. When you feel a slight tick set the hook!
One of my favorite reels for spooning is an ABU Garcia 6500c3. It holds
about 180 yards of Trilene Big Game twenty-pound test line. On the end of the
line I tie on a barrel swivel, then twenty inches of thirty-pound test Maxima
line to the spoon. The heavy line will keep the spoon from falling over to
fast. Braided lines do not work as well as monofilament because it has no
memory, causing the spoon to fall over to fast.
One of my favorite spoons is a Gibbs Minnow. There are a lot of new
spoons hitting the market like the DUH Spoon. This spoon also works very well
for Salmon.

Good Luck,     Alan Fong

You can contact "Alan":  Email  alan@fishinreport.com