The Fish Sniffer

(Sacramento) Salmon fishing is still spotty in the Sacramento River in the metropolitan region, but that is all expected to change as the American River fall chinook run enters the system in the coming weeks.

Shore anglers are picking up bright kings while tossing spinners at Freeport, Garcia Bend, the foot of Forty-Third Avenue, Miller Park, Discovery Park and Verona, according to Jimmy Perez at Broadway Bait Rod & Gunn. Trollers are also nailing kings while using K-13 Kwikfish and Silvertron spinners.

Lorenzo Mejia landed 28 and 32 lb. salmon and Antonio Mejia nailed 24 and 36 lb. kings while jigging with Duh spoons at Garcia Bend on Sunday, September 16. "They limited out after only 2 hours of fishing," said Perez. 

“Antonio Mejia and I caught two salmon weighing 26 and 22 pounds while tossing out Flying C spinners from the bank at Garcia Bend on  a recent trip,” Perez added. “We saw another angler land a 42 lb. fish.”   

“The salmon fishing slowed down a bit over the past few days with the warmer weather, but anglers brought in one fish weighing 16 yesterday and another going 17 pounds today,” said Reggie Birring at the Freeport Deli Bait and Tackle. “Anglers caught the fish while jigging spoons by Clarksburg.”

For stripers, he recommended fishing pileworms, bloodworms and sardines in Miner and Steamboat sloughs.

“A few schools of striped bass moved into the Sacramento Deep Water Channel and Port of Sacramento lately,” stated Dennis Pfanner at Sacramento Pro Tackle. “Anglers caught them while jigging with 1-1/2 to 2 oz. Blade Runner Duh Spoons.”