FOLSOM – The fishing for king salmon and rainbow trout has been tough on Folsom Lake, but that should all change soon as the surface water temperature cools down and the fish become more active.
“It’s a case of quality over quantity,” said Tom Malley of Get the Net Fishing Guide Service. “There are some nice salmon pushing 6 to 8 pounds on the lake now. We landed one king weighing 4 pounds and lost a bigger fish at the net on Saturday. We hooked and lost a big salmon on Sunday, while my fishing buddy landed one weighing 5 pounds.”
“You’ve got to get out before first light; there’s been a window of about 45 minutes when the fish bite lately. We’ve been trolling with white and green Pro-Trolls and green Jig-Its, both tipped with anchovy fillets. The fish have also been hitting Trigger Spoons,” he advised.
“The depths have varied depending on the day,” he said. “Two weeks ago, we hooked two kings at 35 feet deep while fishing with Trigger Spoons. The key is slow trolling and hitting the drop-offs, as long as you watch out for sunken trees. You need to bounce your weights on the bottom.”
On one trip, Malley reported, “We had a slow morning on Folsom with one chrome-bright six-pound king salmon caught — and on the kid’s birthday, to boot! We caught the fish off Brown’s Ravine at 45 feet, at a speed of 1.8 mph on, believe it or not, a yellow Thomas Buoyant I was using as a cheater spoon. So it was just the kid and the fish.”
For black bass, Don Paganelli of Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience recommended fishing Robo Worms on drop-shot rigs in the creek channels leading into the coves at Folsom. “Use your electronics to find out where the fish are when the lake level is down like this,” Paganelli stated. “Target the outside points. Don’t let the low water fool you — you can catch bass when the water level is dropping. However, watch the weather — storms moving through can cause the action to slow down a little or a lot.”
The good news is that fishing for trout, salmon, and black bass should improve with the arrival of cooler weather and the fall turnover.
The open launch ramps are Granite Bay Stage 2 and Brown’s Ravine Hobie Ramp.
Folsom Lake is holding 442,707 acre-feet of water, 45 percent of capacity and 93 percent of average. The water level is 409.04 feet in elevation.
Here are the boating requirements:
Vessels completing the 30-day quarantine may return to Folsom Lake, have the seal removed by authorized staff, and be allowed to launch. Boaters wishing to return to the lake in the future will have the option to have their boat sealed upon exiting the water and will not be required to quarantine thereafter as long as the seal remains intact.
All trailered vessels are subject to the inspection, quarantine, and seal program. Hand-launched, non-motorized watercraft, such as kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, rowing shells, outrigger canoes, and rowboats are not subject to the inspection, quarantine, and decontamination requirements. Hand-launched watercraft with electric trolling motors, such as fishing kayaks, are also exempt from these requirements.
DBW maintains a list of contacts at: https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/inspections
Additional information on the golden mussel prevention program, including inspection site locations, frequently asked questions, and hours, can be found at: www.parks.ca.gov/FolsomLakeGoldenMussels
- Dan Bacher
