Collins Lake Report

Here's the latest Collins Lake report from Kathy Hess:

Most of the trout limits are taken from boats now since the surface temperature reached 70 degrees this week. Trollers are down 20' with downriggers or three colors with monofilament line. Frank & Maggie Bradley trolled the entire lake and caught 10 trout using flashers and nightcrawlers.

The Johnsons hooked a total of 14 rainbow trout by the dam drifting worms.

Fred Libby and grandson Cody trolled with spinners around 22? down and caught a couple of trout, one was almost three pounds. It was De Ja Vu for Cody who hadn’t fished with Grandpa since he was a little guy!! Paul Lowe brought up a nice stringer, his big one was a 4 lb. 4 oz. Rainbow. Paul fished with Powerbait near the bridge. Tammy & Larry of Lincoln caught 9 trout by the dam or along the east shore on Needlefish.

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You Asked: Where to go shore fishing in Redding?

The RodMob is all about anglers helping other anglers.

Yesterday, a member of the RodMob community wrote in asking for tips on shore fishing in Redding, and what to use out there.

For AC Fly Fishing, the fishing on the Lower Sac has been "lights out good". Image: AC Fly Fishing

To get some local advice, we talked to Anthony Carruesco who runs AC Fly Fishing out of Redding and shares his fishing reports with us for our weekly podcast.

Here's what Anthony had to say:

"As far as wading options in the Redding area, there aren't a whole lot. I really focus on the Lower Sacramento River, for the trout and steelhead fishing.

We access this big river via driftboat. The river is up to 12,000 cubic feet per second. These flows pretty much make wade fishing impossible. In the fall/winter the flows usually drop down below 5,000 cfs which opens up some wading options around the Posse Grounds/Sundial Bridge.

Anthony reports that fishing on the Sac has been "ridiculously good" recently. Image: AC Fly Fishing

A short drive north of Redding (15 miles) will put you on the 'Upper Sac'. The Upper Sac has been fishing well lately with the low flows and has a ton of good wading options.

Popular wade spots are around the campgrounds such as Sims and Pollard Flat. Caddis, Mayflies, and Stoneflies are all around right now."

Thanks for the tips Anthony!

For more information on the area, check out AC Fly Fishing, or to book a trip with Anthony, call 209-609-2346.

Do you have other suggestions to share? Leave a comment below.

And if you have a question you'd like answered, drop us a line at fishon@rodmob.com, or post a message on our Facebook page.

Chico's "Hooked on Fishing" Event is June 1st - Volunteers Needed!

To kick off National Fishing Week, the city of Chico will be welcoming kids to an outstanding free "Hooked On Fishing, Not On Drugs" event. It is one of the largest single-day children's fishing events in the entire United States!

Previous years events have drawn well over 4,000 kids. Image: Steve Carson

Kids 14 and under are invited to come to Horseshoe Lake in Upper Bidwell Park from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturday, June 1, for a chance at the 8,000 pounds of channel catfish that will be planted for the event.

Admission is FREE, along with all tackle, bait and instruction [limit 1 fish per child]. Kids can even have their catfish cleaned for free.

Volunteers are needed! See below for more info.

Since this is a "kids only" lake, no fishing license is required for anglers under 16. Expert local anglers will be on hand as coaches. There will be a separate area for the littlest anglers, age 1 to 5.

There will be plenty of rods and reels available to use free, but all are encouraged to bring their own. Bring your favorite "secret" catfish bait, but please, no lead sinkers at Horseshoe Lake.

Check out the Hooked on Fishing page on Facebook.

With all that help and all those fish, it will be the closest thing to a guaranteed "first fish" for the little ones. To donate, volunteer, or for more information, call 530-891-4757. A great time is sure to be had by all!

Note: "Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs" is a program of the American Sportfishing Association

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Volunteers Needed!

Volunteer fishing coaches are needed to help show the kids how to put a nightcrawler on a hook, how to cast, and how to reel them in!

Last year we had over 3,000 children show up to catch their first fish, many with a non-fishing parent or no parent at all. The event runs from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Volunteer orientation is at 6:30 AM, but late arrivals are welcome, and the kids will love it even if you can only help for a few hours.  

*Special note to all fishing club members: We don’t need your money, your boat, or your expensive tackle; just you, a pair of pliers and a smile for the kids. Encourage your club to assign points for assisting at this great event. 

**Extra-special note to all Chico-area anglers: From 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on May 30 [Thursday night], we will be rigging up and repairing the 600 “loaner rods” at the Rod and Gun Clubhouse at Horseshoe Lake- Please bring a pair of line clippers, your best knot-tying fingers, and be there!

We can also use about 4 or 5 strong backs to assemble the awnings on Friday May 31.

For more info on volunteering, contact: 

Steve Carson
530-893-5735
scarson@sunset.net

Tammy Becka
530-891-4757
tammy@epickhomes.com 

Chico Bass Club HOFNOD Committee member
Rich Cavanagh
530-872-0407

Record Sturgeon Caught at Lake Chabot, Hot Bass Bite at Shasta...This Week's News & Best Bites

A new lake record for sturgeon was set at Lake Chabot on Friday, and Bonnie from the marina joins us with the details.

Listen to this week's NorCal fishing show:

We talk with Kenny Priest about the latest on the North Coast, Anthony Carruesco joins us from AC Fly Fishing out of Redding, and of course we run through all the best bites and latest reports from the RodMob community!

Our album art this week is courtesy of Jandis Ramirez.

Thanks to all of you who contributed reports this week, and thanks for listening!

Berryessa Report from Tight Lines Guide Service

Rick Kennedy of Tight Lines Guide Service says yesterday wasn't a red hot day at Berryessa, but all in all was a good day given the weather and they landed some nice Kokanee and a nice King.

Here's Rick's full report:

We headed out from Markley Cove a little after 6:00 AM. The water temp was 67 degrees as we went by the houseboats. We headed straight out to the Big Island and focused on Kokanee.

We hooked a few fish but they just wouldn’t stick. Finally, we ended up by the Ranch House where we landed a Rainbow. We worked this area and again had hook ups that didn’t stick. We kept working the general area of the Ranch House and the Big Island.

Finally we landed some nice Kokanee just south of the Big Island. We decided to head back into the narrows and look for some Kings. We dropped in just short of the dam and it wasn’t long before we had a nice King in the box.

About that time the wind came up and the sky started turning black. We could hear thunder and saw a couple flashes of lightening in the distance, that’s when we decided to troll are way in. It wasn’t a red-hot day but all in all it was a good day given the weather.

We caught fish on a few different set ups which included Sep’s 3/0 Silver Starlight with a Berkley Gulp Minnow on a 18” leader, Sep’s 3/0 Fruit Bowl Dodger and a White Uncle Larry’s Squid. 4/0 Pink/White Sep’s Dodger and an Uncle Larry’s Pink Tiger, Sep’s Watermelon Strike Master with a Glow Hoochie. We also rolled Pautzke Fire Brined Shad and Anchovies. We hooked fish on bait but couldn’t get them to stick. For the Kokanee we used Shoepeg Corn cured in Pink Pautzke Fire Cure. We hooked or caught fish from 2’ to 110” today. Crazy day trying to figure out what they wanted.

Thanks for the report Rick!

To set up a trip with Right Lines Guide Service, visit their website or call 888-975-0990.