Oh yes, I almost left out some sage advice about choice of fly tackleâ¦..O.K., shad, especially American shad, can grow to be pretty hefty animals AND they know all too well how to set those deep bodies of theirs across a strong river current and make the angler attached wonder if seeing the fish in hand is possible. You need to get a fly rod(s) that will fit your […], You can visit Belize any time because the weather does not change all that much through the year being located so close […], Powered by – Designed with the Customizr theme, 50 Years in the Sporting Goods Business – Semi-Retired. Some of the most popular migratory species in Massachusetts are the river herring, American shad, American eel, and lamprey eel. We stopped at the creek mouths where I got everything adjusted to my liking. Deep in the heart of the Northern Ontario wilderness lies an oasis for outdoor enthusiasts and anglers seeking a definitive Canadian adventure. Special bright colored pattern and egg imitations are best with a strong tippet and heavy wire hook. Okay, none of that was true… although there were discussions, and clear rules of engagement were agreed upon. The Lower American River in California is a great choice if you are looking for an excellent steelhead experience. They are in the Herring family and run from 1 to 5 pounds and larger. They run 10 to 20 pounds, but fish way over 30 are not uncommon. After a short motor, I arrive at the T Split where I found fantastic current at the actual split, and the run upstream of it.
While the sponsons had clearly been tested earlier, I think the wake size combined with the narrow section of river had Todd and I reaching for the gunwales again. Deep, slab-sided body with large thin scales, large eyes, and smooth, bony scale-less heads. We have also some fish from 30 to 60 pounds that are seldom hooked and if so seldom landed. We saw this turn after turn after turn. The average winter steelhead runs eight to ten pounds, but fish can get as large as 20 pounds . The best time of year to visit the Lower American River is dependent upon which species of fish you are intent on catching. However, the sponsons did their job just fine. H&H purveyor of all things fly fishing Ron Weiss assures me that my next outing with H&H fluorocarbon leader will convince me not to go back to my “old ways.” He says, “Try it, you’ll like it.” Of course, I’m passing that line on to all you devoted readers of this column. That said, I will likely still focus more on fishing and posting short format posts in the Facebook Group the weekend of a trip, particularly as the group continues to grow, and give myself 3-5 days to post the detailed long format stories here. The Lower American River is easily accessible via numerous parking access areas off Highway 50. So, it behooves us who seek to connect with one of these excellent food and game fish to get our offering down as close to bottom as possible. Unfortunately with the stiff wind, the current was backed up on the run, making swinging a fly futile. When he is not at the Ritz, a lot of the time you will find him guiding, fishing, or exploring the St. Johns River. We began fishing, and I think on my second cast, I felt a heavy tug but missed the hook set. A small lead sinker is placed at the end of the line, and a weighted fly is tied on a 24 inch dropper about 18 inches above the sinker. You’ll also find American Shad, Striped Bass, and King Salmon.
There were so many fish stacked up on a seam leading in to the pool, that Ray was quite literally high sticking them almost as if he was euro-nymphing out west.
The larger females follow closely behind after delaying a bit. On the way back upstream, we chose the west channel again… for obvious reasons, and with the slightly higher water level, found ourselves off the beaten channel path. This ballast really did a good job of keeping the bow down, offsetting the weight from my big fat butt plus thirty additional pounds of outboard motor. When we arrived, we found even better current, a fair amount of surface activity, as well as a 5 foot section of PVC in the shallow water… a perfect push pole and replacement for the stick Todd donned at launch. Again, we found fish active up top, and I fished a Fry Fly while Ray threw a small EP Minnow. While a river hike may not be quite the same as a week stay at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, my girls really enjoyed fishing with their Olaf rod, playing in the creek, and digging in the mud. You’ll also find American Shad, Striped Bass, and King Salmon. Folks, this is alligator country, and while I have seen my fair share of gators, I have never seen this level of sheer biomasse in a single trip. Unfortunately we did not find shad. I am pretty sure I now have the perfect little river boat for my shad adventures! We get some spring spawners into the lower stretches of the river in March/April, but the warmer months like July through September are the prime time.
October is an excellent time to catch King Salmon, which average about ten to twenty pounds.
While we had some issues, overall this trip was a success, where fishing a new area of the river gave me the confidence to come back again, and explore further. We continued motoring downstream, not very far from where the Indian mounds are. This may be one of the reasons we did not see the shad stall, congregate, and feed in the places that most shad fisherman frequent every year (and yes, they do feed!) The Lower American River is known for its shad, striper, steelhead and salmon runs. Now in addition to over a mile of private water managed for Trophy Trout (all strictly on the fly and catch and release) they have added luxury rental cabins. The graph below shows the stream flow (discharge) for the past 7-days.
Two handed spey rods can aid during midday allowing for long distance casts and long deep swings. Fishing the American River is one that can satisfy any fly fishing crave.
It flows from the Sierra Nevada mountain range before joining the Sacramento River in the Sacramento Valley. The initial run was a little shaky as I tried to figure out the steering with the tiller extender. Shadâs arrival luckily coincides with some usually very wadeable water levels, in between high winter flows and pre-agriculture irrigation flows. While I am still getting comfortable with the area of river south of SR 50, somewhere between 5.0ft- 4.5ft on the USGS 02232500 gauge is when I will consider making my way out there to do some bank fishing. We made our way downstream of 7 Palms to a pool where we found good current and fish active on the surface. We met up at the SR 50 boat ramp around 1:30 where I was told I would need to hand over my phone, and that I would be blindfolded. Action is beginning to really pick up on the American River. Outside of a few hikes out to 7 Palms and Tosohatchee, the water upstream of SR50 is foreign to me. This is an area of river that receives less pressure, and the shad can be plentiful when the conditions are right, namely around six feet (or more) on the SR 50 gauge coming in to the new year, dropping steadily in to January and February. Feature image by US Bureau of Reclamation, Looking for more places to fish? Until next year…. Instead, there were reports of fish being caught near SR 520 at the end of October, and while most of us have had dismal days down by CS Lee, Mark has had consistent double digit days since early January fishing upstream of SR 50. Right as I was saying that the gar was likely what I hooked, due to the “dead weight” I felt, Todd hooked up with a shad, that was fresh and full of fight. I did not see them catch anything, so I decided not to bother. The Lower American River is one of seven California rivers that is protected as a “Recreational River” under the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Shad may be little more than catfish bait in some parts of the country, but on the East Coast, migrating American shad offer light-tackle and fly anglers serious spring sport. The spring run fish are smaller, averaging around 14”. We use shooting head systems as well as sink tip lines in various sizes. At about 12:30 I decided to make the run down to Orange Mound and have some lunch. This is not the first time I have done this either, nor is this the greatest place on earth to be “up sh!t’s creek without a paddle” if something was to go wrong.
The Lower American River is known for its shad, striper, steelhead and salmon runs. Then a couple of sinking lines in different sink rates will round out your arsenal. I was blown away, but to Mark, it was just a typical day on this section of river. By floating the river in the daytime with polarized glasses, these 30-pound plus monsters can be seen. As we were loading up the gear in to the canoe, I realized in my haste to get everything loaded in and on the Jeep, while also listening to my weekly showcase meeting, I inadvertently forgot to grab a paddle… smh. We have Striped Bass in the river year round.