Kalifornien Königslachs Angeln Angebote

Chances are you’ve heard of the Salmon fishing California produces year after year. If you haven’t, well, there’s no time like the present! Anglers catch the infamous Chinook (King) Salmon here in both freshwater and saltwater. The largest specimen landed off the coast of California weighed 65 lbs and 4 oz. Meanwhile, the state record for freshwater King Salmon still stands at 88 lbs, a legendary whopper hooked in the Sacramento River in 1979.

Kings swim along most of the Golden coast in addition to every major river in the Central Valley. Coho Salmon also grace these waters, while Kokanees inhabit a variety of lakes in central and northern California. With so many opportunities, it’s hard to cast your line anywhere around here without the possibility of hooking into one of these fish!

When and Where to Fish for Salmon

King Salmon prefer dark, cool water, and this is why you’ll find more of them near central and northern California. On an overcast day, they feed near the water’s surface, while bright, sunny skies drive them down into the deep where they can keep cool.

Pacific Salmon are born in freshwater, where they spend the early years of their lives. They eventually move out into the ocean, where they put on plenty of bulk to prepare them for a long journey back into the streams where they were born. Guided by sheer instinct, Salmon return to their birthing grounds to spawn and die.

California is rife with Salmon fishing grounds, from Crescent City down to Monterey. The key to finding the best spots is to understand the life cycle of this fish. In early spring, anglers target Salmon off the coast of Southern California. By April, these fish appear near Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz, and Half Moon Bay.

As spring turns to summer, migratory Salmon make their way to the offshore reefs near San Francisco. The fishing grounds just outside of the Golden Gate also host a resident Salmon population (the only such place on the coast of CA), but the fishing season doesn’t open until spring. In July, Salmon follow Anchovies—their preferred food—inshore, entering SF Bay, Duxbury near Marin, and Whistle Buoy off of Bodega Bay. Around the same time of year, they show up just a few miles off the harbor in Fort Bragg, Shelter Cove, Eureka, Trinidad, and Crescent City.

Come August, the most productive Salmon fishing grounds shift from saltwater to freshwater. This is when the fish start schooling to prepare for their migration into the rivers. The early fall run kicks off at the end of the month, when Salmon enter the Klamath River and the opening of the Sac River in SF Bay.

By September, every major river in the Central Valley is swarming with Salmon. This frenzy continues into the end of October, during which time the Sacramento, Klamath, American, Feather, Trinity, and Smith Rivers provide some of the best Salmon fishing California has to offer. A second run appears in the Sac River in November, also known as the “late fall run.” This is when anglers land massive specimens weighing up to 70 lbs in the area between Red Bluff and Anderson. Needless to say, Salmon season ends with a bang in December.

California Salmon Fishing Techniques

Saltwater Fishing

When it comes to Salmon fishing on the west coast, the eternal question is “Trolling or mooching?”. Both techniques have their advantages, since trolling produces more Salmon while mooching produces bigger Salmon.

Trolling is effective in spring and fall. If you book a private charter, you’re likely to use downriggers which allow you to use lighter gear while holding the bait at a precise depth close to 200 feet below the surface. On an open boat charter, you have to compete with other anglers to entice the Salmon first. Standing near the bow puts you directly ahead of the rest, meaning you’ll be the first to make contact with a school of Salmon. If you like to keep your eye on the fishfinder, set up camp next to the window that gives you a clear view into the cabin.

Mooching works best in midsummer, when Salmon are feeding on hordes of Anchovies close to shore. Your captain will turn off the engine and you’ll take the fishing rod in your hands so that you can feel every strike.

River Fishing

Some of the most common methods of Salmon fishing in California’s rivers include back-trolling, back-bouncing, and “boondoggling.”

The trick to back-bouncing with roe is to “walk” your bait along the bottom, rather than bouncing the sinker along. This delicate approach takes a fair bit of practice, and it’s easy to be fooled by Salmon mouthing the roe instead of biting it. Some speculate that they mouth the bait in an attempt to rebury it.

You can back-troll bait, roe, or flatfish lures along the bottom of the river 40-50 feet behind the boat. Kwikfish and Flatfish lures tend make this technique easier for beginners. These lures constantly wobble, and it’s easy to tell when the Salmon have taken a bite as soon as the wobbling stops.

“Boondoggling” is a more specialized technique favored by anglers on the Sac River, particularly in Corning. A kicker engine is used to keep the boat positioned as it drifts sideways in 10-30’ water. Anglers then fish roe rigs upstream from the boat, dragging them along the bottom.

Pier and Shore Fishing

If you’re looking for a chance to brush up on your skills before heading out on the water, you may have plenty of luck fishing from local piers. One effective rig is known as the Pacifica Pier “trolley rig,” which employs a 4-8 ounce pier sinker, a pier bobber the size of an apple attached to your line with a snap swivel, six feet of leader, and a 5/0 hook. Hook a whole Anchovy and allow the bobber and bait to “trolley” down the line to the water. The bobber will float on the surface while the bait sits below it, and you’ll know a Salmon is biting when the bobber gets tugged under the water.

A simpler method is to rig an Anchovy mooching-style, then attach a rubber-core sinker to your line, followed by a Styrofoam float. This rig also proves effective in tidal lagoons of the Klamath, Eel, and Smith Rivers when Salmon enter the lower reaches of these rivers in fall.

You can target Salmon from the river banks if you know where to find them. These fish often rest in deep holes as they make their way upriver, and they’ll bite a bait or lure that is properly drifted through deep holes. Drifting the bait deep enough from land is tricky, but nature lends a helping hand in a couple locations where you’ll find convenient shoreline rocks, such as the Trinity and Smith Rivers, as well as the mouth of the Klamath River.