There are signs that the excellent striper bite on the Feather River may be subsiding slightly, reported local guide Kevin Brock. "The Feather has continued to be really good for stripers, but the water is dropping and the fish are heading downstream to find higher flows", observed Brock.

"We have still been releasing over 20 fish a day, mostly school size fish up to about 10 pounds. Best bait has been downstream trolling with live jumbo minnows rigged on a size 1 Owner Mosquito hook, rigged on 10-pound test leader with 12-pound mainline. Fluorocarbon leader material is not necessary, mono is fine.

"Some larger fish have been caught with trolling lures. Best trolling lures have been red/white P-Line Predators or rainbow trout-color Yo-Zuri Deep Divers, both rigged with white plastic worm trailers.

The fish have been biting all day long, with the most productive area being the Highway 99 bridge. The river has been very crowded; the parking lot is usually full. Brock continued, "The Sacramento should be fishable by the end of this week. We will start out using pile worms, and possibly minnows if the water conditions allow it. The water will probably need to come down a little more to get the lure bite going."

Salmon News
More good news for salmon anglers came in the form of finalized regulations for the ocean salmon season. Work on inland [river] salmon rules cannot begin until the ocean regulations are formalized. The Pacific Fishery Management Council announced that ocean salmon seasons will be as follows:
A. The Klamath Management Zone from the Oregon border to Horse Mountain will be open from May 14 through Sept. 5.
B. The waters from Horse Mountain to Point Arena will remain open through Oct. 30.
C. The waters from Point Arena to Pigeon Point will remain open will remain open through Oct. 30.
D. The waters from Pigeon Point to the Mexican border will remain open through Sept. 18.