Go to the Napa Valley Fly Fishermen Club's new Web site, www.napavalleyflyfishermen.com. It is a very useful resource for all anglers. Plan to come out to Putah Creek (access points 1 and 4) on Nov. 19 for the club's annual Putah Creek Cleanup. In the past few of years a couple of truckloads of stuff has been collected each year -- including a V-8 short block and a whole Datsun sedan.
They like to start early so you can enjoy the free barbecue lunch. E-mail the club to let them know how many will be coming with you so they can plan the barbecue lunch. Their e-mail address is flyfishnapa@napavalleyflyfishermen.com.
The club is planning a fishing equipment give-away for needy and disadvantaged children. More on this later, but take a look at your tackle room and put aside all the useful but unused items just collecting dust. They sure would put a smile on some kid's face.
Conn Dam/Lake Hennessey
The DFG has resumed trout plants here. The first fall batch went in last week. They will continue making drops right through the winter until the water gets too warm next summer.
Lake Berryessa
Dino Righetti at Spanish Flat Resort Marina went fishing earlier this week and caught three 10-pound catfish on minnows. He says you can drift a minnow under a bobber and catch both trout and salmon. Or, you can troll at 10 to 15 feet, too. Try the shoreline at Skier's Cove.
Crappie still like minnows on the bottom early in the morning.
Napa River
Name your lures or angling style and the Napa River stripers will be willing to give you a battle. Rattletraps, broken back Rebels, hair jigs, clousers and deceivers in the same patterns, sardines, live bullheads (down south) are all fooling stripers. Add Blue Fox, QMS and Mepps spinners (must be single hook, barbless) and you can add salmon to your fish box.
Bodega Bay
The fleet here just commenced crab/rockfish combo trips this week.
With the crab season only six days old, now is the time to get a bagful for a family treat. The crabs are the biggest and best early in the season.
Call the team at Wil's Bait & Tackle (875-2323) for details and reservations.
California Delta
Salmon fishing has been good in the Old Sac; try the stretch from the Old Mouth to the Ryde Hotel. The hot lure seems to be the Silvertron double-bladed spinner in green.
Salmon are averaging 15 pounds with a top in the 27-pound range.
Bring some live bull heads for stripers in the West Delta -- look for that bite to continue to be good right through early December.
Best times are the top and bottom of the tides.
Sacramento River
Fall run kings from Anderson Balls Ferry to Red Bluff produce limits and near limits averaging 18 to 25 pounds.
Early morning is best on sardine-wrapped K15/K16 Kwikfish. Then switch over to roe when the sun hits the water. The late fall king salmon catch is currently best from Red Bluff to Ord Bend. It should improve in the upcoming weeks and deliver bigger fish. That season doesn't close until Jan. 15.
Now is the time to also go trout fishing from Redding to Anderson. You can shoot for a Grand Slam -- trout, steelhead and salmon all in one day.
