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Don Pedro Fishing Report | September 22, 2025

Report by Capt. Monte Smith
Monte Smith runs Gold Country Sport Fishing and is known for fast-trolling spoons on Don Pedro Lake. Shop Monte Smith's tackle.
What is working right now

Don Pedro is stacked with shad in late September 2025 and the fast-troll bite is excellent. Capt. Monte Smith is covering water at 2 to 2.5 plus mph on Optimizer Juniors and custom spoons for rainbows, kings to 3.5 pounds, and schooling bass. Bass run in packs of 5 to 20 and produce singles, doubles, even quadruple hookups. Water clarity is 7 to 10 feet.

What is biting at Don Pedro right now?

Rainbow trout fishing is really good, with multiple fish every trip. Capt. Monte Smith is also catching kings, one day landing five from 2 to 3.5 pounds, plus smallmouth, spotted, and black bass. The lake is loaded with shad, so everything is feeding hard.

How fast should I troll at Don Pedro?

Fast. Monte trolls 2 to 2.5 or better miles per hour to cover a lot of water, much faster than a dodger setup allows. Dodgers force you to go slow, so he sticks with spoons to run and gun and find active fish quickly.

What lures are working at Don Pedro in September?

Optimizer Juniors and Monte's custom homemade spoons. Trolled fast, they draw rainbows, kings, and bass all on the same program. The bass hit spoons just as readily as the trout when they push up on the shad schools.

Why are bass biting trolled spoons?

The lake is loaded with shad and the bass are running in packs of 5 to 20 fish. Monte spots them on live scope, and within 20 seconds the rods start pounding. Fast-trolled spoons trigger smallmouth, spotted, and black bass right alongside the trout and kings.

What kind of hookups can I expect?

Lots. Monte reports singles, doubles, and even quadruple hookups at a time when a pack of bass moves through. It has been a great bite with a lot of fish boated every trip on the fast troll.

Monte's outlook for Don Pedro

Monte rates the trout fishing really good with a shad-loaded lake and schooling bass adding to the fun. Expect fast spoon action to continue. Exact water temperature and fishing depths were not specified in this report.

Watch the full report

From the report (Capt. Monte Smith): We're continuing to troll fast. We're running Optimizer Juniors and my custom homemade spoons, and we're covering a lot of water, going anywhere from 2 to 2 and a half or better miles an hour. The lake is literally loaded with shad, and these bass are running in packs, anywhere from 5 to 20 fish at a time.

Don Pedro Lake September 22, 2025 FAQ

What is water clarity at Don Pedro in September?

About 7 to 10 feet, staying steady. You can see a shark weight down that far.

What speed does Monte troll?

2 to 2.5 or better miles per hour with spoons, much faster than a dodger setup allows.

What lures are best right now?

Optimizer Juniors and Monte's custom homemade spoons, trolled fast.

Are bass biting at Don Pedro?

Yes. Smallmouth, spotted, and black bass are schooling in packs of 5 to 20 and hitting trolled spoons.

How big are the Don Pedro kings?

One day produced five kings from 2 to 3.5 pounds.

Why troll spoons instead of dodgers?

Spoons let you troll fast and cover water. Dodgers force a slow troll, so Monte runs spoons to find active fish quickly.

Who is the guide?

Capt. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing.

Tags: don-pedro monte-smith rainbow-trout
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Sacramento River Fishing Report | August 1, 2026

Report by Capt. Jeff Goodwin Jeff Goodwin runs Jeff Goodwin Guide Service on the upper Sacramento River and is a Catch America pro-staff captain. Reach him at (530) 510-2925 to book a trip. Shop Jeff Goodwin's tackle. What is working right now The upper Sacramento River king salmon season opened August 1, 2026 at the world-famous Barge Hole near Anderson and Cottonwood. It was a slow opener with under a dozen fish caught, but Capt. Jeff Goodwin says prime fishing is only 2 to 3 weeks out. His go-to is back-bouncing Brad's KillerFish KF15 and KF16 plugs on 10 ounce weights, double-wrapped with fresh sardine and wild prawn. What is biting on the upper Sacramento River right now?King salmon are the target at the Barge Hole near Anderson and Cottonwood. August 1, 2026 was the official opener, and Capt. Jeff Goodwin called it a light, slow opener with fewer than a dozen fish caught. His daughter Gracie boxed the first fish. More salmon are arriving as the run builds. What technique is working for Sacramento River king salmon?Back-bouncing Brad's KillerFish KF15 and KF16 plugs on the bottom. Jeff runs 10 ounces of weight to reach bottom in the deep water, with 12 to 18 inch droppers and about a 48 inch leader. The lead gets the plugs down where the fish hold since they will not dive that deep alone. How do you wrap plugs for Sacramento River salmon?Double-wrap the plug with fresh sardine and a piece of wild-caught prawn. Jeff also wraps tuna and squid. Start with a loose wrap that keeps the hooks free so you do not tie them to the plug body, then add a couple of wraps on top. More bait draws more bites as long as it does not kill the action. How do you tune a Brad's KillerFish plug?Wrapping bait shifts the center of gravity, so a plug that ran straight can start leaning one way. The fix is the eye: if the plug swims to the right, turn the eye to the left. Test it beside the boat until it dives straight and dances side to side. Out of tune plugs will not get bit. What does massaging the plug mean?It means keeping continuous action on the plug so it never sits dead on the bottom. Pull up on the rod to make the plug dart to one side, then drop the tip so it flutters back. Salmon often hit on that flutter, so be ready for a hard, full-on strike that takes line right away. What is the guide's outlook for the Barge Hole?Jeff says the area is about 2 to 3 weeks out from really good fishing. August, September, and October are the prime months, and a late fall run from November through the end of December produces some of the biggest fish of the season. Eggs, boondogging, and hover fishing come later in the run. Watch the full report From the report (Capt. Jeff Goodwin): One of the favorite techniques for fishing out here in the Barge Hole is to back-bounce Brad's Killerfish. Today, we're using 15s and 16s as far as the size goes. We're running 12 to 18-inch droppers, and then about a 48-inch leader. We're using 10 ounces of weight today because we've got quite a bit of water, and we let out enough line to get down to the bottom. Sacramento River August 1, 2026 FAQ When did the upper Sacramento River salmon season open in 2026?The Barge Hole area opened August 1, 2026. Jeff notes his openers have always been July 16th and August 1st, though an open river does not mean the fishing is great yet. Where is the Barge Hole?On the upper Sacramento River near Anderson and Cottonwood, California, just below where Battle Creek dumps in. Salmon stack here and hold until the first October rains, then turn up Battle Creek to Coleman National Fish Hatchery. What weight do you use to back-bounce at the Barge Hole?Jeff ran 10 ounces of weight on opening day because there was quite a bit of water, letting out enough line to stay on the bottom. What leader and dropper lengths does Jeff Goodwin use?About 12 to 18 inch droppers and roughly a 48 inch leader, sometimes into the 50s. What baits do you wrap on Brad's KillerFish plugs?Fresh sardine and wild-caught prawn are the go-to, and Jeff also wraps tuna and squid. How do you know a plug is tuned correctly?Pull it up toward the bow of the boat. If it stays alongside the boat and dances side to side while diving straight, it is tuned. If it swims to the right, turn the eye to the left. When is the best salmon fishing on the upper Sacramento River?August, September, and October are prime, and a late fall run from November through the end of December brings some of the biggest fish. The opener itself was slow, about 2 to 3 weeks from really good fishing. Who guides the upper Sacramento River Barge Hole?Capt. Jeff Goodwin of Jeff Goodwin Guide Service. Call or text (530) 510-2925 to book. Shop the Tackle Brad's KillerFish KF15 Brad's KillerFish KF16 Shop Capt. Jeff Goodwin's Tackle Shop River Salmon Gear

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San Luis Reservoir Fishing Report | July 27, 2026

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Northwest Oregon Fishing Report | July 2026

Report by Capt. David Johnson David Johnson guides Tillamook Bay and Northwest Oregon for salmon and is a Catch America pro-staff captain. Shop David Johnson's tackle. What is working right now Northwest Oregon's July focus is offshore ocean coho with Chinook mixed in, running 1 to 7 miles out with flashers, hoochies, and various lures and baits. Capt. David Johnson still has late spring Chinook in Tillamook Bay as a wind backup. Coastal cutthroat, catch-and-release sturgeon on the Columbia, and halibut round it out, with albacore tuna still about 100 miles out. What is biting in Northwest Oregon right now?Ocean coho with some Chinook mixed in is the main focus, fished 1 to 7 miles offshore. Capt. David Johnson is also still catching late spring Chinook out of Tillamook Bay. Coastal cutthroat, halibut, and catch-and-release sturgeon on the Columbia are all available too. Where are the salmon holding off Northwest Oregon?Offshore, usually 1 to 7 miles out for the coho and mixed Chinook. That ocean fishery is dictated by wind, so when David gets blown off he has a backup fishing inside Tillamook Bay for the springers. He follows the wind and the fish. What are anglers using off Northwest Oregon?For the offshore coho and Chinook, flashers with various lures and baits, including hoochies. Inside the bay he targets the late springers. Guys also run bottom-fish and halibut trips. No specific Catch America product was named in this report. What about tuna and other species?Albacore tuna are just starting to get close but average about 100 miles out. When they push into the 30 to 40 mile range, sport anglers start getting albacore. There is also excellent catch-and-release sturgeon fishing on the Columbia River and fun coastal cutthroat. What is the outlook for Northwest Oregon?Ocean coho is the main play, with spring Chinook as the plan B when wind allows, plus cutthroat for fun. David plans more on the cutthroat later. Halibut and eventually albacore add to the July and summer mix along the coast. Watch the full report From the report (Capt. David Johnson): We're still catching some late spring chinook out of Tillamook Bay, and our main focus is going to be fishing out offshore. We're going to be catching coho with some chinook mixed in, usually running out 1 to 7 miles offshore and fishing with flashers and various lures and baits, hoochies. The tuna are just starting to get close enough, but they're still probably on average 100 miles out. Northwest Oregon July 2026 FAQ What is the main July fishery in Northwest Oregon?Ocean coho with Chinook mixed in, 1 to 7 miles offshore. Are spring Chinook still available in Northwest Oregon?Yes, late spring Chinook are still being caught inside Tillamook Bay as a wind backup. How far out are the albacore tuna?On average about 100 miles out, with sport anglers getting them once they push to 30 to 40 miles. What else can you catch in Northwest Oregon in July?Coastal cutthroat, halibut and bottom fish, and catch-and-release sturgeon on the Columbia River. What baits are used offshore?Flashers with various lures and baits, including hoochies. Who guides Northwest Oregon for Catch America?Capt. David Johnson, a Catch America pro-staff captain. Shop the Tackle Shop Capt. David Johnson's Tackle Shop Salmon Gear

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