Catch America River Salmon Hub
How to Catch Sacramento River King Salmon
Use this page as the hub, then jump to the matching setup, lure, and rigging guides below.
- How to Rig Brad's Super Bait and Cut Plugs for Kokanee and Salmon
- River Salmon Fishing Setups: Bobber, Roe, Beads, Spinners, Plugs, and Jigs
- How to Pick a River Salmon Rig by Water Conditions
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To catch early-season Sacramento River king salmon, back-bounce a bait-wrapped plug along the bottom of deep holes like the Barge Hole. Run a Brad's KillerFish KF15 or KF16 in pink, chartreuse, or chrome, wrap a sardine fillet and shrimp with magic thread, and use enough weight to keep the plug working on the bottom where the salmon hold. Early in the run these are moving fish, so plugs draw a reaction bite.
What is the best way to catch early-season Sacramento River king salmon?
Pull plugs. Early in the season the fish are pushing through the system rather than holding, so a plug that creates flash and noise near the bottom draws a reaction bite. Capt. Jeff Goodwin runs plugs first thing in the morning, then switches to cured roe (boondogging and side-drifting) once the sun gets overhead. Back-bounce a Brad's KillerFish along the bottom and let the current work it.
Which Brad's KillerFish plug and colors work best on the Sacramento River?
Goodwin runs KF15 and KF16 sizes. His staple colors share three things: chartreuse, pink, and chrome finishes. Pink Magic is an all-time favorite, and Brad's Secret (chartreuse and silver) is another go-to. Grab the KF16 for the bigger profile and the KF15 for a slightly smaller one.
How do you customize a salmon plug with glow and eyes?
First thing in the morning Goodwin lights the plugs up with glow paint on the nose and tail and drops them in at first light for a strong early response. The team also adds UV paint and extra predator eyes. The idea is that a prey fish's pupils dilate right before a predator strikes, so oversized eyes trigger that reaction. Brad's KillerFish come with factory eyes already, which is a bonus.
How do you wrap a plug with bait for king salmon?
Keep a straight sardine fillet against the belly of the plug, start the wrap at the top to hold it, then add a small piece of shrimp underneath for extra scent. Wrap it with magic thread and pull it through to lock it, keeping the wraps loose enough that you never tie the hooks down to the body. A little Pro-Cure on the shrimp adds more smell. You can also wrap tuna or squid.
How much weight and line do you need for depth control?
Keep the weight ticking the bottom. In about 20 feet of water with 3 mph of current, a 2-ounce weight just pumps in place, so step up to 3 ounces so the plug works and you control it, not the river. Drop it in, lower the rod tip, and let out line about every 10 feet until you feel bottom, roughly 30 feet of line in 20 feet of water. In the deep Barge Hole you may need up to 10 ounces with a 12 to 18-inch dropper and a 48-inch leader.
How do you tune a Brad's KillerFish so it runs straight?
A bulky bait wrap can shift the plug's center of gravity so it leans one way and will not get bit. Watch it beside the boat: it should dive and kick side to side, not track off to one side. If it swims to the right, turn the line-tie eye to the left, and the opposite for a left lean. The adjustment is small. When you pull it up toward the bow and it dances in place, it is running true.
What and where is the Barge Hole, and when is it best?
The Barge Hole is a deep, world-famous stretch of the upper Sacramento River near Coleman National Fish Hatchery and Battle Creek, where hatchery kings stack up before running up to spawn. It fishes best from August through October, and the upper river also gets a late fall run from November through December that produces some of the biggest fish of the year. The opener is typically mid-July to August 1.
Watch the technique
Catching Sacramento River king salmon FAQ
Capt. Jeff Goodwin runs KF15 and KF16 sizes. Both back-bounce well in the deep holes of the upper river.
Pink, chartreuse, and chrome. Pink Magic and Brad's Secret are Goodwin's staples.
A straight sardine fillet with a small piece of shrimp underneath for scent, wrapped on with magic thread and kept loose so the hooks stay free.
The bait shifts the center of gravity. Bend the line-tie eye away from the direction it leans (swimming right, turn the eye left) until it dives and kicks side to side.
Enough to keep the weight on the bottom for the current. Around 3 ounces in 20 feet with a moderate current, and up to 10 ounces in the deep Barge Hole.
August through October is prime on the upper river, with a late fall run from November into December that produces the largest fish.
No. Plugs shine early and in the mornings. Goodwin also fishes cured roe by boondogging, side-drifting, and back-bouncing, and 360 flashers with spinners and super baits are an emerging technique on the river.
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