Inland King Salmon Fishing Opener On Wednesday Following Two Years Of Closures

The following appears in the July issue of California Sportsman:

By Mark Fong

For California’s inland salmon anglers, 2025 brings both good and bad. First, the good news: Specific sections of three inland Central Valley Rivers – the Feather, American and Mokelumne – are scheduled to reopen on a limited basis for sport Chinook fishing for the first time since 2022. The limited season is slated to open on July 16, with adjusted season-end dates for each specific section of river and a daily bag limit of one fish.

Unfortunately, the bad news is that the Klamath River Basin and the Sacramento River and its other tributaries will remain closed. (As California sportfishing regulations are subject to change during the year, please visit the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website – wildlife.ca.gov – for a full description of the latest updated regulations, including the limited 2025 salmon season, to ensure compliance with the rules.)

With the start of the river season on the horizon, we checked in with veteran Northern California multi-species guide Brandon Abernathy of Rod Down Guide Service to get his thoughts on the return of the river salmon season. In the process, Abernathy shared some great tips and tactics that are sure to help anglers put salmon in the boat.

“I am extremely excited we are going to have a river salmon season,” Abernathy says. “It is something that I am very passionate about. It’s just something I like to do and I look forward to it every year. Even though it is a limited season, I am super excited to get back on the river. Hopefully we see a lot of fish and catch a lot of fish.”

WHERE TO FISH?

With the closure on the Sacramento River remaining in place, Abernathy’s game plan is to concentrate primarily on the Feather River and, to a lesser extent, the Mokelumne.

“This season I will focus my clients’ efforts from Gridley north to the Outlet Hole, mostly the deeper holes and the runways,” he says. “It will be a two-prong approach: back-bouncing with a Brad’s KillerFish plug and side drifting with roe.”

BACK-BOUNCING WITH PLUGS

During the early season, Abernathy likes to target salmon with KF15 and KF16 KillerFish. He has a textbook setup, which features attaching a KillerFish to the end of a 3-foot leader of 50-pound P-Line monofilament. Abernathy ties a barrel swivel onto the other end of the leader. On the main line coming from the rod, he adds a sliding snap swivel tied to an 8-inch dropper with, typically, 1 to 2 ounces of weight.

The purpose of the additional weight is to help the lure get down near the bottom where the salmon are holding. The main line is then tied to the open side of the barrel swivel on the leader.

While Abernathy recommends dragon fly II and Kenai rainbow as good KillerFish patterns, he also believes that colors can be overrated.

“To me, color doesn’t really matter; I use the lure that has been hit the most or is torn up,” he adds. “It might be missing color but (fish) like the action of that specific lure. Some lures have that special action the fish like better. When you find a bait that works like that, you better take good care of it. And, of course, don’t forget the sardine wrap.”

KillerFish come either with rattles (KF models) or without (KFNR), and it’s important to experiment to see what the fish want. Some days they want it rattling and other days they don’t. In addition, Abernathy adds a small barrel swivel to the back of the KillerFish between the rear hook hanger and the split ring.

This modification allows the hook to rotate and helps to prevent the fish from using the bait as leverage to pull away from the hook. Finally, Abernathy recommends changing out the stock hooks with quality after-market hooks like Gamakatsu or Owner.

“I’ll position the boat at the top of the hole and use my kicker motor to slowly back-bounce through the hole,” Abernathy explains. “The objective is to hold the boat either stationary in the current or to allow the boat to drift downcurrent at a pace that is slower than the current. All the while you are bouncing the weight off the bottom, which allows the KillerFish to move back and forth in front of the fish, drawing a reaction strike.”

SIDE DRIFTING

Side drifting with cured roe is another very effective technique for targeting river salmon. It allows anglers to present their baits in a very natural way. Another benefit of side drifting is that it is a great way to cover productive water.

“Once the bow of the boat is positioned facing upstream at the top of the drift, the anglers cast at a 45-degree angle,” Abernathy says. “Casting order is very important. The angler at the back of the boat is the first to cast, followed by the angler directly in front. Each angler must cast just past where the last angler cast. This process is repeated until the angler in the front of the boat casts.”

While this is happening, the captain is manipulating the kicker motor to control the speed of the drift to ensure the boat is moving at the same speed as the current. The key to getting bit is to make sure that each bait looks natural as it drifts through the salmon’s holding location.

While side drifting is best performed on medium-action spinning gear, the leader setup is similar to the one used for fishing the KillerFish. Abernathy runs a sliding slinky weight onto the mainline before attaching it to the leader swivel. He also downsizes to a 3-foot leader of 15-pound monofilament, to which he threads on a pink or green Fish Pills float ball directly in front of a 1/0 octopus-style hook, which is tied on with an egg loop knot that helps the roe stay in place.

Salmon are strong fighters and can reach weights of well over 30 pounds. As a result, Abernathy knows having the right gear is important for success. For back-bouncing, he likes to use a 7-foot, 11-inch Edge Mag Pro MSR7114-1 paired with an Okuma Cold Water reel spooled with 50-pound P-Line braid. When side drifting, Abernathy opts for an 8-foot, 6-inch Edge BWS StR 865-2 fitted with an Okuma Ceymar 4000 filled with 15-pound P-Line monofilament.

COME WITH QUESTIONS

Salmon anglers who book a trip with Abernathy shouldn’t be bashful about learning about the fish and fishery.

“If you come fishing with me, don’t hesitate to ask questions,” he says. “I am here to teach you; that’s my job. And finally, fishing is fun; you’re on the water; enjoy the boat ride; enjoy the day and experience the moment.” CS

Editor’s note: To learn more about Rod Down Guide Service, contact Abernathy at (707) 927-6745 or message him on Facebook (@Rod Down Guide Service). In addition to river salmon, Abernathy guides for trout, landlocked king salmon, kokanee and striped bass.