Restrictions on offshore fishing have been a source of frustration for many anglers who may have been hoping to put fresh Chinook salmon on the dinner table or smoker.

There were limits on offshore salmon fishing north of Horse Mountain to the Oregon border this year along with salmon fishing on north coast rivers, such as the Klamath River.

There has been virtually no offshore salmon fishing allowed at ports such as Bodega Bay and the San Francisco Bay Area. And, there’s been no fishing for salmon allowed in the lower Sacramento River, the American River or the Feather River, and all their tributaries.

For one area, that’s about to change. Beginning Monday, Nov. 16, there will be a limited salmon fishery on the Sacramento River. The open salmon fishery will continue through Thursday, Dec. 31.

The only allowable fishing region will be the Highway 113 bridge at Knights Landing upriver to 150 feet below the Lower Red Bluff Boat Ramp.

There are some restrictions in fishing for these late fall run stragglers. First and foremost, the daily bag and possession limit is one salmon.

There will be Department of Fish and Game biologists crawling out of the woodwork to monitor the fishery and they’ll be just about everywhere. They are not there to cite you for a fishing infraction, but only to see what you’ve caught.

You are asked not to fillet your fish before you get to the docks as the biologists expect to collect data from the fish you’re bringing in. If it’s a hatchery born and bred fish, they will record data from the coded wire tags on the fish.

If the salmon is missing the adipose fin, meaning it is a hatchery fish, they’ll remove the heads that contain the coded wire tags and it is those tiny wires that contain vital information on the race and origin of the fish.

If you’re craving fresh salmon, take the winter wraps off the boat.

Many boaters have put their watercraft away for the winter season. Especially if you’re an angler, that is definitely a bad idea. There is some downright hot rod-bending action going on right now that you should be getting into. With clear skies, early mornings tend to be on the chilly side but by midday you can easily be down to a tee shirt, so simply dress in layers.

CURRENT FISHING

Crystal Basin: Both Ice House Reservoir at the lower end and Loon Lake at the upper end, the trolling is simply downright tremendous. It’s nothing unusual to have 40-fish days and you can play catch and release to your heart’s content. At either lake, haul a small flashy lure or simply thread on the tail end of a crawler. Fish are being found in the top of the water column so stay shallow.

Jenkinson Lake: The lake at Sly Park has been removed from the DFG’s no fish plant list and is again being stocked. While trolling can get you into some rainbow and mackinaw action, fishing from shore near the second dam can also prove worthwhile and I’ve caught small mackinaw along with ‘bows in this region dunking crawlers and salmon eggs.

Stampede Reservoir: Good time to hit this lake before winter’s major storms come in dumping snows that will restrict any movement to this lake. German brown trout spawn in the fall and they’re followed by the rainbows who hope to feed on some errant, unprotected eggs. Don’t fish the main body of the lake. Get the boat launched and head directly up to the two main arms, the Little Truckee and Sagehen. Action on both brown trout and rainbows can be downright good.

Eagle Lake: Spaulding Tract’s boat ramp area was supposed to be dredged out by now meaning you can not only get your boat off the trailer but the sandbar has been removed enough that you can now get out into the main lake without stirring up mud in order to get out. The bite is definitely on for trollers with more hook-ups than you’ll have rods out trying and many of the Eagle Lake Rainbows are over three pounds. Fish are down only as much as 12 feet so stay shallow. Threading on a Sep’s No. 2 grub in either orange or watermelon work well and I’ve caught fish on both here.

Camp Far West: Unless you have a reliable four-wheel drive rig, launching a boat is difficult at best. Car toppers or a boat you can wrangle by hand? No problem. Those who can get out are finding a decent bass bite with some of the better fish hitting four pounds tossing plastics and jigs. A good number of crappie are also being found in the shallows around structure as well.

Lake Amador: They’ve resumed their annual winter trout planting program and they’re planting thousands of pounds of their home-grown trout weekly. Along with the regular-sized trout, they also throw in some of their big spawner-sized trout, some that will hit the 10-pound mark. Float tubers are doing well right now by long-lining a wooly bugger and stripping it back in. If you fish from shore around the rock wall to the overflow region, suspend your bait with a slip bobber and stay within the top 10 feet. Until your bobber starts swimming around and dives, cast-retrieve a lure with your second rod. It’s fun tying into a 10-pounder, believe me.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, contact George directly at

GeorgesColumn@AOL.COM.