American River

Steelhead and Stripers Are Hitting Lures

RANCHO CORDOVA – Summer steelhead fishing has been going strong on the lower American River, while schoolie striped bass are also on the bite.

"We’ve been catching and releasing lots of summer steelhead in the 2 to 8 lb. range," said Kailyr Perry of Kailyr’s Guide Service. "We’ve been using both plugs and different types of bobber baits, including nightcrawlers and crawdads."

"On my latest trip on the lower American, my clients caught and released 10 steelhead. Most were in the 2 to 3 lb. range, with the largest going 8 lbs.," he noted. "We also hooked and released six stripers to 22 inches while using paddletails, glidebaits and jerkbaits."

Water releases from Nimbus Dam into the American River were 3,981 cfs at press time.

• Dan Bacher