Saturday, May 29, 2010

There are no snags

At least you have to think that way out here. Yesterday Nicole and I came out and lost five lures, all snags. Or maybe not. Probably. But the funny thing is, the two largest fish we have caught out of here at first seem like snags. Nick's giant that we lost was at first assumed to be a snag, and today we got an awesome reminder of how the fish here fight! We started out at 6pm and headed upstream. At the top of our first pass, just as we were in the thick of things, I said to Nicole, "We're gonna hook up now." A minute went by and Nicole's rod took two small dips and set firm but steady. Line stripped out at a smooth and constant rate. I asked her if it felt like a fish but she couldn't tell. I reeled in my line and headed downstream as she reeled in hers. Just as the boat got even with her line, we saw her fish fighting about six feet below the boat. Nicole got her to the boat very quickly, and after two attempts to net her we got her in. There were several people on the walking bridge watching all the action, and they gave us a standing ovation! Definitely Nicole's largest fish ever, and it certainly gives Nick's record a run for his money. Here I am with Nicole's fish since she wouldn't hold it. This is not a snag!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Time to go!



 











              Will tomorrow never come? After last Sunday's successful outing I can't wait to hit the water tomorrow. It seems all conditions are lining up perfectly; a light rain came through today on the back end of an unseasonably cold spell, temperatures are expected to warm to the low 80's with sun, and flows should be relatively stable. Hoping for evening skies like this!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

My Fishing Spot


Most people don't even notice it. When I speak it's name, I am invariably confronted with one of three mutterings: 1) Lake what? 2) Where's that? 3) There's no fish in there! You may be wondering why I would be willing to share my fishing spot with anyone, but therein lies the beauty of the place and the reasons I fell in love with it.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Lake Natoma

I finally got the boat/motor tuned up and ready to hit the water after sitting in the garage all winter. My wife and I decided to give the tune-up a test run for the afternoon at Lake Natoma. We launched at Negro Bar and started trolling with our favorites just below the Auburn-Folsom bridge. Right on cue, three redneck kayakers decided to paddle behind us right on top of our lines! As a result, I decided to cut over to the side of the channel and let them pass. As soon as we got back on our favorite line, my rod started flopping with a fish on! The fish just swam right to the boat, only starting to fight within 10 feet of us. Caught and released the 15" rainbow and decided to start the run over. After dropping downstream a few hundred yards, we put our lines out and started upstream again. Just as we were getting above Rainbow bridge, my rod started thrumming under the strain of a larger fish! As I started to bring it in, she jumped about three feet out of the water to give me a look! I tried to crank her in, but we were in the hard current and it was difficult to hold the boat and reel in the fish. Just as I got her in halfway, the lure fell out softly and she was gone! I estimated her to be about 5-6 pounds, not a bad start to fishing this year! I have to note that the weather has been unseasonably cold, and the water was gin clear. I'm sure that the carburetor idle adjustment I made that quieted the motor didn't hurt. Expect some great fish pictures soon!