FRESHWATER
16 January 14 , 2022 VOL . 41 • ISS . 1
FRESHWATER REPORTS
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LAKE AMADOR
Anglers Celebrate New Year with Big Trout Catches
IONE – Weekly plants of big trout from Lake Amador ’ s on-site fish hatchery have boosted the big trout catches since the New Year began . The lake level is now only 10 ’ from full and the surface temperature is 50.5 degrees . The water clarity is 6 ’ and oxygen level is 8.2mg / L “ 700 lbs . of hard fighting cutbows were released , half by the dam and half by the spillway . 100 trout in the load were tagged for the derby ,” reported Lee Lockhart of Lake Amador Resort on January 5 . “ There are not many people here today , so these fish will be spread out and ready to eat tomorrow .” “ Trolling lures should be the ticket but PowerBait continues to generate a good bite so keep your options open ; just make sure to fish in the top 10 ’, “ he tipped . Yeng Vang of Stockton was holding the January Big Fish Record weighing a whopping 9.62 lbs . at press time . “ We ’ ll see if it holds because there are definitely larger fish in there from last week ’ s plant and prior years ,” said Lockhart . Patrick and Sean Flanagan from Livermore landed a nice limit including one trout weighing in at 7.22 lbs . Flanagan caught a male cutbow weighing 6.72 lbs . while trolling a rainbow Speedy Shiner five feet deep on the day before . Corey Murdock Loomis takes the winner seat for December ’ s big trout season pass giveaway with his 9.32 lb . trophy cutbow he caught on 12 / 30 . Jordan Romero had no problem enticing a few nice cutbows and an Amador Gold fishing with Power Eggs and power worms from shore . On January 2 , Michael fooled an 8.75 lb . male cutbow and a 10.56 lb . female rainbow with a Kastmaster from shore at his favorite secret spot . Paul Thompson III caught his personal best trout by the spillway after fishing at the lake for years . This female rainbow weighed 10.56 lbs ., but he was not in the derby .
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AMERICAN RIVER
Upper Section Opens with Slow Steelhead Fishing
RANCHO CORDOVA - The upper section of the American River , from the U . S . Geological Survey gauging station cable crossing about 300 yards downstream from the Nimbus Hatchery fish rack site to the SMUD power line crossing at the southwest boundary of Ancil Hoffman Park , opened with high flows of 5000 cfs on January 1 . The river right below the hatchery was very crowded . Most anglers I talked to below the hatchery reported catching zero fish , but one angler , Carl Ramirez of Roseville , landed a 19- inch hatchery steelhead and lost three others while using a 6 mm orange bead under a bobber on a Centerpin rod and reel . He saw other anglers also catch fish , topped by a 12-pound hatchery steelhead that one fisherman landed while using roe . The hatchery has trapped a total of 515 adults and 3 half pounders to date , much better than last year when the hatchery had trapped only 114 adults and 345 half pounders , according to Gary Novak , hatchery manager . The hatchery began spawning steelhead in mid-December . Novak also said the hatchery took enough fall Chinook salmon eggs , 9,464,000 , in 2021 to meet their production goal . Information : ( 916 ) 358-2884 .
- Dan Bacher
BULLARDS BAR / ENGLEBRIGHT LAKES
Kokanee Bite Heats Up
DOBBINS – Want to catch small but abundant kokanee on a reservoir where the limit is 10 kokanee total ? Then head to Bullards Bar Reservoir . “ Kokanee in the 10 to 11-inch range , with an occasional fish in the 11-inch range , are now being caught on Bullards Bar ,” reported Craig Newton at Willfish Bait and Tackle . “ The fish are hitting in top 20 feet of water . Boaters report catching fish out of both Dark Day and by the dam . Anglers are finding the best action while trolling hoochies , tipped with white corn , behind dodgers .” You can hook spotted bass while drop shotting with Robo Worms and small swimbaits during the day or tossing out top water lures and chatter baits in the early morning and evening hours . Bullards Bar
Randall Parvin , of Elk Grove , was using finesse style baits at Lake Camanche when he caught these two nice bass .
Photo Courtesy of Don Newton
Reservoir is holding 547,061-acre feet of water , 57 percent of capacity and 91 percent of average . Rainbow trout fishing at Englebright Reservoir is also worth a shot . Boaters are doing best on rainbows to 18 inches while longline trolling with Rapalas in the Yuba River arm . Englebright is holding 64,743-acre feet of water , 93 percent of capacity and 100 percent of average .
- Dan Bacher
LAKE BERRYESSA
Trout and Bass Bite After Lake Finally Turns Over
NAPA – Lake Berryessa finally turned over – and the rainbow trout and black bass fishing has improved as the lake fills from recent rains . “ The trout are chasing the bait and the big bass are chasing the trout ,” revealed Cole Nipsey at Sweeney ’ s Sports . Trollers are hooking the trout while using Kastmasters , Speedy Shiners and other lures in the top 20 feet of water . The fish range from 16 to 20 inches long and are scattered all over the lake , said Nipsey Boaters are also hooking the fish while tossing out Kastmasters and other lures . Few anglers are bank fishing for the trout . It ’ s best for anglers to toss out minnows or nightcrawlers from shore . Bass anglers are catching a mixture of smallmouth , spotted and largemouth bass while fishing around bait schools throughout the lake ; the fish are very scattered . “ Your best bet is to throw reaction baits like lipless crankbaits and jerk baits ,” he stated . “ Fish can be found in 2 to 40 feet of water , but prefer offshore rockpiles and other rock structure as the lake rises . The best action is on the north end of the lake in the Putah Creek inlet . The fish can also be found around
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CONTINUED ON PG 17
LAKE AMADOR
Trout Planted Seasonally !
• Cafe • RV Park • Waterslide
• Campground • Disc Golf
• General Store
Cafe Open Seasonally On Friday , Saturday & Sundays
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209-274-4739
7500 Lake Amador Dr ., Ione , CA 95640
WWW . LAKEAMADOR . COM
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San Jose ’ s most “ COMPLETE ” tackle store ! With large selection & low prices for fresh and saltwater . THE LATEST BASS TACKLE FOR THE TOURNAMENT ANGLER
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GREAT Fishing for : Trout • Kokanee • Catfish Large & Smallmouth Bass Crappie • Bluegill • Sunfish
Store • Campsites / RV sites Marina • Boat Launch New Boat & Motor Rental Fleet
Call for Information & Reservations
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