Up-To-Date and Published Locally ... By Sportsmen ... For Sportsmen !
San Pablo Reservoir Map Feature
MADE IN U . S . A
See Page 10
41 Years Serving Sportsmen
Vol . 42 - ISS . 3
Our 40th Year
Since 1982
“ The Magazine for West Coast Sportsmen !” INSIDE
Area Reports
Grinding Out Trout Limits at Lake Camanche
W ith the winter trout season in full swing , you might think that it will be easy to hit the water early and be home in time for lunch with limits . However , as we all can attest , this is rarely the case . Some days , it takes dedication and patience to discover the correct pattern ( or simply wait for the bite to turn on ). This was the case during my recent trip to Lake Camanche , which started with a dud , and ended in a flurry . Rj Sanchez graciously responded to my last-minute invitation and joined me for a day of trout trolling at Lake Camanche on Sunday , February 19 . After clearing the mussel inspection station and motoring up to the north shore parking lot , I found Rj patiently waiting in his truck . We launched and were on our way into the Mokelumne River arm of the lake in no time . Only two weeks earlier , I had spent an entire morning on the main lake for nothing , only to limit out in less than ninety minutes in the river arm . This time , I figured that if we started out in the river arm , then we would be on our way to quick morning limits for sure . As usual , the opposite scenario unfolded , and after three hour and no bites , we pulled lines and raced out to the northwest area of the
WHAT ’ S HOT by Jack Naves
main lake . When you struggle to get bit , you start to question everything you are doing . Are we fishing too shallow ? Too deep ? Too fast ? Too slow ? Since I ’ ve made dozens of trips to Lake Camanche , I had to shake off any doubts and have faith in my trusty fish log . The surface water temperature was hovering around fifty degrees . Based
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Rj Sanchez holds up two quality rainbow trout he landed while trolling at Lake Camanche on February 19 . These fish hit an F9 ‘ hot steel ’ Rapala trolled at 2.6 mph on a side planer . The lure was set 50 feet back from the side planer , with another 100 feet of line deployed from the boat to the planer board .
Photo Courtesy of Jack Naves
Winter Trolling at Pyramid Lake P yramid Lake , Nevada is one of the premier trout fisheries in the world . Nowhere else I know of that you can almost expect to catch a 10 pound trout ! The Lahontan Cutthroats in Pyramid grow extremely fast , and 20 to 30 pound trout are caught every year . Pyramid is a fantastic lake for shore fishermen in the winter months , from January through March . The big cutthroat ’ s are coming in close to shore on their annual spawning run , and hundreds of shore fishermen are there to intercept them . Typically , during
GONE FISHING by Paul Kneeland
these months , the fly casters and spoon throwers on the shore do better than the trollers in boats . However , I am not a very patient fisherman , and not a good shore fisherman unless the bite is very hot ! I would much rather fool around in a boat when the fish aren ’ t biting . At least I can mess with trolling speed , location , depth , play with downriggers and side planers when nothing is biting ! John Brassfield of Trucksmart Stores and I hit Pyramid last Saturday for our first trip of the year . We love fishing Pyramid , not just for the quality of the fish , but also for
Fish Sniffer publisher Paul Kneeland shows off a gorgeous Lahontan Cutthroat caught trolling a Lyman plug at Pyramid Lake .
Photo by John Brassfield , Auburn
unique beauty of this big desert lake . There was a ton of snow over Donner Pass , and quite a bit on the mountains surrounding Pyramid . It was 21 degrees when we launched
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March 3 , 2023
FRESHWATER REPORTS Lake Almanor - American River ................................ 6 Berryessa Lake - Collins Lake .................................. 7 Collins Lake ............................................................. 8 Lake Davis .............................................................. 9
Folsom Lake - Los Vaqueros / Del Valle Reservoirs . 12 New Melones / Don Pedro - Pardee Lake ................ 13 Pyramid Lake / Truckee River ..................................... 15 Rio Vista / Delta - Russian River ................................. 16
SALTWATER REPORTS Half Moon Bay / Fisherman ’ s Wharf / Berkeley / Bodega Bay ............................................ 19 Monterey Bay Report .............................................. 21
FEATURES
Where ... When ... How ...
GO FOR IT : Staff ........................................................ 4 MAP FEATURE : Dan Bacher ................................ 10-11 SPOTLIGHT ON CONSERVATION : Dan Bacher ....... 18
STAFF TACKLE
What We ’ re Using
Ernie Marlan fished the California Delta for striped bass . He threw topwater baits , swimbaits , lipless crankbaits , and glide baits . It was a tough day fishing and he only landed two schoolie sized stripers . He used Lew ’ s rods and reels teamed up with 50lb FINS braid and a GAMMA fluorocarbon leader .
Paul Kneeland fished Pyramid Lake with John Brassfield of Trucksmart stores in the Fish Sniffer 21 ’ Rogue Jet Coastal . They caught Lahontan cutthroat trout to 9 pounds , using an Okuma 8 ’ 6 ” SST steelhead Rod with an Okuma Cold Water SS line counter reel loaded with 10 lb test Soft Steel line . They trolled 4 inch Silver Horde spoons in orange / chartruese and Lyman plugs in white / green “ Dill Pickle ” color , toplining with Big Jon planer boards and off Canon Downriggers at 10 to 30 feet deep and 3.0 mph .
Dan Bacher fished for trout at Pardee Lake . He used a Berkley Ugly Stick GX2 6 ’ 6 ” medium action spinning rod , teamed up with a Shakespeare GX235 spinning reel filled with 6 lb . test P-Line CX Premium Flourocarbon Coated Line . He fished with garlic chartreuse Berkley PowerBait , 1 / 8 oz . gold and black Panther Martins and 2 / 5 oz . gold / red stripe Little Cleos .