6 October 6 , 2023 VOL . 42 • ISS . 14

AMADOR LAKE

Trout Plants Will Begin Soon

IONE – The fishing pressure has been light lately at Lake Amador , but that should all change soon when the resort begins planting cutbow , rainbow and Amador gold trout in the reservoir this fall . Lee Lockhart at the Lake Amador Resort said he expects to begin stocking the trout in mid-October or whenever the surface temperature cools down enough for them to plant the fish . Until the plants begin , catfish , bluegill and black bass will provide the top action at the Mother Lode reservoir . “ Catfish in the 5 to 10 lb . range are being taken by anglers using chicken liver , anchovies and other baits ,” advised Lockhart . “ Your best bet from a boat is to fish the Jackson Creek arm . Shore anglers should fish off the spillway or around the corners of the dam . The best fishing is taking place at night .” “ If you want bluegill that are hand sized and bigger , use nightcrawlers out past the spillway or in the Carson Arm ,” he tipped . “ The larger fish are offshore on the bottom .” “ The bass fishing has been good ,” he noted . “ Boaters are experiencing the best fishing while tossing out Super Spooks and other top water lures early in the mornings and evenings .” The lake is now 72 percent of capacity and 4 feet from full . Lockhart estimate that the water temperature is in the mid-seventies now .

AMERICAN RIVER / SACRAMENTO AREA

Fly Fishers Swing Flies for Half Pounders

SACRAMENTO – “” If you haven ’ t taken an hour or two swinging the riffles for our fall run halfpounders , you are cheating yourself out of one of the advantages of

living near one of California ’ s most prolific fisheries ,” reported Kiene ’ s Fly Shop regarding the lower American River . “ The fish are scattered here and there but are worth having a crack at them if you have some time to kill . We just received a report this morning that the riffles near Paradise Beach all of the way up to Sailor Bar are holding fish ,” the shop reported . Recommended fly patterns for the steelhead include Bird ’ s Nests # 12 ,# 14 , Egg Patterns # 12 , Caddis Poopah # 12 , # 14 , Micro Mayfly / olive # 18 , Rubber Legs / black # 8- # 14 , Prince Nymph # 12 , # 14 SJ Worm / tan # 12 , and Vinci ’ s “ Depth Charge Bird ’ s Nest / olive , natural or black . “ We ’ re also still getting positive reports about the striper fishing , particularly in the lower half of the river . The quality of striper fishing depends on your expectations . If catching five or six fish during a morning float sounds appealing to you then . I would have to rate the fishing as ‘ very good .’ Most positive reports are coming from Howe Ave to just below Paradise ,” the report concluded . Fly fishermen in pursuit of stripers should use Clouser Minnows # 1 in white & turquoise , olive & turquoise , gray & turquoise , yellow & turquoise and white & gray . Conventional gear anglers should toss out top water lures and swimbaits in the early morning and late afternoon hours for the best success . You can expect to hook a mixture of shakers and keepers in the 18 to 24 inch range , but larger fish in the 20 to 30 lb . class are always possible . Bureau of Reclamation water releases to the lower American River were 2,990 cfs at press time . Few anglers have been fishing for catfish in the Sacramento River and adjacent sloughs lately , due to the

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Charlie King was using a FishLab BioSpin spinner bait on the delta when he landed these two chunky bass .

Photo Courtesy of Charlie King

22nd Annual

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