18 February 28 , 2025 VOL . 44 • ISS . 2
GONE FISHING continued from page 2
between October and May . Most of these trout are cutthroat-rainbow-steelhead hybrids referred to as a ‘ Cutbows .’ These trout grow to enormous sizes , and several over ten pounds are caught each year by anglers lucky enough to land them . The Donaldson-strain Cutbow trout are 30 percent steelhead , 50 percent rainbow and 20 percent cutthroat . They are hard fighting , square-tailed beauties that buck the trend of what anglers typically refer to as ‘ planters .’ In addition to Cutbows , Amador also stocks gold-colored trout referred to as ‘ Amador Golds ’ and ‘ Blue Trout .’ Blue Trout are rare , but golds are caught on most days and tend to run on the larger side . One thing that sets Lake Amador apart from other fishing opportunities in Northern California is that the bank anglers have a fair shot at doing as well or even better than boats . This is especially true in the winter when trout tend to cruise along the shorelines in the top ten feet of water . In fact , many boaters at Amador will launch their boats and proceed to drive up into Jackson Creek or small coves to beach their boats and fish along the shorelines . Power Bait and white crappie jigs are top offerings for shore anglers . With visions of golds , blues , and Cutbows dancing in my head , it was about time I headed to Lake Amador this year to see if I could cash in . Not to mention , Lake Amador offers a tagged trout derby that runs through March 30th for those that want to pay the $ 9 entry fee . On Wednesday , February 12 , Kirby Desha of Lincoln met at my place at 5:00 am and we headed southeast to the mining hills of Amador County in search of gold . While none of the ‘ Amagold ’ trout found their way into our hooks on
Kirby Desha of Lincoln shows off an olive-colored ‘ Cutbow ’ trout at Lake Amador on Wednesday , February 11 . The attractively colored fish slammed an orange Arctic Fox tube fly tipped with a red worm behind a # 1 Wiggle Fin Action Disc . Kirby was trolling nine feet under the surface using downriggers at 1.6 miles per hour when the fish hit .
Photo by Jack Naves , Fish Sniffer Staff that day , we did enjoy an action-packed adventure on the water courtesy of Amador ’ s beautiful Cutbow trout . In about an hour ’ s time from leaving my house in the Sacramento Area , Kirby and I arrived at the lake just past the 6:00am opening of the gates . It was still pitch-dark as we rounded the corner to the launch ramp area . We launched the boat and trolled into the first cove to the east . I had set my downrigger to nine feet deep only moments earlier , when the rod tip stabbed downward several times .
I quickly reeled the line out of the downrigger clip and relayed to Kirby to get the net . A few minutes later , we had our first Cutbow trout in the boat , so we headed east in search of more . That morning featured scattered action , and I decided to crank up the speed to cover more water . “ Go ahead and put the Rapala on ” I relayed to Kirby , and we got set to change gears . We had been trolling slowly at 1.6 miles per hour because of the chilly morning temperatures . However , the key to catching scattered
This colorful ‘ Cutbow ’ trout is shown paired with a top offering for trout – an orange Arctic Fox tube fly behind a # 1 Wiggle Fin Action Disc . The key is to run the disc right up to the hook as shown here , and always add a red worm or small piece of nightcrawler on your hook . This EDGE HSR 7111-1 rod is an excellent choice when chasing trout using downriggers .
Photo by Jack Naves , Fish Sniffer Staff trout is to cover water quickly when possible . The water temperature had increased to 51 degrees , so we made the call to speed things up . I raised the trolling plate on my main motor and the boat suddenly surged forward to 2.6 miles per hour . Kirby and I had been employing Arctic Fox trolling flies up until that point . The orange tube fly is my go-to lure when trolling for trout . It works best when it ’ s tipped with a red worm or small section of nightcrawler , and run directly behind a # 1 Wiggle Fin Action Disc . While this lure is deadly for trout , it doesn ’ t do a respectable job of staying submerged when running at high speeds . For this reason , we switched our side-planer rods over to F-9 Rapala Floating Minnows in the ‘ Hot Steel ’ color pattern . The Rapala is a staple lure for any trout angler . I wanted to try different depths , so we added 1 / 4-ounce and 5 / 8-ounce keel sinkers in front of our leaders to probe different water levels . Arctic Fox flies remained on the downriggers , while Rapalas danced and darted seventy feet behind our side planers . It wasn ’ t until about 11:30am when the action really started to pick up . Kirby landed several fish in a row on the Rapala with a 5 / 8-ounce weight , so I quickly changed my setup to match . Soon we were both getting in on the action . Just after noon , we pulled out of the Jackson Creek arm , and my side-planer violently surged under water like a race boat going down . “ It ’ s ripping line !” I shouted to Kirby , as I tried to get leverage on the fish . I could tell it was of better quality than the other trout we had landed . Kirby waited eagerly with the net trying to get a glimpse . “ Oh yeah !” Kirby exalted as the fish came into view . With a swipe of the net , we had our biggest Cutbow of the day in the boat . Tapping out at about four-and-a-half pounds , the trout resembled a buck steelhead or native rainbow from the Upper-Sacramento River . Its beautiful olive coloring was accented by rosy stripes down the sides , and trademark flame-orange ‘ cutthroat ’ patches under the lower jaw . It was one of the most beautiful trout I had ever caught , and I was only about an hour from home ! We left the fish biting at 2:00pm , as we needed to get back home to attend other activities . In total , we landed seven nice trout while losing another three . It was a solid day on the water , and pan-grilled trout was on the menu later that week . To cap it all off , I caught one of the tagged trout from the derby and won a free boat launch for a future trip ! Whether you are a boat or shore angler , now is the time to get out to Lake Amador if trout are on your mind . Once the water warms and we transition into summer , crappie , bass , and catfish are all good options at Lake Amador . Look for me on the lake this March , searching for that ten-pound ‘ Cutty .’