Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3801 Dec 22-Jan 4 | Page 21

FRESHWATER VOL.38 • ISS. 1 GONE FISHING With all the acrobatics, I fully expected the hook to be tossed, but luck must have been on my side. Gradually I was able to work the 20-inch trout to the bank and my partner closed the deal with a deft scoop of the net. While the rainbow was in the 3-pound class, based on the fight alone I expected it to be even larger, such was my introduction to trouting at Lake Amador several winters ago… For the uninitiated, Lake Amador is a relatively small Motherlode lake totaling 425 surface acres when at full capacity. The lake sits at an elevation of 485 feet. If you are looking for a pristine high Sierra trout fishing experience you’ll need to look elsewhere, but if you want to catch some of the largest, hardest fighting and healthiest planters available in the northern half of the state Amador is the place to go. The Lockhart family has been running Lake Amador for over 30 years and they’ve stayed focused on a single goal… creating one of the finest fishing destina- tions in the Western United States. The lake is home to trophy size Florida strain largemouths, huge 30 plus pound catfish and vast clouds of panfish, but these species are just appetizers. Trout fishing is what occupies the spotlight at Amador. Okay, so far you know the lake is fairly small and it’s jam-packed with trout. Now you want to know how to catch them. Let’s go fishing! Amador’s trout treat both boaters and bank anglers well. Most of the trout fishing I’ve done at Lake Amador has been from the bank so let’s start there. I’m a big believer in the “big bait, big fish” philosophy and lots of times, big baits do translate into big fish, but Lake Amador is a notable exception to this rule. Small and subtle presentations generally win the day at Amador. To be sure any standard lure or bait that bank anglers use to hook trout anywhere in Northern Cali- HOLIDAY SHOPPING SPREE December 18th to December 23rd 10% to 50% OFF Everything in the store!!! ALL Freshwater RODS 10% to 50% OFF SHIMANO REELS Stradic FJ — 15% to 20% OFF Curado 200 & 300 — 10% to 25% OFF GLOOMIS RODS All remaining stock on hand (excludes E6X) 25% OFF 21 continued from page 1 fornia will hook trout at Amador some of the time, just remember that for consistent success going small is the way to go. Dough baits like PowerBait and Zeke’s Sierra Gold both work well at Amador, provided you use bait balls no more than ¼ inch in diameter. Berkley Power Eggs are a popular and productive bait at Amador and produce well when fished off the bottom or drifted beneath a bobber. Worms can work well, but you don’t want to fish a whole inflated ‘crawler like you would at other lakes. Instead, inflate a 1-inch piece from the head end of the worm and pin it on a small fine wire hook. For whatever reason, Amador’s trout are really drawn to the bank so when casting it’s important not to cast beyond the fish. As a general rule, I like to start off with my baits no more than 20 feet off the bank. Lure tossing is popular among bank anglers, with spoons, spinners and small minnow plugs all producing results. All in all, 1/8 ounce Kastmasters in silver/ blue and gold are one of the most effective pieces of hardware you can toss. At the beginning of this piece I described catching a trout on a woolly bugger teamed with a clear water filled casting bobber. Truth be told I think tossing bubble and fly combos is not only one of the most effective, but also most exciting ways for a bank angler to hook Amador trout. Some anglers prefer to fill their bobbers partially full of water, but I like to go with a completely full bobber. If there is air in the bobber you are limited to fishing near the surface. With a full bobber, you can fish your offering just beneath the surface or you can count the rig down to explore the water column a bit. A full bobber makes a substantial splash when it hits the water and you might be worried that the splash will scare the trout. I used to worry about that, but over ALL Saltwater RODS & REELS 10% to 25% OFF Dec 21, 2018 - Jan 4, 2019 Abu Garcia AMBASSADEUR REELS 20% OFF QUANTUM Throttle Spinning Reels, Reg. $69.99 $50 OKUMA REELS Avenger Spinning, AV-10, AV-40 Reg. $39.99 Convector Line Counter CV30DLX, Reg. $89.99 Coldwater Line Counter CW354, Reg.134.99 Coldwater Line Counter CW153,203, 303, Reg. $104.99 $22 .00 $55 .00 $120 .00 $90 .00 FREE MONO and HALF PRICE BRAID line fill up with Reel Purchase Dick Nettel and his fishing partner visited Lake Amador recently and rounded up limits of fat trout, including a dandy lightning trout. Photo courtesy of DICK NETTELL, Sacramento. time I’ve come to believe that the splash actually attracts trout. I generally start out working my full bubble just under the surface. I cast and immediately start my retrieve after splash down. I elevate the rod tip a bit and make my retrieve so I can just see the submerged bubble bulging the surface. The wake the bubble creates also seems to draw fish close. When they come to inves- tigate and spot that fly its often FISH ON! When steady near surface retrieves aren’t working, I’ll experiment with pauses and twitches and I’ll try counting the bubble down to various depths. While my boat fishing experience at Amador is limited, my friend and fellow outdoor writer Jack Naves has a good deal of experience targeting the lake’s trout from his North River. “During the popular winter season, trout at Lake Amador like to cruise the top five feet of the water column. When the fish are up high, top lining is the method of choice for trollers,” says Naves. If the water temperature is below 54 degrees, a slow approach is usually best. Try trolling at .9 to 1.5 miles per hour with your lures 50 to 120 feet behind the boat. My favorite winter trolling lures are 3” grubs, trolling flies behind clear wiggle-discs, plain woolly buggers, and pea-sized balls of PowerBait. I usually run my lures at Amador without adding any dodgers or flashers in front of them. I do, however, make some changes to the lures once I get them out of the box.” “With woolly buggers, I trim off the tails so they look like little black dots moving through the water. I like to add a pea-sized ball of PowerBait or a Power Egg above my grubs. I’ll use a contrasting color – so with a white grub I’ll use pink, green, or dark brown. Sometimes with plain PowerBait I will add a 3” Power Worm as a trailer and upsize the ball of dough so it looks like a mutant pollywog. Sci-Fi trout fishing! For trolling flies, I like to pin a half-inch section of a night crawler on the hook just to give it some scent. And speaking of scent, I always smear my lures with a blend of oils and gels. My favorite scents for Lake Amador are shad and krill,” disclosed Naves. Willfish Tackle Of Auburn, Ca. Announces Holiday Shopping Spree! W illfish Tackle has announced an details, check out the Willfish ad in this exciting Holiday Shopping Spree edition of the Fish Sniffer! Sale with deep savings on reels from Abu G Loomis rods will also be marked Garcia, Shimano, Quantum and Okuma down significantly! and rods from G. Loomis. Willfish is located at 11944 Masters Beyond great pricing on rods and reels, Court, Auburn, Ca. For more information you’ll find special pricing on everything call (530) 887-0839. else in the store and you’ll save anywhere Trout ~ Kokanee ~ Salmon ~ Shad from 10% to 50% OFFICIAL SPONSOR off. Buy a reel and choose from free 240 different mono or half price size/color braid! 18 Proven combinations! Kokanee/Trout Dodgers! The sale is going to run from December 18 to 23. 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