Lake Amador 2/28/12

My recent work schedule is allowing me to get lots of fishing done in the morning since I don't have to be at work until 1600 and I've been using my time well. Took the girl friend to Amador to try for some cutbows. We got on the water around 0900 and found a spot to try on the dam. Not too many people fishing today being a week day. Right when we got to the shoreline I immediately saw cruising schools of fish passing me.

Deni tossed out some powerbait only about 10 ft out. I do the same and grab my UL rod with a white crappie jig on. I tried tossing jigs at fish for a few hours for no action at all. I switched through 4 different colors and hardly nothing. Maybe a chaser every now and then. After that I tried my weighted black leech for nothing at all. After that I had to try something else. I brought my flt rod with me today and when all else fails I go to a power worm on my fly rod. It almost never fails me, but today it did. Not a glance or anything. I looked through my fly box to try something else and I came across my custom wooly bugger I call the "Red fox." Its a red and brown wooly bugger that I've done good on in the past. My very first cast with this fly I get slammed, I set the hook and my damn line snaps. Freaking wonderful. I run back to my fly box and grab another one and try again.

While I'm waiting for my next bite Deni's power bait gets slammed and she is hooked into a nice one.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

If nothing else powerbait will always work.

There were some guys right next to us trying the new fire bait from Pautzkes, and they didn't get anything on it. Idk if they just weren't in the area or what, but I think I'll stick to power bait.

After a while I get another slam on my fly and I get my first fish of the day.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Got to love fly fishing man.

Later I saw a fish swimming by me and I saw him doing some head shakes like he was hooked. I though some one had maybe just lost him or something. I didn't think he would hit but I made cast at him anyways. The cast ended up scaring him or something cause he took off then I heard the drag on my power bait rod screaming and then I realized why he was doing head shakes. I ran over grabbed my rod and reeled that guy in.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

We kept at it casting to passing schools, Deni got a few more fish on power bait and I missed a few more on the fly. Had to leave at 1300. Deni ended with 3 and I ended with the two. Took me a while to find something the fish would hit, but once I did it was great. Probably would have gotten my limit on the fly if I could have stayed later.

Few shots Deni took on her phone.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Great half day of fishing. Being able to get out a bit more often is defiantly awesome even if its not for a full day.

Till Next Time
Mark

Port of Sacramento 2/26/12

Another trip to the port I know, but I can't get away from it. Action has been good recently and I'm addicted to it. My buddy Ray who I'm supposed to be mentoring for his senior project told me that he has never caught a striper before, that has to change. I pick him up and got to the Jefferson parking lot around 0830 or so. Got the toon put together and off we went. Working the out going tide this morning our first few trolls we both had a few short taps, but nothing was committing to their hits. After about an hour of just dealing with short taps to nothing we decided to look for greener pastures outside of the barge canal to hope the fish here will be on a better bite later. Don't know if the fish were just small or if they just weren't that hungry.

We take off and try trolling some shoreline on the south end of Lake Washington where I've done good before and We start getting some more aggressive hits here. A couple swings a misses, but I finally stick my first fish of the day here and get my skunk off.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I didn't measure this guy, but I think he was around or just shy of 18 inches. We work this area for the next few hours fighting with the wind in the toon for a few more shakers for my self and I ended up getting one Largemouth while trolling.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

After that our bite here died down. With both of my spots now on the slow side today, and I didn't have to be at work later We took off for my bassy cove to look for some bucket mouths. We spent a few more hours tossing crankbaits around launch ramps and ships for one SDR and I had what looked like a 10+lb striper following my crankbait, but he turned away right at the boat.

Ray Unfortunately hasn't caught a fish yet. While trolling he has had plenty of hits, but he couldn't stick anything. I wasn't sure if he just wasn't getting the hookset right or if something was wrong with his lure. I take a look at his swimbait he was trying which was a 4 inch swimbait from powerbait. I thought the hook looked like it was pointing at a downward angle with would make sticking fish a lot harder. I told him to try one of my fish traps and see if he still has the same problem. We run back to the Barge canal to do some more trolling, and sure enough Ray next bite he gets slammed and this one sticks.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Ray's first ever Striper. He measured out at 21 inches. Nice schoolie.

We were still getting lots or short taps here in the canal, but Ray was finally sticking fish.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Ray ended up getting 3 fish almost all back to back and all 18-21 inches. Around 1430 my battery for my trolling motor died so We ran back to the truck and I charged it up a little bit so we didn't have to stop fishing. We tried a few more trolls for some short taps but nothing else stuck. 1700 came around and the sun was on its way down. We were both about ready to go but we still had to urge to try for one more. My battery was dieing again so instead of trolling we were just slowly working out way back to the ramp casting a long with way. Ray working his swimbait and I'm tossing my Alabama rig. We kept trying and trying but we got closer and closer to the ramp without getting even a tap. Finally were not more then 30ft away from the ramp I make a cast along the shoreline in about 7 ft of water and my Alabama rig gets slammed. I set the hook on it and nothing budged. I knew I had a much nicer fish.

Guy managed to drag the toon around a bit before I lipped him and got him in.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

My biggest fish I have ever caught out here in the port. Fish was 29 inches long. I didn't have the scale so I didn't get a weight unfortunately. That right there is what perseverance is all about. Tried hard and fish until the last minute and it paid off.

That was the last fish of the day and a great way to end it. The bite was a bit tougher today then it has been, but we put in the effort and got rewarded greatly. The total was 9 stripers between the 2 or us 4 or 5 being legal and my one bass I got trolling.

Till Next Time Guys
Mark

Sac Port 2/24/12

With the weather being nice and sunny like it is spring time is here and I've got striper and bass fever. Didn't have to work until 1600 today thought I would make a run out to the port. Woke Deni up early and got out on the water by 0820. Tide was up today and we were fishing the out going. I stuck to trolling in some deeper waters instead of up real shallow next to the bank like I usually do during low tide. The decision paid off too. Not even 10 mins. into the troll one of my rods gets slammed. First fish of the day ended up being a nice keeper.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

roughly 21 inches or so.

I was trolling with two rods, one with just my usual swimbait I casted out a short distance to run shallow, and my Cali-bama rig to run deeper.

On our first troll Deni ended up missing 3 or 4 bites. She is still half asleep though and was sleeping on the job and ended up missed all of her hits. Further down the road I end up getting a small shaker.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

We continue to troll up and down the canal for a pretty steady bite throughout the out going tide.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

This guy really wanted it.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

All fish caught on white swimbaits with pro-cure threadfin shad scent. On 1/2 ounce jig heads. We tried a lot of casting a long the bank where we were getting hits instead of trolling through it. Deni ended up getting one keeper near what looked like a storm drain that had a small trickle of water coming out of it. Besides that though all fish came on the troll.

Around 1200 the sun got high or we got some slack tide or something but the bite seemed to die down on us. I had to leave at 1300 to make it to work in time so the bite dieing down on us was fine it was time to go anyways. Back at the ramp I saw a guy who took his car topper boat out trolling rebels with a 15lber in his boat. Defiantly the biggest fish I have ever seen come out of the port.

We ended the day with 9 fish landed between the two of us. I landed 5, 3 being legal 19-23 inches. Deni landed 4 2 being legal 20-22 inches. Both of us missed dozens of hits as well. Nothing super big for us, but catching legal sized schoolies all day long is a lot of fun. I didn't have time to bass fish today unfortunatly because of work, but it didn't matter. Stripers were in the chew inside the canal and that was tons of fun. I never even went past the bridge into Lake Washington.

Till Next Time Guys
Mark

Pardee Opener 2/17-2/19

Alright here it is the so told amazing Lake Pardee opener. I got my camspite reserved ahead of time to make sure I got the one that I wanted. We didn't get there until late on Friday because my friend Ray didn't get out of school until 1330. We got him and everyone though and got to the lake around 1630. We all rushed frantically to get camp set up and still have some time to fish before the sun went down. Got the tents set up threw everything inside, grabbed our fishing poles and off we went. Before we even got there I had heard that most people weren't doing very well today. Not a promising thing to hear, but I planned on making the most out of it.

Garrett and I knew right off the bat that our best bet to catching fish was gonna be at night after everyone left, so with the hour I had of day light left I just ran all over the place doing some scouting to see who was catching fish where and on what. I scanned the mud hole for a while and I didn't see anyone catching anything so I left there without even trying to fish it. I walked around to porcupine point close to the spillway and I saw two guys close to their limit just soaking powerbait and they said they haven't even been there an hour. Around the next corner I saw some other people catching a few on wolly buggers behind a clear bobber. I worked the area with kastmasters and my crappie jigs without a bite. Sun was going down so I took off back for camp to get the rest of my stuff put together before it got completely dark on me. After the rest of the guys came back Garrett had one that he said he got on a powerworm under a bobber. Atleast someone got something. Day isn't over for us yet though.

Couple hours went by all the other bankers left and we rolled back out on to the lake around 2000 in the darkness. Most of us tried powerbait on the bottom or under a bobber and casting glow jigs under bobbers. For the first hour no one gets a bite, so we run around trying different spots here and there. Garrett and I work out way back into another cove and we both manage to hook up on just powerbait off the bottom. With fish caught we call the rest of the guys over and we hit this spot hard. Over the next hour Garrett and I got one more and that was it.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

my two for the night.

With the bite being slow we called it quits from there, we were starting to freeze our asses off.

Next day Garrett, Adam, and Andrew woke up early and went to try the morning bite. Ray and I decided to sleep in and wait for the planter truck to show up. When I rolled out of bed around 0800 and just walked down to the island in the rec area and waited for the truck. I heard it was supposed to show up around 0830 so i got ready to hopefully be able to sight fish some passing schools with my crappie jigs and get some fish on a lure.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

While I'm waiting I can see Garrett in the distance landing fish every 20 mins or so. I thought ok sweet I can go over with him later after I get pushed out of my spot from crowds from the planter truck. I'm waiting for the truck to come. 0830 goes by, no tuck . . . . . . I look over Garrett catches another fish. 0925 comes by . . . . no truck, I look over Garrett is hooked up again. 1000 comes by, STILL NO TRUCK, and Garrett is over there putting on a clinic, he even let a little kid come over and reel in one of his fish. I can't take it anymore I have to go over there and see what Garrett is doing to be the only one catching fish on the entire lake.

I get over there and Garrett is fishing a powerworm on an jig head (so the fish wont swallow it) under a bobber, and just letting it drift in the wind. He told me he has already caught 8 fish this morning, letting them all go too pissing off people around him who really wanted fish to take home, lol. I tried fishing with Garrett for a little bit and, but I never got a bite over here.

1100 comes around and finally the planter truck shows up. I make my way back to the island hoping I can finally catch a fish on a lure. Plus it would be sight fishing which is my personal favorite way to fish for trout. I stand high up on a bench watching the fish get poured into the lake and just wait for the slaying to begin. I look though and the fish got planted, 30 mins. go by and everyone fishing next to the ramp by the truck, people on the other side in the mud hole, and all of the people fishing where I am on the island hasn't hooked a single fish yet. I'm not even fishing at this point I'm just watching and even after an hour after they planted I only saw two fish get caught. The word that was going around is because of the shallow water and higher temperatures all of the fish weren't sticking around in the rec area, they were just taking off for the main lake and colder waters.

Eventually I did notice about a dozen fish make there way to the island. Me and 20 other people threw jigs, flies, kastmasters, spinners, power worms, and everything in the tackle box at em for a chaser every now and then but no one caught anything. We go and check out the mud hole again and I can see some people with a few fish on a stringer just tossing powerbait, but man Lake Pardee sure is a bust this year. Slow fishing all around. After that we called it a break and ran back to camp for some lunch.

I fried up the fish we caught last night, cooked up some burgers and we all had some fish burgers.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Seems like an odd combination I know, but it was awesome.

Food in our systems we had to give it one more shot before trying the night bite again. We all ran back to the area where Garrett was catching his fish in the morning and no more then 30 seconds after we got there. Garrett hooks up again.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Only one catching fish on the lake that I saw.

Shortly after though I finally got one on powerbait.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

We fished till sundown for a couple more hits, Garrett got one more and that was it.

Another rest got some dinner and back on the water around 0700.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Lake Pardee at night.

Same area again where we were catching fish and I ended up getting one more on power bait and that was it. With our spot not producing we set off to try and new area. I saw some people with some fish in the mud hole earlier today so we thought that might be our best bet. I actually dropped off the guys there and I went back to camp to spend a little bit of time with Deni back and camp. I get a call around 1130 from Adam telling me to come and pick them up cause everyone limited out. I got them cleaned up all the fish and then I had to get back out there and get my share. With the promise of an easy bite I took Deni and our friend Jazzy, since they don't have the patience like the rest of the guys do it works out that we could find the fish for them before they come out.

I get myself back on the water with the girls about 0000 and set the power bait rods out. The lines weren't sitting there for more then about 30 seconds and we were all getting hits. I tried doing two rods and one point but, between me getting bites myself and unhooking fish for both of the girls it just became too hectic. I eventually just pulled my rod out of the water and let the girls fish. While we were fishing I noticed the were fish surfacing everywhere, so I did try my glow jig again for a while, but they wouldn't touch it. They would only hit the powerbait for whatever reason. We all limited out by 0100 and called it a night from there.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The nights catch.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Some how I ended up cleaning everyones fish. lol

Next morning I slept in, but Garrett and Adam ran back to the same area where we were killing them last night in the morning around 0600, doing the exact same thing and couldn't even buy a bite.

Seems like its exclusively a night bite when there isn't any or very much pressure.

With not much to stick around for we left by 1100 and headed home to relax. Long tough weekend, but we did finally experience what Pardee should be like. Everybody ended up catching fish and we all had a great time regardless of how fishing was the majority of the time.

Oh and what was shocking for Pardee I never got check by a warden or a ranger once. I'm sure they were there, but last year I got checked for my license 4 times each day, even at night. With no one catching many fish I guess there was nothing to enforce.

Till Next Time Guys
Mark

Sacramento Port 2/16/2012

My buddy Brian just moved back to the Sac area from Washington recently and he told me its been too long now since he's been fishing so I had to take him out. Amador hasn't been at its best recently, and I haven't been to the port in some time so I thought we would go and check it out see how its doing. We launch the pontoon around 0730. I don't have any of my rods set up yet so I hand Brian a rod with a swim bait tied on and told him to cast that around while I got my gear together. As I'm getting my crap together I hear Brian make a depressing sigh and holding his rod up. He missed a hit right off the bat. 2 mins later he missed another, and then another! Crap man I need to get in the water. I tie on a cali-bama rig, I bought one at the ISE and I've been dieing to try it out. My 2nd cast with it I hook up and I stick the fish that Brian had missed 3 times.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

First fish and a nice keeper size. Ended up being 23 inches long.

We cast along the bank for a while longer and got a few short taps but no more fish, so we went on the troll. Its obviously been a while for Brian, plus he has never caught a Striper before. He was missing hook sets left and right. After a while though he hooked up.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

He got a nice keeper for himself as well.

The next few hours we kept on the troll and we had a steady consistent bite throughout the morning.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Average shaker.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Brian is happy



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

This guy was 18 inches on the dot.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Keepers were in town today too.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Cali-Bama at work.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Another Shaker.

Around 1200 we had what seemed like a slack tide and the bite died off. While we waited on that I thought I'd check out my cove I fish for bass. I toss a crank bait around for a bite and did end up getting one fish.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

We tried for a while longer with crank baits and creature baits but nothing was biting. After that it was getting into the afternoon and my battery for the trolling motor was starting to die so I told Brian we had enough juice for one more troll then we need to get out of here. Lines out trying for one more fish eye's glues on the rods. Brian gets a hit and missed it, then I get one, miss it. Then Brian gets one more hit and makes it count.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

A kiss for the last fish of the day.

Ended the day there, 9 stripers between us, 6 being keepers 18-23 inches. Plus my one bass. With not being here in a while idk why I've been gone so long this place is great. Great day on the water and it was good to get my friend Brian back out on the water.

Great time on the water today, now I need to start packing for Pardee.

Till Then Guys
Mark

Busy Day @ Amador 2/11/12

A friend of a friend Ray called me telling me that he is working on his senior project and he some how managed to get fishing as his subject for his senior project. Smart guy, he told me though for his project he needed an outside mentor and he called me for that. I'm honored, I get to do some teaching and just do some fishing. Finally we had a free day together so we can finally go out. Figured right now our best bet would be Amador so off we went. Didn't really want to fight with the crowds, but until Pardee opens next week this is what we got.

We show up around 0900 and the dam is packed and I can already see 20 plus boats on the water, here we go. We were just banking it today, so we found a spot on the dam between the crowds and began our day. I look around and talked to some people. One guy told me he had been counting, he was there since 7 and he had only seen 3 fish caught so far. Not good news for the fishing, but we'll try to make something out of it yet. I stood back up on the dam tossing my usual crappie jigs at cruisers and Ray started off with a kastmaster. I actually saw a lot of cruisers today. There were several schools of 20 or 30 fish that constantly swam past me and one massive school of 100+ fish. All in casting distance, but I would get the jig to pass right by their faces and I would barely even get one to glance at it. I don't know if was the over cast weather or what, but seemed like all of the fish had lockjaw today.

After a few hours I finally see someone hook up and its Ray on his Kastmaster!



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Right on man first fish of the day.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

After so many fish not even glancing at my jig I thought it was time for change. I went to try a few different colors for not much more luck. I ended up tossing one of my flies that I tie with plenty of weight on it to cast from my UL rod. I chose a black leech to try which is becoming my personal favorite fly now. After trying it for a while I started getting some fish to chase and swipe at it, but none were really committing to it. Ray goes through his box and look for something else to try too. He finds a 3 inch fluke to try. To toss at the schools swimming by. Shortly later Ray hooks up again, and lands his second fish of the day.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Good fish that was worth a kiss.

Man I'm the one supposed to be doing the teaching here and I'm getting schooled. Shortly later I finally get my hookup on my leech.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

First fish of the day for me.

I kept at it and perseverance pays off and I get my second fish.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Black leech baby!

We kept trying till a bit past sundown. Ray got one more dfg dinker on his Kastmaster and that was it.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

me showing Ray how I fillet fish.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Plenty of roe in this one.

Ended our day with 5 fish between the two of us. Not too bad had a blast fishing even though catching was slow. Cant wait for our next trip out to pardee.

Till Then Guys
Mark