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June 21 Fishing New Melones ReservoirNew Melones Lake Fishing Click for hundreds June 18-19, 2009  New Melones Lake Stanislaus River Arm and the Hiway 49 Bridge. I haven't fished New Melones for a couple of years. When I had the C-Dory, I enjoyed anchoring for the night in a cove, then dangling a night crawler over each side of the boat and waiting for a trout to come along and take a bite. I would fish under a light which would attract bait fish which would attract trout. Well, that's how it's supposed to work. And there was the trolling for trout and kokanee, too. I'd usually head home with a limit on the second day. But this trip was not like past trips. I did the night crawler under the light thing for hours - and not one taker. I don't know why there was no action. I trolled for several hours the first day before anchoring - and caught one kokanee of about 10 inches, and released it. The next morning I caught another kokanee of about 12 " or so as soon as I started trolling, and that was it for the whole trip. And there are the lake lice to consider. (Lake lice = water skiers, jetskiers, etc.) New Melones is very popular with the speed crowd, and that does not help the fishing nor my quest for peace and quiet. Admittedly, my second day (Friday morning) was very short; I noticed the numbers of lake lice on the water and even more arriving at the ramp. I don't care to share the lake with so many people, so I left for home about 0930. This week's adventure was not my most enjoyable fishing trip. And then there is the new toll booth one must pay to visit the lake. New Melones has had free admission for many years but that ended last year. All in all, this was not one of my better visits to New Melones Lake. Maybe I should consider another lake for my next adventure. Perhaps nearby Pardee Reservoir, where there is only fishing and no body contact allowed. It is a more expensive lake to visit, but the peace and quiet without the lake lice might be well worth it.Stay tuned. June 12 Camanche for the last time this season... June 11, 2009
Camanche Reservoir Trout Fishing Click for hundreds I'd love to post a photo with a stringer of about 15 pounds, but it ain't gonna happen this week:  This little one pound rainbow will have to do it this week - and I didn't even know he was on the line 'til I popped the line loose from the downrigger cable to change lures. The slim pickins weren't for lack of trying. I began trolling 20' to 30' at 0845 and kept at it 'til 1500. Some of the time I tried bait fishing with Berkeley's Power Bait, but that didn't garner any interest, either. I marked several fish as I trolled, but they weren't buying. One fella stopped to chat with me as I was tying the boat down after my fishing and said that last week they had two limits in four hours - and no fish at all this week. So it goes.  One cannot complain too much when spending the day trolling...  ...or bait fishing. Camanche is a relatively shallow lake - and quite warm in the summertime. The surface temperature was 72° during this week's visit, and the trout have moved down to about 30'. Still, it gets too warm for trout and very soon the trout will start displaying sores on their skin from the warm environment.  Even my usually feeble attempts at wildlife photography was limited to a buzzard! With the delta summer wind pattern seemingly in place already, my fishing will now be on New Hogan Reservoir for stripers and New Melones and Pardee Reservoirs for trout - and an occasional kokanee. Life is good! May 15 Camanche Lake Trout FishingCamanche Trout! Click for hundreds May 14, 2009 Lake Camanche is my favorite trout lake due to the big ones that come out of their on a regular basis. While I really wanted to hit Suisun Bay for more sturgeon fishing this week, the wind dictated that I fish elsewhere. So I mounted the downriggers, loaded up for a trout trip and headed for the foothills.  Another fisherman holds up his eight pounder plus another I'd guess around five pounds. The fella told me that he catches the big ones by fishing early in the morning. I didn't start fishing 'til after 0900, and the fishing had slowed somewhat by then. My trolling pattern was mostly between Hat Island and the dam and in that general area of the lake. My first - and biggest - fish of the day hit hard on a Rapala Firetiger and fought furiously. He finally landed in the net after several runs from the boat - and weighed in at two pounds. It felt good to kick the skunk out of the boat after last week's big zero at Hogan Lake.  My two pounder; note the normal tail is squared, not rounded as Camanche trout are. I understand they get rounded at the hatchery. Perhaps this one was planted when he was a fingerling. I continued trolling for a total of about seven hours. I caught three more smaller trout for a total of four, and kept at it longer than I might have for that limit fish #5. The limit was not to be - but I'm not complaining.  My rather humble stringer of Lake Camanche Trout. The fish hit on a variety of lures including the Rapala mentioned above, one came on a trout pattern Needle Fish and another came on a Rapala trout pattern. I trolled one side at about 10 to 15 feet, the other around 20 to 23 feet. I never did troll the surface as I saw no fish feeding on the surface. The fish I marked were at about 20 to 25 feet.Perhaps the wind will lie down next week and I can go on another Suisun Bay sturgeon adventure. Whatever the case, I plan to be out there fishing for something! April 23 Camanche TroutCamanche Trout Fishing Click for hundreds April 22, 2009  Willie and I (Or is that Mutt and Jeff?) pose with the day's catch. It was a perfect day on Camanche Lake. Camanche Lake is owned by East Bay Municipal Utilities District. The lake lies in rolling foothills about 35 miles northeast of Stockton, Ca. EBMUD stocks the lake with trout. Black bass and crappie are also found in the lake's 150 foot maximum depth. The lake is 7800 acres in size with a 75 mile shoreline. Camping and many outdoor activities are available. The lake's website is http://www.camancherecreation.com.  In violation of the captain's standing order, Willie caught the biggest fish of the day at 3¼ pounds. He knows full well that the captain is supposed to catch the first and the biggest fish every trip. I've fished Camanche for trout a number of times, and the great attraction for me is that ten pound trout are taken quite often. The lake record is over 19 pounds! My personal best trout was a six pounder taken at Camanche in February of 2007. My friend Willie and I headed to Camanche on Wednesday for a day of trolling for trout. I had the downriggers mounted, the trout tackle box was on board, and we drove the 45 or so miles to the lake with our usual optimism. When we arrived we were delighted to learn that the main south shore ramp was finally re-opened; it has been closed for at least a year due to low water. It was a real treat to launch at an otherwise empty ramp! Being retired means week-day fishing and no crowds! We cruised toward Hat Island and began trolling as we approached it. Before we got all four lines out, we had two fish on and in the boat. The second trout was the biggest of the day at 3¼ Lbs. Within the first hour we had another fish in the box! After that great start, the action slowed considerably. After trolling for five hours, we had a total of five fish. The weather was very warm; it reached 93° in the afternoon. For a while we were too warm, but an afternoon breeze kicked up and kept us quite comfortable. So it seems summer time trout fishing is here. I had originally planned to again fish Suisun Bay for sturgeon this week, but the wind predictions were very summer like - meaning consistent winds to around 20 MPH and gusting even higher. I don't do wind if I can help it, and that's why I fish the foothill lakes during the windy delta summers. Maybe next week I'll chase sturgeon! December 25 Spring fishing 2007Spring Fishing
2007 Click here for May 29-30, 2007 A New Melones Limit of
Trout & Kokanee!
I really wanted to head to the Delta and a late try for a sturgeon, but the wind was howling over Suisun Bay at over 30 MPH. So I headed up to New Melones Reservoir for some trout and kokanee fishing. And the wind was blowing there, too, but not nearly as bad. I trolled at depths from 45 ft. to 55 ft. for a few hours the first day and had four kokes on, but lost two before I got 'em to the boat. About 5 o'clock I anchored near the spillway for the night and tossed a couple of nightcrawlers over the side. As the sun set, I dropped my submersible light down to attract some action. I caught the two larger trout on bait at anchor, the third trout I caught soon after I started trolling on the morning of the second day. That made my limit of five fish. It was very
breezy the second day as these New Melones wind waves show. There were few boats
out and two parties I spoke to at the ramp chose to head back home and forget
the fishing in such choppy conditions. It was not pleasant in that wind, but did
get my limit fish!
May 16-17, 2007 Five Pound New Melones Trout! Hiway 12 was closed for repairs this week from Tuesday through Thursday. Also, the wayward whales were attracting too much attention on the Delta. With those traffic delays, I decided to just head for the foothills and some lake fishing. I planned to hit New Hogan on Wednesday to try for some striper action. As back up, I planned to drive on up to New Melones if Hogan was as dead as it usually is - and it was and I did. I gave Hogan four hours of rolling frozen anchovies and shad on Wednesday. I had no strikes and no action of any kind. There were no "boils" to be seen, either. Boils are what we call the action caused by stripers chasing bait fish to the surface and the resulting feeding frenzy. Such times are great for tossing a lure into the cauldron and hooking up with a crazed striper. But not this trip. After giving Hogan a fair try, I loaded up the boat and headed to New Melones. It was after 5 O' clock when I launched, so I headed directly to the spillway area and anchored for the night. I set out a couple of rods baited with night crawlers - and was rewarded with a hard, long run as soon as I set the second rod in the holder. I grabbed the rod and was amazed by the fight I had on my hands! I knew I had a big fish on and we fought for ten minutes before she finally tired. I scooped her into the net and weighed her in at five pounds! In the years I've fished New Melones I've never caught such a fish! My prior best there was a 4 1/2 Lb. brown trout while trolling.
My big catch was an exciting start to a wonderful evening that included quite a display of trout dining by a nearby osprey. The beautiful raptor dined in a nearby tree with as much pleasure as I display when dining on a juicy, rare, rib-eye steak. What a life they lead! I had one more big hit that evening while fishing under a submerged light - but didn't get to the rod in time to set the hook. Rats. I'm sure the one I missed was a big one, too. The following morning I was treated to more osprey antics as one patrolled the area around my boat and finally scooped another trout off the surface for breakfast. I trolled for several hours Thursday morning and managed one kokanee of about one pound. The kokanee season is just getting started and are not that easy to come by - yet. At least not for me.
An osprey dines on very fresh trout near my
anchorage.
May 7-9, 2007 Sturgeon Fishin From Brannan Park
 The water was like glass on my way downiver to Suisun Bay. This red barn overlooks the river a few miles south of Rio Vista, near the area referred to by fishermen as "the powerlines" due to the many lines that are strung across the river in the area. But the glass like conditions didn't last.
The wind kicked up and blew against the outgoing current, creating wind waves. I dealt with a mild chop through all of Suisun Bay. Here the drogue, an underwater parachute device, holds the boat in line with the current as the wind tries to blow the boat in circles. I spent about four hours fishing
Suisun, but gave up early as the wind continued. I tire easily from too much
wind - and I hate banging back upriver in a choppy, lumpy river. I settled in
again for a few hours at Decker Island, near Brannan Park. A big sturgeon fight
was not to be, but that's not unusual for those of us who faithfully keep trying
for the next big brawl. Maybe next week...
Another Brannan Island Visit:
A large female gives it up at the boat. She was probably 72 inches or more, and was released according to the new 66" rule. She took lamprey at my honey hole near Garnet Point on Suisun Bay on Tuesday. I waited almost four hours for her tender sturgeon bite. After about 15 minutes, she was at the boat in submission. I measured her with my little "sturgeon stick" which is shown below:
The green gardening tape is 66" long and is marked at 46", the allowable slot limit for keeping sturgeon. I managed to catch two sturgeon; one too large to keep by about six inches, the second about 4 inches too small to keep. Even so, the fight to get them to the boat was still very enjoyable. For me. Probably not the sturgies!
Here a smaller sturgeon of about 42 inches or so comes to the boat and is also released. This week's trip to Brannan was timed perfectly. The weather was warm and calm and the tides were timed to make daytime fishing just right. I spent two nights and Brannan State Park, camped in the RV Campground just above the boat docks. I met a several new and old fishing cronies at the campground Tuesday evening and enjoyed their company as well as dining with them. Life is good when you have friends with a pot full of campfire stew!
The Rig at Brannan's ramp parking lot is a head turner, I guess. I like it when folks come up to me and talk fishing or RVing. This combination makes for comfortable fishing and cozy overnight stays complete with all the comforts of home. I need to find other RV/ramp locations where I can launch - such as lakes and perhaps further down the Delta.
March 8, 2007 Another Trip to Camanche! After Tuesday's skunk, I couldn't live with myself. Poor Willie had a hard time going home empty handed, too. So I called Willie to see if he was up to another try, and he couldn't wait to get back on the lake! We trolled for about 4 1/2 hours, and landed just the one 3 3/4 pounder above. I was in the process of checking that a couple of our trolled lines were not crossing, holding the rod in my hand when this beauty hit. Catching the single, stupidest fish in the lake is not new for me. For two days this week, every other fish was too smart for us.
Personal record Brown TroutMarch 23-24, 2004
Personal Best Brown Trout!
Caught at New Melones Lake  I
intended to fish the Delta for sturgeon, naturally, this time of year.
Especially after last week's big catch. But the wind was blowing 30+ MPH on the
Delta Tuesday morning as I was preparing to head out.
So
I bolted on the downriggers, loaded up the trout rods and reels and headed for
New Melones Lake near Sonora for a couple of days. I had little to show for my
efforts until mid-morning on Wednesday when this nice brown hit like a torpedo.
Man, did the reel scream the good news when she hit. It was a good 10 minutes or
so fighting her to the boat. This is my largest brown ever, my prior record was
three pounds.
Personal record rainbow trout!February 23, 2007 RECORD RAINBOW!
We hit it BIG at Camanche Lake. What a great start for
2007! December 21 Trout fishing Spring 2008Trout Fishing Spring 2008
Click for hundreds
May 29, 2008 Camanche Trout! After six weeks of not fishing due to one excuse or another, I finally hit Camanche Reservoir with my fishing buddy, John.
We were fishing by about 9:00 that morning, and for a change we had quite a good day of fishing. Our last two outings on Camanche were skunks - not something one likes to brag about. John's
big one weighed in at 5 1/4 pounds, mine weighed 4 1/2 Lbs. I caught
one more trout at about 1 Lb., John caught four more.We managed seven
fish between us, two for me and five for John. About half the action
was on John's frog pattern Needlefish, half on small 2" Fire Tiger BBRs.
John's 5 1/4 Lb. Beauty. There
were a lot of fish feeding on the surface most of the day. We caught
half of our fish near the surface, the rest down as deep as just 27
feet. Note: Photos of prior trips during March and April were lost in the transfer to this site.
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