In the last month or so I've been talking about the line slap-line snap problem I've been having at Lake Amador. First the leader broke and then the line broke at the double surgeon knot. Then I went out and fished a brand new leader and of course, didn't get nary a look.
With the opening of regular trout season a week from this Saturday (the 28th), my mind has been on fishing places other than the lower lakes (the ones not frozen over). Since I've been banging away at the book thing pretty hard, I thought I'd take a run out to Lake Amador and give it one more try before next weekend. As it turns out, today was the right day to go out there because it's going to be windy for the next couple of days.
I got out there at 0915 which is a little later than normal. I took my cup of coffee and walked down by the point to see if anyone was catching anything. There were a couple here and there on stringers which was a favorable outlook. I also noticed that no one was fishing in the buoy area which was somewhat strange since there is always someone fishing there.
Plan A: I put on my waders and wader boots. The spillway was full to overflowing because of the rains last week. Vest on, fly rod with floating line rigged, and size 10 Tungsten Bead Head Thin Mint tied on, I walked down the path to the spillway.
Sloshing (wasn't very deep, but too deep for just sneakers) across to the other side I started casting. I would start from the edge and then move out into deeper water (about knee deep) until I could hit right by the buoy. I was casting about 40 feet (I have a marker on my line at 35 feet and was beyond that) and just short of the buoys. I would do a 180 fan and then move toward the other side and do another 180 fan.
In the same spot as the slap & snap's from before, I hooked up and landed the one below. Since it was a catch and release (first of the day) I didn't measure or weigh it, but estimate it at about 3 lbs., WHICH would make it a personal best on a fly rod (previous was 2lbs. 2ozs.).
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3 lbs. |
But this one was not about a personal best, but about catching that elusive one (and I'm sure it wasn't this specific fish) that kept getting away. Oh yeh, Tungsten Bead Head Thin Mint, but the third of the day. I lost the other two somewhere in the bushes behind me. When you're doing a 40 foot back loop and the fly goes AWOL, they're a little hard to find.
When I finished crossing the spillway area and went back across again, I changed to a size 10 Tungsten Bead Head Wooly Bugger in white that I tied a long time ago. Plan B was to fish a Wooly Bugger that looked like the white Crappie jig that I caught the big one on last year.
Same spot as the previous catch (because when I set my rod down to take a picture of the one below, it was on the same piece of driftwood as the first time) I hooked up and landed this one that I estimated to be about 2 lbs. Again released for another day.
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2 lbs. |
So, all in all not a bad day for a couple of hours throwing flies at buoys floating in the spillway. I'm waiting for the poppers that Jeff from J and M Flies (Fly Fishing & Tying Obsessed) has made up for me and if they get here by Saturday, maybe I'll take a run out to Rancho Seco Lake early next week and give them a whirl. Way past time to get the Float Tube Cumberland wet.
For those of you that are interested in getting the book (don 't expect it to be a huge novel, but it will be available in hardback or paperback) when it becomes available, I'll put out a shout and ask for names and addresses (so I can get mailing costs and such) and you can be sure they will all come to you signed by yours truly, although I don't know why (just kidding). So hang on it'll probably be another month or so.
Till next week or until I think of something else to say.
Mark