One Of These Days

Last Monday I took a drive out to Lake Amador and Lake Camanche to see if there was any shore action. I heard a rumor that Lake Amador was stocking and wanted to see for myself, so I had accurate information for my next column in the local paper. As long as I was out that way, I stopped at Lake Camanche because it's just around the corner, so to speak.

The rumor was true and they began stocking for a couple weeks and some fish were being taken from the shore. When I stopped at check-in at Lake Camanche the girl said that they were, in fact, stocking that very day at both the North Shore and South Shore ramps as well as the Trout Pond. How's that for timing?

When I got home I shot Yuki an email to let him know (he's a big Trout Pond fisher). His first response was "Let's go". It's been a few years (I think 3 or 4 years now) since Yuki and I met at the Trout Pond. I was in the Float Tube Cumberland and he was on the shore where I launched. We've been fishing friends since.

We planned to meet today at 0900 to fish the Trout Pond. Late last night I got an email that said he was out at New Melones Reservoir, caught a couple, one being 16", and we should go out there.

OK, 0900 was the plan at Tuttletown. You know, we've fished there several times. I rolled out of the house at 0715 and made the hour and a half drive arriving just before 0900 and about 2 minutes before Yuki.

Do you all remember the Yuki hex? I catch fish and Yuki catches nothing until after I leave, right? Thought we did away with that a month ago at Silver Lake, but I guess I was wrong. Between 0900 and 1300 I caught the four in the picture below. The top (and smallest) is 15 inches. All caught on Rainbow Power Bait on a slip sinker rig, one with a little garlic, but the other three with just plain RPB.    

Four Rainbows

All holdovers and all with pink meat. Now my neighbor swears you can't have Rainbows with pink meat, but those sure look like Rainbows, Glory Hole Sports (they do the local New Melones fishing report) says people are catching Rainbows, and they sure as hell have pink meat. So there, Don.

A stab a fileting

I called the wife when I got home and asked if she wanted me to take a stab at fileting them or should I give them to Bob. She said "Get on with your bad self", so filet I did. Not a very good job. Actually I hacked the crap out of them, but I haven't fileted a fish in maybe 40 years, so I'm a little rusty. Maybe I should have given them to Bob after all.  As far as cooking them, that's her job. She cooks, I do the dishes. That's why she wasn't too concerned that we didn't get a dishwasher in the new trailer. Hell, she has me.

Last week we got (I think I mentioned this) about 8 inches of snow in the passes. I'd like to take one last shot at Upper Blue Lake if it's still open, maybe next week. I'll let you know.

That's it for today. I hope you liked the Halloween picture.

One last thing, I'll have a couple more pictures when Yuki send me his. I ran out of the house so fast I left my backpack hanging in the closet with my camera, gloves, and all the other stuff I carry in it.

And the title, One of These Days Yuki will probably give up fishing with me altogether, but I hope not.  

Mark