Jim Wanted To Go Fishen'

I got an email from Yuki the other day that said Jim wanted to go "fishen" at New Melones on Wednesday. I figured, sure why not. Can't be any worse than Camanche.

Since my wife worked late last night and had to do more work in the middle of the night (2 am to 5 am that IT crap sucks) I got up at my normal 5:15, threw myself together a blasted out the door just before 0700.

I had to get gas at a little market in town so I took a chance on a cup of coffee for the hour trip out to the lake. Turned out the coffee was pretty good.

I got to the lake at 0830 and noticed that the water level has risen some. The weather guessers said that New Melones went from 43% of capacity to 44% of capacity after the past storms we've gotten. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but for a lake this size (2.4 million acre-feet) that's quite a bit of water.

Once I had two rods out, yeh rainbow Power Bait on a slip sinker rig, I went looking for the log we usually fish over.

The log

Can't see it? Sorry my camera doesn't have a polarized lens on it so you'll just have to take my word for it being there.

Since I was standing there with my camera in my hand, I took some shots around the lake.

Down one cove

The cover around the corner

Out toward the lake

I soaked Power Bait from 0830 until 0915 and then got the one and only bite of the day. This 15 inch Rainbow was a nice healthy male with nice pink markings and a big tail. I just couldn't keep it so I snapped a quick picture and put it back for another day. Once it hit the water, it was gone in a shot.  

15 inch Rainbow

I realized two things today. One, the fish were surface feeding on BWO's the size of a pin head and I didn't have my fly rod. That was even after Charlie (from Amador Fly Fishers Club) told me to treat my fly rod like my American Express Card. Never leave home without it. Sometimes I just don't listen.

Second is that fishing from the Float Tube Cumberland is a lot more fun on this lake. Yuki decided that we were going to launch (he with his kayak and me with the FT Cumberland) sometime next week.

I left at 12:30 and by then Jim had missed one and landed one, Yuki was fishless, but if the day was to be normal, I had to leave for him to catch fish. The Yuki hex, remember?

Till next time.