As The Year Goes Out With The Wind

Well, that’s a wrap. I know it’s only Tuesday the 30^th, but I’m done for the year. I had planned one more trip for 2014, but a head full of snot and winds sustained at 20 to 30 have put the kibosh on any fishing before, probably Friday.

I’ve had this head full since Christmas Eve. It started with a small sore throat and progressed into a good snoot full as of yesterday. Today it’s waning and by Friday I should be back to my usual lovable self. 

Since I can’t go fishing and it’s too cold to even go outdoors, I thought I’d do a quick recap of the year.

As fishing goes, it was pretty shitty until April 7^th. That was the day Yuki and I did the 7+ pound Cutbows at Lake Amador. Then it wasn’t until May that things picked up.

Oh, I got a couple here and a couple there, but that was until May 23^rd. That was the day I caught my second Mackinaw (first one was years ago at Lake Tahoe). You know the one with the weird jaw, up at Silver Lake.  It was one of eleven fish caught that day.

Weird Jaw

Mackinaw

Then on the 29^th, it was another eleven fish day at Silver Lake. Remember they were dumping the hatchery and the catching was easy. 

Then on June 20^th while we were up at Hope Valley Campground in the Clipper and we went to a new lake called Burnside Lake. It was only a one fish day, but the discovery of the lake was the point.

Burnside Lake

In July the drought really kicked in and I quit fishing the small creeks. In fact, June 25^th was the last day I caught anything on a small creek. I did take a run up to Silver Fork after I found out that Silver Lake had to continue releasing water into the creek, but came home empty handed.

It was quiet until September 5^th when I found out that the EID had planted 1400 pounds in Silver Lake on August 28th. That was also the day that I reclassified the Common Merganser and start calling it TROUT THIEF.  Twice, if you’ll recall, they tried to steal the fish off the stringer.

Common Trout Thief

Between September 5^th and November 10^th where Yuki and I scored at New Melones, it was one fish here and another there. Actually it was only 3 total for that whole period. The drought was wreaking havoc on every lake and stream in the area. Even the “fish to extinction” crowd was nowhere to be found. To this day I think they’re somewhere over in Nevada trying to kill fish there, which is just fine with me. 

Since then I’ve had one good day at Lake Camanche, but as Porky Pig would say, “That’s, that’s, that’s all folks. 2014 is the worst year for catching since I've started keeping a journal back in 2008. I hope 2015 will be better.

Since my next post will be after the New Year, I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year and I’ll see you next year. 

Mark