That's A Wrap. 2015 Is In The Books

The year has not be spectacular. Here's a quick walk through the year.

The first fish 1/2/2015

Got a new truck 1/23/2015

9+ pounds of Mt Lassen Rainbow Trout 2/13/2015

That trout was on the fly, by the way. Pink and black Woolly Bugger.

The last snow at the old house 4/8/2015

Moved into the new place sometime in April. Can't find the pictures, but I know they are here somewhere.

The kitchen destruction begins 10/14/2015

We missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years (tomorrow) because the kitchen is still demolished. Washing dishes in the 1/2 bath sink sucks. Very tired of eating with plastic silverware and paper plates. 

First of the final 7 of the year.

Worst fishing year to date. I've kept track in my journal since 2008.

Would have tried one more time except I've been nursing the crud since last Saturday. 

That's it, see you all in 2016.

I Have A Complaint

We lived up the hill for 11 years. Not ONCE did we have a white Christmas, not ONCE. We sell the house, move down the hill, and the new owners get a a white Christmas the first year.

I know this to be true because Bob, you remember "Bob, I plow for fish" sent me an email letting me know they go 4 inches on Christmas Eve.

Yesterday I went to my Son's house for Christmas and they had snow. No body likes me.

Although, it did snow a little while I was there so I guess I got a somewhat white Christmas after all.

Hard to see the snow, but it was snowing.

Proof is in my truck bed.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and Santa brought all you wanted.

Next week it's back to the business of fishing.  

Merry Christmas

I had a long and colorful post done and for some reason Blogger will not publish it.

So I'll just say Merry Christmas and leave it at that.

Mark & Katherine.

A Sight For Sore Eyes

I ran over to Walmart to do a little shopping this morning. On the trip down Highway 49 I saw this wonderful sight.

This is Jackson Creek after more than 24 hours of rain. It eventually ends up in Lake Amador.

Jackson Creek

What a wonderful sight. Keep it coming.

The Calm Before The Storm

According to the weather guessers, we should be getting rain starting about 7:00 pm tonight and it should keep raining off and on for the next six or seven days.

So Yuki and I decided to hit Lake Camanche before the storm hit us. Our plan was to meet at 9:30 at the usual spot. The usual spot being the North Shore launch where we've been having the most luck lately.

I took off from the house when my wife left for work and was parked and fishing by ten to nine. No sense hanging around the house just to show up at 9:30. When Yuki arrived, I'd only had one bite and missed it.  

As the day wore on, the wind increased in front of the storm. You can see how rough the water started getting. OK, maybe not three foot waves, but not glass calm either.

Starting to blow.

The boat dock

Once the bite started, it was one after the other. The one below was just the first of several.

Numero uno

Between 9:30 and ten to twelve we put 9 on two stringers. Most were a pound to two pounds with a couple footballs thrown in for good measure.  Most everything came on rainbow Power Bait. 

I had picked up some glazed donuts on the way and the little Mallard decided he should bug me until I shared with him. I normally don't feed the ducks, but he was so friendly I couldn't resist. I got a glazed donut hole and broke it up into about eight pieces. He had no fear of us what so ever. In fact, after the first couple pieces I threw on the ground, he came up and took one from my fingers. On a side note, my fingers stayed on my hand.

  

Friendly little critter

As you can see in the next picture, once fed, they become a pest. It took about 15 minutes for him to realize he wasn't getting any more to eat and departed.

Let's just stand in your way and be a pest.

So Yuki took the fish home and is planning to smoking them.

I don't suspect I'll get out until next weekend. The kitchen repair went south again. Too much explain, but let's just say that they damaged the dish washer and now we have water leaks under the cabinet under the sink, the grout lines in the tile are anywhere from 1/8th (which is what they should be) to more than 1/4 inch, and they've stained the bottom of the cabinets of the bar when they did the tile installation. They are starting next Monday to fix things. Once again I have to be here as they do their thing.

Maybe I can get out next Saturday.

What A Guy

Today is my Wife's birthday. I went fishing. What a guy.

Now here is the rest of the story.

Already planned was a day of girl stuff. I was not invited and rightly so. My Wife is spending the day with her BFF in Sacramento. OK, these two girls have known each other since they were in their early 20's. They've been room mates, partied to the ends of the earth, and are spending the day together because the other part of this twosome has a birthday either two days ago or two days from now, I'm not sure which. They ARE the same age so you can see what's going on. Lunch, shopping, and laughing are on the agenda.

So, being the good guy I am, I went fishing. OK, it was fishing or sitting in front of the idiot box. You know what I picked.      

Got to Lake Camanche at 9:00 on the dot. A couple guys were already fishing where I usually go so I politely asked if it was alright to set up a little to their right. They agreed and as you can see I'm a little farther around the bend that usual. 

The spot for today

Understand that these two gentlemen hadn't gotten a bite since they arrived. I set out two poles with rainbow Power Bait and what happened is something that I feel bad about every time it does.

I started landing fish, one right after the other. In 35 minutes, I had four fish on the stringer. All were a pound and a half or bigger. They still hadn't gotten a bite. The first two I put on the stringer for my neighbors and the other two I gave to them. It didn't make either of us feel any better.

The first two

The neighbors I saved the fish for are the young couple two doors down. You know, the ones with the Minions. The small creatures with an indecipherable language.

Around 11:00 I landed fish number five for my limit. Mean while the guys moved over to the other side of the boat storage ramp, hooked into one on a pink Power Egg, and unfortunately had it break his line. Must have been a biggie.

Since I only had three on my stringer, I hung around until 1:00 and then called it a day. I had one other bite on pink marshmallows, but couldn't hook it.

When I got home my next door neighbor (I only have one since I live on the corner) was outside, so I asked if they would like a couple fish (I don't think the kids were home) and he took one so I've put the other two in the freezer and when the kids get home, I'll give them the fish.    

Good news, it keeps raining about once a week and the snow is piling up in the mountains. Hooyah.

Nothing Like A Good Skunking

I HAD to get out of the house. This kitchen remodel is driving me bonkers. The tile floor was finally done yesterday and I was out the door this morning, not quite as early as I wanted to, but early enough to partake in the moisture laden air we, around here, call Tule Fog.

Tule Fog is wet, cold, and generally miserable and upon occasion it hangs around all day. Today was one of those days even though the weather guessers said it was supposed to be a balmy 63 degrees.

Based on the weather guessers prediction, I headed out to Lake Camanche with just my hoodie. Boy, was that a mistake. Thirty minutes into the morning I sure could have used my parka. Fortunately I always carry gloves in my backpack (which goes everywhere with me). That helped a little.

So I pulled in at the North Shore launch area (where I've fished the last couple times) and set up two rods with rainbow Power Bait. By 11:00 I was starting to get a little hungry and since I'd not seen anything that looked like a fish (and that would include those around me) I decided to pack up, get a cup of coffee and a sweet roll of some sort at the marina, then go over to the Day Use Area.

Every place I usually fish on that side was occupied so I kept going. I was on roads that I'd never been on before (because of the water level being so low), but don't fret, I have 4 wheel drive. Finally I came across what looked like a possibility.

It turned out to be a little cove all tucked away on a trail rarely used. So with two rods out (with PB), gloves on, coffee in hand and munching on a (not so good) bear claw, I began the rest of my fishing day.  

The Cove

I took a couple shots to show you the Tule Fog.

Cold

Cold across the lake too

 And where I was.

Middle of nowhere

I fished until 12:30, when a guy in a boat came by and said I was in a good place. His fish finder said that the water was 50 feet deep just 20 feet off shore. I thought that should be good. Deep water = Trout, right?

Not today. Here again, not a fish in sight. Wait, let me amend that just a bit. While I was slinging one of the many lures I used, one rolled right in front of me, not 10 feet off shore, BUT could I get it to take anything? Not on your life. I was destined for a good skunking today and wasn't disappointed.  

Just getting out of the house and absorbing the ambiance of Lake Camanche was soothing enough that I'm ready to continue cleaning all the construction dust and in some places I think it's a good 3 inches deep (OK just a little exaggeration there.) off everything within a mile of the kitchen (OK a little more exaggeration), but it sure looks that way. It's good to have our kitchen back.

Probably won't get out again until next week. We're expecting rain Wednesday and Thursday and again on Saturday and Sunday. Bring it on.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by.

The Tale Of The Smart Phone

For a while now I've had a Tracfone. It was so old that there isn't even a photo on the internet for it. When we lived up the hill, we didn't have cell service so I carried it shut off, turned it on when I needed to make a call (I had to go 2 1/2 miles down the road to get service) and then shut it off.

Upon moving down to town, I upgraded to the phone below. Still a Tracfone, but a newer model. It was one of those you pay for air time, but because I had so many minutes rolled over from the the other phone I never used them up (the 90 days expired, but not the minutes so I had to renew the days)



I finally started to get to end of the minutes (I started with a 1600) and would have had to purchase more. On the other hand, this phone really didn't work all that well. I couldn't get it out of my pocket without refusing a call. I called it my not-so-smart phone. My wife thought it was probably not the phone but the operator. I thought it was a pretty good excuse.

As it turned out, we opted out of a landline and used this phone for our home base phone. Here is the dilemma. Home phone, running out of minutes, and not-so-smart. 

So my wife brought me (Geezer that I am) into the 21st Century. She bought me a Smart Phone. I hope it helps make me smarter.

Windows 640

So now I can do everything with my new Smart Phone. What "everything" is, I have no clue. Wonder if I can tie flies with it? I did figure how to answer a call which is not a bad thing. It only took four or five tries to get it down. I also managed to change the ring tone from the standard Windows Firefly tone to one that sounds like an old phone ringing.

I haven't had a chance to download a CCR Fortunate Son ringtone, but there is still time. If you don't know the song, go here. If you are offended by the Vietnam video (some of us went to that party, some of us didn't), just listen to the music. I thought it would make a cool ringtone.

So, now I don't have any excuses about my phone being a not-so-smart phone. Damn.  

Fishing this week.

This Is More For The Locals

I'm astounded.

Lake Amador and Lake Camanche have been planting (Amador since October 22nd and Lake Camanche since November 8th or there about) those nice Mt. Lassen Rainbows and there is NO chatter out on the forums other than about the first plants.

Yuki, Jim, and I have been out several times and scored each time, yet nobody else (Yes, I've seen a few fishing at North Shore and Yuki says there are always a mob at the Pond) seems to be posting on the forums that they are fishing either lake.

Maybe they are and not saying anything, but from my experience those that post on the forums can't keep from boasting about how many they catch and how big they are.

I'd like to also note that I'm not saying anything on the forums. Best kept secret and all.

I should be out next week.

Stay tuned.