I wanted to fish Rossmoor Bar because it's where I was introduced to Shad fishing with a little pink grub by, and I don't know if you remember these guys, Richie and his son Mark.
Yuki and I took off from the house at 8:00 and after a stop for coffee at the Local Bean Cafe in Rancho Murieta, got to the entrance of Rossmoor Bar only to find the road CLOSED.
We were redirected to the El Manto access. That was OK because I've fished there before and caught Shad, but not this time. So enjoy the pictures and I'll take up the adventure down below.
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| El Manto Access |
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| Yuki working the water |
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| Across the river |
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| Some local wildlife |
So when things didn't pan out at El Manto we decided, after a couple chili/cheese dogs at The Weenie Dog (better know as Der Wienerschnitzel) headed over to the other side of the river at the Harrington access. I've fish here a lot too. If you've followed for any length of time you know I've done some Steelheading here.
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| Yuki at Harrington Access |
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| Down stream |
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| Yours truly at El Manto. Instant replay. |
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| A bird. I don't know why???? |
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| Wait, back to El Manto for another shot |
In the picture below is a shad that one of the other guys caught. It's the bloody thing on the stick.
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| Shad |
Still swinging away with the pink grub.
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| Oops, me again. |
The other guys. Thought there were an awful lot of cars in the parking lot. This is only a couple of the approximately dozen or so guys fishing there.
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| Took a while, but they finally left and we could get to the "premium" spot. |
Most guys that fish for Shad will tell you that either dawn or dusk are the best time to fish for Shad. I've caught them during the day, but to be there at dawn I would have to get up at 3:00 am and leave right away. Sunrise is 5:45 am. Not going to happen. To be there at sunset (8:21 pm) getting home would be way past my bed time. Not going to happen either.
So I guess we just take our chances. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. The Shad run only lasts a couple weeks and "they" (who ever "they" are) are saying this is the peak so we'll give it one more shot next Friday. We're bringing waders so we can stand in the river too. Maybe that's the key to catching them.
You guessed right, we didn't catch anything. Maybe next time.
Really pretty, fishy looking water Mark. Do people eat shad?
ReplyDeleteThey do. Some smoke them and others boil the hell out of them. They're bony like a Carp.
DeleteMark, I have never fished for shad. So anything I can read and learn about from your efforts is worth my time. Wading might get you into a little better water, but, caution first my friend.
ReplyDeleteMark I fished for shad years ago. They are very strong fighters. I agree with you about to early and to late, I enjoy those comfort times in between.
ReplyDeleteMark
ReplyDeleteAwesome looking river to fish, what other species of fish can one land there? Is the water temp colder enough to sustain trout?
HI Bill. Water temp yesterday about 60 degrees. Over a year period, you can find Shad, Stripers, Steelhead, and Salmon as well as an assortment of other fish like Pike Minnows etc. It is cold enough to sustain trout and Steelhead Fry are released from the hatchery at the "head" of the river so I'm sure some remain, but few and far between.
DeleteYikes, looks like more anglers than fish.
ReplyDeleteI love catching shad, love it when they jump like a little tarpon. We have a run down here in Florida in January/February. Has become one of my favorite species to fish.
Hey Mark try varying your retrieves like twitching your rod or jigging it as it swings. A lot of anglers just toss their lure or fly out there and expect to hook something, don't be that guy.
ReplyDeleteWe'll be back on Friday. I'll give it a try, thanks.
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