That's A Wrap

Tuesday is New Years Day. That's just in case you've been living in a cave for the last six months.

I wanted to get in one more fishing day in this year, Thursday and Friday we had winds in excess of 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Not conducive to fishing even from the shore.

Monday would have been my next choice, but here again we're expecting winds faster than the speed limit on the street in front of my house.

Ergo (I love that word) I slunk to fishing today. I could have gone tomorrow, but that's our Christmas with my son and his family, so today was it.

Did I mention it was 26 degrees this morning?

When I left the house it was 26 degrees. After scraping the ice off my truck I headed out with North Shore Lake Camanche as my place to soak Power Bait. I'm starting to sound like a broken record. Lake Camanche, Lake Camanche, Lake Camanche. BUT there is a reason I go there.

First I could go to Lake Amador. Doesn't make me warm and fuzzy. Water is always kind of dirty and there is this slimy stuff on the bottom. I've been assured by the ownership of the lake that the fish are OK to eat, but...... On top of that, with the water level low, I can not transverse the side of the lake to get to where you can fish. The mind is willing, but the body isn't. 

I could go to the Trout Pond (South Shore Lake Camanche) if one likes combat fishing. See, there is this group of young men who like to take their limit (5) and then some. Kind of turns you off and I';m not the only one.

So I go to the Day Use area of North Shore where I can park within about 10 feet of where I fish.

After a stop for coffee at Java Drive (my new coffee place) I arrived at the lake at 8:30 (temperature 38 degrees with a light wind) and set up one rod with rainbow Power Bait (Old Faithful) and one with brown Power Eggs.

Every half hour I changed bait. Brown eggs to white eggs to green eggs, etc. Rainbow Power Bait to marshmallow white Power Bait to Hatchery Pellet (brown) Power bait.

Nothing worked. Here and there I saw a fish caught, but it was few and far between. 

At 11:30 I decided that Noon was it. At 11:45 I started packing up and wouldn't you know, THAT was when I got the first (and only) bite.

Took me a few minutes to get this holdover to shore so my fried Dave from Folsom could take it home. Doesn't look very big in the photo, but I'd guess at least a pound and a half.

So I end 2018 on a positive note and a nice Rainbow to break the current jinx.

How did I know it was a holdover, you ask? It had Copepod slime on it. Means it was in the lake all Summer ergo (there it is again) a holdover.

I already have my 2019 license. Now all I have to do is wait for the ball to drop in Times Square so fishing 2019 can begin.

Happy New Year everyone. Be safe.