Growing Up with Folsom lake

[Tony Buzolich]

That last article got me to thinking about all the fun times we had when Folsom was being filled. My dad and I would fish it a lot. We took our old plywood rowboat and slid it onto the roof of the Desoto, and tied it down with rope.

One time we were at Brown's Ravine catching lots of hand size blue gill. Dad would tell me to throw the little ones back and let them grow up as there were thousands of them.

We pulled the boat up on shore mid day for lunch and a quick swim. After lunch, I ask if I can take the boat out by myself and catch some more bluegill. Dad was fine with that and reminds me to not keep any of the little ones.

There were bluegill everywhere, big ones, little ones, and some so small you wondered how they'd get that hook in their mouth.

When it was time to go, dad would whistle and I'd bring the old rowboat back to shore. Loaded up, we'd head home.

" Okay, Let's go clean those fish we got," dad would say. He'd reach into the bucket half full of bluegills and take out six or eight the size of his hand. He was good about showing me how to do everything including cleaning fish. He'd scale them first, gut them, then cut off their heads. Ready for the frying pan.

"What about the rest of those in the bucket dad?", I'd ask. He'd smile and respond nicely saying he had already cleaned HIS fish,,,, the rest are yours. Uugh:(

Some of those bluegill were so small it was terrible trying to clean such a little thing. Especially for a ten year old kid.

Dad taught me a good lesson then. Only take what you want, but don't waste anything :)
Tony

[Sheepdog8404]

What an awesome story, Tony! Dads always have interesting ways of teaching us lifelong lessons like that. That's a memory you will hold onto forever.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

My best friend had an uncle who put together a Chris-Craft wooden boat kit with a Cadillac V8 motor.

This was around 1960 that we went with him to Folsom Lake to run his boat and go water skiing on old wood double skies.

The lake was very clear back then so you could see way down from the boat.

He had never run a boat or pulled water skiers either.

He did not know to slow down when we wanted to turn around so we would go so fast in the turns that we would crash and bounce along the top of the water.

We almost lost our bathing suits as well.

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Folsom Lake was famous for very large Blue Gills.

Many years ago there was a guy who guided folks with a boat for very large Blue Gills on Folsom Lake.

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Folsom Lake was famous for fairly large Kokanee ( land locked dwarfed Sockee salmon) too.

Kurt McBride was the fishing reporter for the Sacramento Bee paper back in the day.

There were a couple of old anglers who trolled for Kokanee on Folsom Lake and we use to go up there and follow them around back about 100 yards because they knew the lake well.

Nice ones were 15 to 17 inches. I think the biggest was 19 inches?

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We went to Beals Point access near the dam to swim and picnic.

I always had a mask, fins and snorkel with me.

I dove over on the dam side of Beals and I watch some bass cruising around but the coolest thing I saw was a school of about 30 Kokanee that were swimming out and deep below me.

The lake was very clear back then......

.

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[JAWallace]

I love these stories...

I can not remember the last time I caught a bluegill or any panfish in Folsom. Of course I'm almost always fishing for bass but some of the smallie flies should attract them. Maybe it's me, just don't see them ever.