Lake Amador Report

[andanb]

I fished Lake Amador last Thursday and again a couple of weeks before. Last Thursday I hooked 16 and landed 14, my friend Phil hooked about a dozen and landed 4...he swears it was the barbless flies...I'm pretty sure it was superior angling skills (sorry Phil I couldn't resist). The trip before was my first time there and I caught 5. They stock "Donaldson" trout there which to my understanding are "cutbows". The fish are huge!! We caught ranging from the small of 2# to the large of several in the 5# class. I did catch a couple of fish that had broken off some I assume bank anglers looked like 4# test. The flies that work best were large(size 8 or even 6) black wooly buggers with flash in the tail. I was using a sink tip line with 2x tippet for a leader. We were casting into the protruding trees and parallel to the tree line on the south side of the lake. This lake can be fished with a float tube as it is pretty small but a pontoon boat would be easier and a bass boat even easier. I took the easy way out

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks for the report Andan

I think Lake Amador is one of the most popular winter stillwater trout fisheries within an hour of Sacramento.

Map of lake:

http://www.fishsniffer.com/maps/amador.html

Info from our fishing reports pages:

http://www.kiene.com/reports/reservoirs/amador.shtm

[Scott V]

Amador is a nice little lake but over priced. Isn't it around $17 or so just to fish from the bank. Then an additional cost if you are on a boat. I am not sure if there is an extra fee for float tubes or inflatable pontoons. If I am wrong please inform me.

[BigBill]

$9 per vehicle (up to 2 persons $1 each additional person).
$8 per person to fish
$7 to launch boat/tube.
So for me to go fish it in my tube would cost $24. No Thanks.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I'm not trying to sell people on Lake Amador but most private Nor Cal fishing ranches with lakes and planted fish are over $100/day for just fishing access.

Rancho Seco is probably the best deal............

[andanb]

There is a cost but it is a opportunity to catch many large fish close to home. How far do you have to drive to make up the price? It is a place where you can keep a fish without feeling bad about it. These fish are just like salmon...fed a high protein diet. About every third fish will take off and make a good screaming run or two and do a little tailwalk.

At this time of year I prefer to fish pyrmid or baum...and I still will but each of these is a full day plus committment and a tank and a half of gas.

I also don't want to sit in a float tube or pontoon boat in the middle of winter...so for me rancho Seco is out. I'll have my thermos of coffee and lunch in my boat and relax a little.(I'm not about to try taking my motor off.)

It's just an option a place I'll fish a few times a year when I don't want to chase the stripe because of the wind or water temps, or the count in the A is less than my IQ (which ain't too much).

[roostersgt]

Just FYI, DFG is going to be "liberating" fish from their hatchery and relocating them to Rancho Seco sometime this week. I'll bet it happens on Tuesday or Wednesday. Well worth the price of admission and far less crowded than Amador. Won't be any cut'bows though.

Another thought would be Mather Lake (near the golf course). It's close, never crowded and receives winter plantings of hatchery trout. Nothing in the past month or so, but you never know.

Steve

[Ed Wahl]

I don't know which hatchery it was, but 'seco got planted today. Ed

[BigBill]

Is Seco really that cold this time of year? I was considering a trip there in the near future. I have a canoe, but would rather use the tube if it wont render me infertile.

Also, is there any LMB action this time of year there? Or just the big planted bows?

[Darian]

Hmmmm,.... The water down there may not be cold enough to render you infertile but certainly will cause shrinkage....