Most Memorial Day Weekend in the past years, no parking space is available at Sunset Beach. This is a very different year. Rain was forecast for Sunday, May 26, 2019. Thus, most campers picked up by Saturday night and headed home. Our group was no exception; half of us headed for the comfort of home. Those of us who stuck it out were pleasantly surprised. There was light rain early Sunday morning, and the rest of Sunday was beautiful!
Thanks to Chef Vinh, we all gained TEN pounds for the weekend feasting on THIRTY pounds of jumbo shrimp, lots of beef kabob, chicken kabob, veggies kabob, fresh surf perch... you get the message!
Firewood was provided by Richard and Abby. Sam and Vu provided S'mores. Fishing instructions were given by Young Master. Too many others to name, I am just going to share some pictures.
Yesterday was a break from the down pours from the two days before that. The day started out with a very light drizzle. However, by the time we got to the fishing spot, the drizzle stopped. It was a cloudy day. I have just purchased a bunch of roboworm and hooks from Bass Pro Shop. I was ready to do some bass fishing with Grandmaster Fisherman at Folsom Lake.
We typically would drift with a live minnow on one rod while trying out different techniques with the other rod. Since I am a novice bass fisherman, I can only concentrate on one technique at a time. Yesterday, I would just dragged the bottom with a roboworm. I got so many hits, but I have not learned how to set the hook properly. I did managed to net my personal best fattest bass!!! But if you observed the video, you will see that I could have easily lost the bass. I did not have a very hard hook set and did not put much pressure on the bass initially....
It's a football :-)
This was inside the bass' belly!
It's always a fantastic experience fishing and learning from Grandmaster Fisherman.
My first 2019 bass fishing trip at Folsom Lake was a great success. Actually, I can't remember any fishing trips with Grandmaster Fisherman not being a great success.
I am always learning something new from the Grandmaster! This bass fishing trip is no exception. I learned how to fish for bass using a rubber worm. And, yes, I was successful!
We mainly drifted live minnows, and I missed many!!! Can't believe I was super rusty. Reviewing the videos made me realize that my most success at landing a bass using live minnows was to open the bale and let the bass run for a little bit before putting tension on the line.
Of course, as usual, Grandmaster is landing bass using all kinds of tricks!
At the end of the day, I was super blessed to be fishing with a great brother!
Went to the ranch today and parked at the usual place where the trout were typically stocked. Broke out with my bass lure while waiting for the "fish truck."
Bass fishing for ten minutes with no action. Then I heard a beeping sound of a truck backing up. Looked across the lake and there was the fish truck! The driver didn't get the E-Mail regarding where to stock the fish! LOL.
Packed up and rush across the lake to where the fish truck was. Super surprised that not too many fishermen were around.
First up, I used the lure that I found while jigging at the local pond. Then two additional fishermen joined me on the dock. They were catching fish left and right while I was getting "nada." They were using the same jigging technique that I was using!!! Then I noticed that they were using a different color of grub. I switched grub. After that, the trout got no chance! I caught four quickly, then was fishing for fun by releasing the next four. The two brothers next to me must have released around TWENTY!!!
I had enough fun for the day, and went home with five trout.
The two brothers told me they were at Lake Camanche at 6 AM and were skunk. They came perfectly to the Ranch as the bite was RED HOT, that is, if you had the correct jig setup.
While my dad was fishing for trout today, he hooked into a catfish! With power eggs to boot!
It was a mess to clean the fish because it was 24 inches in length.
At 90 years old, he's definitely my hero! I asked him how he caught it. He said he was using the tricks that I taught him to catch trout: The Simple Rig, 15 inches from the bottom, floating Power Eggs. He thought it was a snag at first. And no one around got a net because everyone was fishing for trout! After a long hard fight, a nearby fisherman helped him land the fish by hand!
Hey, I have been fishing at the Ranch a lot lately. Unfortunately, the Ranch has not been producing.... I have only witnessed three fish landed while I was there. Most fishermen are wondering where the fish went after massive stocking. The locals have been sharing all kinds of tricks with me, which I have implemented to no avail. But I know God is good and good things happen to those who wait for His time.
Don't get me wrong. The Ranch is a fantastic place for rest, relaxation, and meditation. Fishing and catching are the extra bonus... LOL.
This is only 25 miles from my home.
At times, I am sitting here reading a book!
Location #2: The Pond
Now, on to catching.
When I want to catch trout, I go to the local pond! Especially, right after a fish plant from our friendly neighborhood California Department of Fish & Wildlife!
Yesterday, I went to the pond at 9 AM. Only 1st Striker (aka Pas) was there! I thought we got the wrong pond because normally, the pond is packed before a fish plant. Anyhow, around 9:15 AM, the Fish Truck arrived! Seven hundred pounds of trout were stocked!!! Lots of brood trout mixed in....
Using the Simple Trout Rig, one can catch a limit of FIVE trout within half and hour; however, using my new Simple Trout Jig, one can catch a limit of FIVE within fifteen minutes! It's CRAZEEE...
