VOL . 42 • ISS . 3
March 3 , 2023
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WHAT ’ S HOT continued from page 2
on past trips in February with similar water temperatures , I have typically caught trout trolling in less than eight feet of water . Instead of chasing deep marks , we stuck with our shallow offerings of trolling flies and grubs set at two to six feet deep . Within minutes of dropping in at our new location on the main lake , my side planer rod ’ s clicker started buzzing . “ Fish on !”, I related as I jumped out of my seat and ran to the rod . It felt like a nice fish , and a few minutes later Rj netted the hefty three-pound rainbow trout . The white three-inch Berkley PowerBait Power Grub was buried deep into the trout ’ s gullet . It took me several minutes to finally free the hook and get the fish onto ice . While I was busy trying to get my fish unhooked , the side planer rod on Rj ’ s side went down hard ! It turned out to be a beautiful hold over rainbow that resembled a Feather River steelhead . Once again , this fish had swallowed the trolled grub down deep . I related to Rj that the fish were probably swallowing our trolled lures because of the pull / pause nature of my Sunfran Smart Jigger rod holders . I had set the motorized boxes to pump the lures forward and then drift them back on slack lines . After the grubs surged forward and then paused in the water , those trout had inhaled them just before the forward motion of the boat had set the hook ! Next , we missed two bites , and then the action came to a standstill . With only four trout in the box by 11:00 am , I decided to change tactics and troll faster at 2.6 miles-per-hour . We had been trolling the grubs at 1.4 miles-per-hour , which wasn ’ t very conducive of covering water . We kept our Arctic Fox trolling flies on the two downrigger rods , while we put out a Rapala F9 on one side planer , and a Speedy Shiner on the other planer rod . I added a 3 / 8-ounce keel sinker in front of the Speedy Shiner leader to get it down into the
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This quality 4 lb . rainbow trout was landed by Rj Sanchez at Lake Camanche on February 19 . The fish slammed an orange Arctic Fox tube fly tipped with a 1.5-inch piece of nightcrawler at six-feet deep on a downrigger . A small round wigglefin action disc is placed directly in front of the fly to impart action at both fast and slow trolling speeds . The author has found this setup to be one of the deadliest offerings available for trout a Lake Camanche .
Photo Courtesy of Jack Naves
water column . Only a few minutes after kicking up the speed , my downrigger rod at six feet got slammed ! I ran over and played the fish to the boat , initially thinking it looked like a football-shaped planted trout . However , once Rj pulled the net into the boat , I blurted out the species . “ It ’ s a carp !” I said in amazement . I ’ ve caught some odd species while trolling for trout , including catfish , Sacramento pikeminnows , sucker fish , and crappie , but I ’ ve never even heard
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All four of these lures produced fish for Rj Sanchez and Jack Naves on February 19 at Lake Camanche . Top to bottom : 1 .) Rapala F9 ‘ hot steel ’ color ; 2 .) 2.5-inch Thomas Lure Speedy Shiner custom airbrushed by the author ; 3 .) Orange Arctic Fox tube fly behind a Wigglefin Action Disc ; 4 .) 3-inch white Berkley PowerBait Power Grub behind an orange Berkley PowerBait Power Egg . The top two lures were trolled at 2.6 mph while the grub was trolled at 1.4 mph . The tube fly was trolled at both speeds and was tipped with a 1.5-inch piece of nightcrawler .
Photo Courtesy of Jack Naves of anybody trolling up a carp . Disappointed that we didn ’ t have our fifth trout in the cooler , I headed west towards the dam . We immediately picked up several nice trout in open water , so I made a figure-eight pattern to work the productive area . We doubled up , landing one of the two fish . We now had seven fish in the cooler . Just past noon , Rj pulled in our biggest trout of the day at close to four pounds over by the dam . Eight trout in the cooler . After leaving the dam and heading east , Rj pulled in another nice trout making it nine . With one downrigger set at six feet deep , and one side planer rod being pumped by my Sunfran Smart Jigger , it was now my turn to close out the day with full limits . They don ’ t call it the ‘ devil fish ’ by accident . My rods went cold , and 45 minutes later I was checking for weeds on my side planer rod . Finally , my downrigger rod surged down . “ Ok , here it comes ” I coached , as
Rj waited patiently with the net . In classic fashion , the devil fish turned away , and my trolling fly came splashing out of the water back into the boat . “ You ’ ve got to be kidding me !” I yelled as I slapped my line back into the water . We joked that it looked like a small one anyways , and by the time I had 160 feet of line out and my downrigger deployed to six feet , my side planer rod suddenly surged down . This time , we were able to convert , and our ten-fish trout limits were in the boat just after 2:00 pm . Our dedication had paid off , as did my detailed log of fishing patterns at the lake . While we had struggled to even get a bite all morning long , the early afternoon bite really picked up , proving that patience will reward anglers that stick it out . If you are struggling to get bit , have faith that tried-and-true tactics will pay off at some point . You just have to have enough resolve to grind it out when the fishing gets tough .
SPEEDY SHINER
The Speedy Shiner is a highly effective trolling bait for all types of gamefish , especially rainbow and brown trout , lake trout or mackinaw , and landlocked
King and Coho Salmon . The Speedy Shiner has a very effective action up to 4 mph .
It is constructed of quality solid brass , stainless steel rings and extra strong hooks VMC hooks . The light reflecting embossed scale design creates an enticing flash that attracts fish and triggers them to strike !
The Speedy Shiner is available in 2 1 / 2 ”, 3 1 / 4 ” and 4 ” sizes and 30 fish catching colors . Proudly Made in USA .
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( 800 ) 724-6768 • info @ thomaslures . com
AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL TACKLE DEALER .
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