Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3904 Feb 1-14 | Page 17

Jan 31 - Feb 14, 2020
MAP FEATURE
Folsom Lake Facts
Folsom Lake
Placer, Sacramento
& El Dorado Counties
English Colony Wy
King Rd
Fa
Rd
Rocklin
Bar Rd
Horseshoe
Rocklin
Pilot Hill
Lookout
Loomis
n
Hidden
Valley
Bl
Folsom
Lake
Folsom
Dam
Power
Plant
ma
to
Na
Orangevale
Rd
Folsom
e
avin
e R
Blu
• Rainbow Trout provide good fishing throughout the year
for a mixture of recent planters and holdover fish. Trollers
find the top action during the fall and spring while using
Speedy Shiners, Cripplures, Hum Dingers, Needlefish and
other minnow imitation lures. Bank fishing is productive
with Power Bait and nightcrawlers at Granite Bay, Five
Percent, Folsom Point and Browns when the CDFW is
planting the reservoir from October through April.
• King Salmon will hit the same lures as the trout, but
generally are found deeper than the rainbows. Spring is
the best time for bank anglers to purse the kings with
nightcrawlers and minnows under bobbers.
• Black Bass provide a solid year round fishery. During the
fall and winter, drop-shotting with Magic Worms and other
plastics and fishing with jigs becomes very effective.
Spotted, Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass thrive on
Folsom's threadfin shad and pond smelt.
• Channel Catfish hit best From August through November,
but also go on the bite when storms hit the lake during
the winter. Mackerel and nightcrawlers are the top baits.
• Bluegill and Crappie are hard to find, but provide
excellent light tackle action when you locate a school.
Rd
El Dorado
Hills
Natoma
planted rainbows at
Folsom – they went
fishing for “land-
locked steelhead.”
During the fall and
winter, you would
see anglers fishing
with minnows and
nightcrawlers for
these 16 to 22-inch
fish from the bank
at Mormon Island,
Brown’s Ravine and
other areas on the
lake.
For years, there
have been rumors
about giant trout on
Folsom. On a trip
in May 2018, an
Big wild and holdover rainbow trout like this one are the reward for
angler fishing with
anglers trolling on Folsom Lake.
Photo courtesy of TNG MOTOR SPORTS GUIDE SERVICE. James Netzel of
Tightlines Guide
Service
hooked
and
lost
a huge trout.
Lampkin and his fishing partners
“The
rainbow
spit
the
hook
when
have landed salmon up to 7 pounds and
we
got
it
up
right
up
to
the
boat,”
said
rainbows up to 5 pounds while fishing
Netzel.
“We
fought
the
fish
for
15
on the lake after he began fishing the
during the collapse of Sacramento River minutes and had to follow it with the
boat as the angler fought it.”
salmon populations during 2008 and
He first thought it might be a sturgeon,
2009.
but
when the angler got it up to the
As an angler who has fished Folsom
surface,
Netzel could see it was a
since I was 10 years, I concur with
rainbow
with a big red stripe on it.
Lampkin on his assessment of Folsom as
“I
estimated
it was close to 15 or 20
a “finicky” lake. I have experienced days
pounds,
but
we’ll
never know because
catching limits of big holdover trout
it
swam
away
after
the hook came off,”
from shore – and other days when I have
he
said.
to struggle for one or two fish.
One might say that this is all just
The first fishing trip I ever made to
a
fish story until you realize that the
Folsom Lake was in the summer of 1963
American
River watershed has produced
when my aunt Alicerae drove me up to
the
largest
wild and holdover rainbows
the lake to fish for bluegill. I had a great
found
in
the
state. Not only that, but
day catching bluegill in the Lakehills
Alan
Fong.
manager
of Fisherman’s
Estates are of the South Fork.
Warehouse
in
Sacramento,
was person-
At that time, anglers didn’t target
Mormon
Island
Dam
Folsom
State
Prison
Am
r
ve
Ri
Beals
Point
k
or
h F
ut
So
Mooney
Ridge
Folsom Lake
Recreation
Area
a
ric
e
Granite
Bay
Location and size: Folsom Lake is a reservoir located on
the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills within
Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento Counties. It is about
25 miles northeast of Sacramento ad can be reached via
either Highway 50 or I-80. Both Folsom Lake and Lake
Natoma have many access points and entrances. The lake
contains 11,500 acres of water when full and is located
466 feet above sea level. There are 75 miles of undulated
shoreline surrounding the lake. The Folsom Lake State
Recreation Area is one of the most visited parks in the
California Park system. For more information, call (916)
988-0205.
Fishing season: The lake is open to fishing for year-
round. The CDFW plants the reservoir with rainbow trout
and Chinook salmon. In addition, the reservoir features
naturally spawning populations of rainbow trout Chinook
salmon. Other popular species found in the reservoir
smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass, black crappie,
bluegill and channel catfish.
Camping: Is available at Beals Point year-round and at
Peninsula Campground beginning April 1, through the
summer (Peninsula Campground closes October 1). Addi-
tional information about camping can be found by calling
[phone].
Day Use & Boat Launch Fees: The day use fee is $12 at
Beals Point, Browns Ravine, Folsom Point, Granite Bay,
the Peninsula and Rattlesnake Bar. The boat launch fee
is $10 for a power boat. Boat launching is available at
Folsom Point, Browns Ravine, Granite Bay, Five Percent
and Rattlesnake Bar when the lake is full.
Folsom Lake Marina in the Browns Ravine Recreation
Area is a full-service marina. For more information,
contact: [phone], http://www.folsomlakemarina.com
Fishing Guides:
Jerry Lampkin, TNG Motor Sports Guide Service,
530-320-0994, http://www.tngmotorsports.com
James Netzel, Tight Lines Guide Service, 888-975-0990,
https://fishtightlines.com
Don Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience, 916-502-FISH,
http://www.guidebass.net
15
lls
VOL.39 • ISS. 4
Clarksville
ally shown a photo of a 14 lb. rainbow
much of the catch they make up, but
caught at Folsom by a troller two years
enough show up in pictures on the net
ago.
that make me think it’s a fairly decent
The American River below Nimbus
part of the fisher,” said Rowan.
Fish Hatchery produced a 25.04 lb.
Rainbow trout plants at Folsom have
rainbow (legally considered a steelhead) varied greatly from year to year. The
in February 2002, while Lake Natoma
American River Fish Hatchery planted
above the dam produced a 27-1/2 lb.
Folsom with 13,300 pounds of rainbows
new inland state rainbow record in 2008. in 2015, 5568 pounds in 2016, and 3250
The trout in Lake Natoma feed on the
pounds in 2017. The facility stocked
same forage species found in Folsom
9,200 pounds for a total of 20,200 fish
Lake, pond smelt and threadfin shad, so
into Folsom Lake in 2018 and 9,600
it’s not unreasonable to believe that a
pounds. for a total of 18,840 fish in
fish in the 15 to 20 lb. class could also
2019.
come out of Folsom.
Besides rainbow trout and Chinook
Bank anglers experience the top
salmon, Folsom also features good
rainbow and king action in the fall
populations of spotted, smallmouth and
during the period of the fall turnover
largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and
from October through December.
channel catfish. For more information,
Fishermen regularly hook a mixture of
contact Jerry Lampkin, TNG Motor
holdover trout and salmon while tossing
Sports Guide Service, 530-320-0994,
out PowerBait, nightcrawlers, minnows
http://www.tngmotorsports.com.
and other baits under bobbers and on
sliding sinker rigs.
“There is also a
fairly significant
wild rainbow
trout component
in the fishery,”
said Rowan. “The
thought is that
these fish use the
North and South
forks to rear, come
down to the lake
during certain
times of year to
feed and get out
of the warm water
in the forks, then
head back up into
the forks to spawn.
“I’m not sure by Jack Naves, Fish Sniffer feature writer, proudly holds up a hard-
fighting Chinook that he pulled out of Folsom.
percentage how
Photo courtesy of JACK NAVES.