Syns, Twins and Fins

For the past 5 years  during Memorial Weekend we have been going to Antelope Creek Lodge run by the Fly Shop in Redding. This year we could not get our regular weekend so we booked with Bailey Creek Lodge. Both Lodges are a great destination for the fly fisher and for being pampered. I would say the food might be a bit better at Bailey Creek and that is saying something. The food at Antelope is excellent but Bailey edges it out.

Uncle Meng and Aunt Gina joined us along with Po Po and MoMo. Melanie drove up Sunday night to have dinner with us.

Our hosts Peter and Cindy Mitchell are fantastic and did everything in their power to make us feel at home and comfortable. We could not have asked for better hosts.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and after settling in and rigging our gear, we headed to the pond. The fish were already rising and we caught some really hard fighting healthy rainbows.

We came in for dinner at 6pm and were served bruschetta smothered with saute’d mushrooms as our appetizer, a wedge salad, Sous Vide filet mignon, corn on the cob, baked potato and hot fudge sundae for dessert.  We had not eaten that large a meal in a long time.

After dinner we headed back out to the lake and fished until dark. There was a good hex hatch right at dark and we got a few fish on hex cripples.

Breakfast the next morning was another huge meal. Cinnamon bread French Toast with strawberries and bananas AND bacon and eggs. There was so much food left over we felt bad. Lunches were “make your own sandwich” and thank god for that. We were still full from breakfast to have a full blown hot lunch.

The fishing on the second day was incredible. There was a damsel hatch that we fly fishers dream about. The fish were keying in on the damsels and if you could get a cast near a rise, it would be automatic. This went on for hours. It reminded me of the good ole days at Davis Lake. I don’t have many pics of the kids with fish because they would not be close by when they caught fish. We fished in prams and they were never that close. I fished with Emma in my 10 foot pram and she was too close to get any good pictures. Plus these fish were so spunky that they were difficult to hold.

The fishing slowed down a bit the next few days. The bass pond north of the lodge was great fun for the kids. Lots of  bass on conventional gear and some big 5-6 pound fish were caught.

This Lodge is perfect for anyone that wants to decompress. From the heated pool and hot tub to the great meals and accommodations, it’s a relaxing quiet visit. This is THE place for us until something better comes along. It’s only 65 minutes from our house!

We will go back for a day trip this year and rebook again for 4 days next year.

The boys had Friday off from school so it was a great opportunity to head out for a longer fishing trip. The forecast for the 2 days was mostly cloudy and 4-6 mph winds early then rising to 13-15mph in the afternoon. With that forecast I was very excited to fish the lake!

We arrived late Thursday night and by the time we set up camp there was only 10 minutes to fish. I was lucky to land one fish and that was it for that day.

The next morning was promising due to the great weather forecast. Turns out that it was mostly cloudy and no wind! I woke up at 4:45am to put the ladders out on our spots. I waited for one hour before sunrise to fish. I figured if I did well, I can go back to the trailer and wake the boys up. That morning I landed a couple fish then headed back to shore to wake the boys up. By the time they got up and wadered up, the bite was already slacking off. I landed 6, Michael got one and Matthew got bit but no fish landed. The weather stayed calm all day. We did finally get some cloud cover but that did not help the fishing much. The forecast called for 13 mph winds to pick up at 4 pm and that never materialized. I sat in front of the trailer looking out at the flat calm water WHILE retrieving the forecast again on my phone. It STILL said ” Nixon NV 13 mph winds with 18 mph gust”. REALLY??? I’m right here and there is not a breath of wind. This place is like the Bermuda Triangle weather wise. Strange stuff happens here.

That evening we got a few more fish but nothing to brag about.

Next morning was also suppose to be 4-6 mph winds but at 6am it was flat calm. Michael landed 2 and lost another one. Matthew hooked one and lost it. I landed 7 but all relatively small fish. All our fish both days were caught on white and chart. tadpoles.

At 8am the weather was appearing to be bluebird skies and calm so we decided to pack up and have breakfast at Cabelas. Still a fun trip but I learned now to never trust the weather forecast for Pyramid.

Dick Sasaki graciously asked me to cover for him on one of his trips with Capt. Mike Costello. Dick was recovering from back surgery so he did not want to risk fishing so soon. I was more than happy to oblige! Thank you Dr Sasaki!

I fished with  Michael Sasaki on Capt. Costello’s “back up” boat, a new 19ft Nitro. We have a similar boat and I love the fishing platform. Very comfortable and fast.

We fished primarily in the Moke and it was a relatively slow day. I did land a smallmouth which was the first ever for me on the delta. Total for the day was 18 landed and 9 over legal size. Largest fish was 6 pounds and one other that was not far behind. No pics of stripers because I figured fishing with Capt. Costello we would hook up on bigger fish! Not the case on that fateful Friday the 13th day. It was a great day spent with Michael Sasaki and Mike Costello.

We (Wayne, Michael, Matthew, Uncle Meng,  Cousin Mark, Papa John, Pop B and Uncle Jon) fished opening day at Eagle Canyon on Saturday and it was very good. The last time I fished opening day there was 3-4 years ago and it was spectacular. Many more fish hooked and there were not many slow periods. This year the weather was bluebird and the fishing was good first thing in the morning but it slowed down dramatically in the afternoon. Very healthy fish were caught by all and it was still a great time. The boys fished from the bank and from tubes but the bank fishing was more successful.

The Boys had this week off so I decided to take Weds. off  in order to beat the rain coming in on Friday. We left the house early Weds morning for the 75 minute drive to Collins Lake.  I have been reading about the lake for a couple years now. The lake is heavily stocked with pan size and trophy sized trout. Three large loads of trophy trout were planted during the past 3 weeks so I figured this would be a great time to go. NOT!

We arrived to see the lake very low and there were a handful or so boats trolling the lake. As we waited in line to launch our boat (4 wheel drive only launch ramp) we saw no fish caught by the trollers. We launched and fly fished the dam then moved around the lake to try an find some fish. We trolled a bit too but to no avail. We still saw no boats with any fish. It was about 11 am when we decided make a move and hit Lake Oroville on the way home.

Lake Oroville is now at 25% capacity so the Spillway ramp is the only ramp open and it’s 4 wheel drive only too.  We launched and headed north but the lake is so low that there were not much structure to be found. We noticed that every rock pile we stopped at produced a few fish BUT there were not many rock piles or rocky areas.

The boys ended up landing 14 fish in 3 hours with a few others dropped. The largest was 17 inches. Most of the fish came on KVD jerk baits.

Glad we made the stop at Oroville or it would have been a skunked day!

All three kids had commitments this day (including Melanie!) so I decided to make a one day solo trip to the delta. I left after work on Thursday and after 2 hours of driving I arrived at my destination… the Microtel Inn in Lodi. I was going to fish solo but the forecast for a windless day and 80 degree temp was too good not to share with a buddy.

I knew it was last minute but I called a few buddies and all could not break free from work or commitments. One of the guys I wanted to call but didn’t was Victor. I knew it was another hour drive for him to get down there and I was planning on leaving around 2 to head home to miss the Friday Sacramento traffic. I’m glad I finally asked him because he said yes! He made the long drive to Sherman Island launch ramp and met me ontime in the early AM!

We fished the west delta around Collinsville and we found a few small fish here and there. We moved around to find some moving water and again a few fish here and there. We decided to make a run to Three Mile Slough and again landed a few more small fish.

The tide was going slack  there so we decided to make a run back out west to catch the incoming tide. On our way there I noticed there was still a slow falling tide on a flat near Big Break. We made a stop and with in the first few casts I hooked up on this fish. It put me on the reel immediately and swam completely around the boat. I knew it was a decent fish but did not know at the time it was going to be my PB (personal best).

As the fish got closer to the boat Victor said it was not going to fit in the net. I said the net is deep so give it a try. He netted the fish and sure enough the net was too small! The tail was sticking out of the net! It was still good enough. We took some quick photos and I spent some time reviving her before releasing her back into the San Joaquin.

That fish took a small white and chartreuse clouser in 5 feet of water on an I line. Great grab and fun fight. I’ll be busy the next 3 weekends so I will have to live on reports from the delta for the next month.

We ended the day with maybe a couple dozen fish but only 4 legal size fish, one of them a fat 24 pounder.

Thanks Victor for making the drive down to fish!! You’re a pal!

With the boys busy schedule between basketball, homework, church stuff and fund raising, we found a rare free day to fish. We left Chico Friday night and stayed at the Microtel Motel in Lodi. When we parked our rig, there was a couple guys with their bass boat parked next to us. They told us that there was a 160 boat tournament the next morning and that they were getting up at 3am to get to the starting point at 4am! The delta bass guys are nuts!

We launched at Korth’s which is less than 20 minutes from the motel. Got on the water by 7:15 and noticed the bass boat traffic ramping up. We fished a nearby rock wall and hooked fish immediately but all small. Two fish on topwater and the rest dredging. Moved around a bit and found fish at every stop but all dinks. We met up with Meng late morning and we fished together for awhile. He said he landed a 15 pounder the day before.

The boys started to peter out about 2pm so we headed home. Ended the day with 61 fish, only a few legal size and 17 LMB.

I think the boat traffic might have had something to do with the lack of larger fish… or it could be that we just stink out there!