Ended Trout season with a Bang at Lake Wohlford!
The rain we had all winter was a blessing to California but a curse to the trout season at Wohlford! We lost 1/3 of the trout season at Lake Wohlford because of dirty stained water caused by all the rains we had. (trout really won't bite in those conditions) We were a perfect 5 for 5 on total boat limits before the rains hit. It became fish able about a month ago and was very good trout fishing but not quite the excellent bite it was before. We caught limits or near limits during that time period but the bite was on and off during the day. During the rainy season I still followed the reports and I noticed a change over to the top trout baits they were reporting. Instead of good ole powerbait as the top bait, they were reporting N/C and pink & white mice tails as the top baits. 3 trips ago we had a slow morning with only 5 bites and 3 fish caught on the P/B. As soon as I switched over to the mice tails, we had 12 bites and 7 fished landed in 2 hours of fishing. 2 trips ago, we in just an afternoon of trout fishing, landed 11 trout on the pink & white mice tails and only 4 on the P/B. A strange thing happened on that trip besides my buddy Glenn losing a DD catfish do to a wimpy rod and bad #2 test line.
The fish all season long were caught between the first and second air ratters in the East end of the lake. The prior 2 seasons the best trout fishing was from the last air ratter all the ways to the reeds in the East end. So when we were cruising along on our prior trip last week in the afternoon, we saw a Fly boat anchored right on the first buoy in the East end. (they were killing the trout right there) They soon left to beat the traffic home, so we set up a drift to go right in there. We got bite on the outside coming into the spot but before we could get there, another boat with 2 kids and a Dad rushed in there and dropped their hook. (C blocking us from that spot) So I veered to the left, as soon as I got to the buoy's we all got bit on trout. The fish finally moved back in there! They weren't there all season in force, I tried a bunch of times so I know that for a fact. By the way that dad and his kids got full limits of trout from that spot! So on this trip, guess where I was going to start fishing first? (If you said the first buoy, you win a cupid doll)
Friday April 5 was the last trout stock of the season at Lake Wohlford. I believe for my drifting technique, 2 day's after they stock is the perfect day to go. (It gives the trout enough time to get out of Boat Dock cove!) So Sunday was the perfect day to go and I invited 6 people to accompany me on this adventure. I also knew a little secret to makes this trip even more special. Lake Dixon is the sister lake to Lake Wohlford and was stocking 3 times more trout that week then Wohlford. So all the wise guy's would go there instead of Lake Wohlford! I'll take Lake Wohlford in a boat any day of the week over Dixon. (shore fishing that's something else!) I was right there was hardly anybody on the shore at Wohlford. They did rent most of the boats out but just to tourist or Bass and Crappie fishermen and not the hard core guy's! How do I know that? We got there at 6:45 am and headed for the East end buoy's. Instead of a whole fleet of boats down there, their was only 2 boats trout fishing in the best area of the lake.
I headed straight for the first buoy on the right. (the hot spot last week) We threw our lines out and got 3 bites in the first 3 minutes and farmed them all! There still here!!!! Instead of drifting over the area and taking a chance of getting C blocked again, we anchored on the spot this time. Phil got bite first on a Mice tail and then it was my turn. I cast right next to the buoy with a pink & white mice tail. It only took a few minutes and it got hit hard! I knew it was a good fish and it swam on the other side of the buoy. So I had to make sure he didn't wrap himself around the buoy and get away. I steered him clear and was able to guide him towards the boat. He came near the surface and gave a big tail splash! I didn't see him yet but I knew only a bigger fish can make that big of a splash. I got my first look at him and he was very nice! (later we weighed him and he was an #6.8 Rainbow trout on the lakes scale) I got him in the boat and it was the nicest one I ever caught there.
Now it was a matter of Phil and I just taking turns catching a fish. We had 8 trout landed in about an hour and change. So instead of limiting out early and going home, we went looking for other species to catch. We were going to try for some Crappies and Catfish. We fished next to a group of young men fishing for Crappies with minnows. (they had caught a couple of Crappies but nothing to write home about) We were also trying to get a catfish bite along the way too. After 2 hours of Zip on the Catfish and Crappies we went back to the East end to finish off our trout limits. Now we had some wind to drift in! It took all of 3 minutes again to get 3 bites! I got an #3 pound trout to finish off my limit and low and behold before I could land my first fish my other rod got bit. Phil also got bit and finished his limit off too! My 2nd fish fell off the hook next to the boat, I couldn't keep him any way so it didn't matter. So that just tells you how good the fishing was on Sunday. Of those 6 people I invited to go, only Phil made it and it was the best trip of the year!
