1st time at Levis Stadium and a Milestone!

This past Sunday I made it out to Levis Stadium for the first time ever and BOY, I was impressed. Not gonna lie, I was pretty sad to see Candlestick's seats being torn out this month but after seeing this impressive palace, I'm no longer sad. I was so excited just to see the stadium and feel the energy and hear the familiar foghorn sounds! And when I walked up to the top of the observation deck and saw the feild and the seats, it was over, I loved it!

The game was a good one. for a second we fell behind but the defense did their job and the offense did just enough to put us over the top. I've been to losses before and that's never good!

I look forward to many years at Levis watching games with my wife and my friends. Perhaps one day my children will love to learn the game as much as their father does as they experience the environment of the stadium and the roar of the crowd.

In addition, here is a milestone for you. 20,000 views! Yes, yess, I am moving my way up. Thanks for reading my posts and browsing my blog folks. I appreciate all of my readers and especially my commenters!

If you don't hear from me before tomorrow, hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving! God Bless you all!

The Wonders of Ellis Lake

Ellis Lake is a strange fishery. It is a small man made pond in which water enters, but never exits.  This might explain why the water has a permanent visibility of only a few inches. The water is so opaque that it has hidden a few dead bodies in its past. 

It is no mystery now that Ellis has become a breeding ground for many exotic pets that have outgrown their tanks, which gives fisherman the opportunity to catch the occasional South American Pacu or arapaima (guy in FB group posted pictures)  in Northern, California. The water that comes into this lake never exits which keeps the exotic species from entering and possibly destroying other ecosystems. The interesting part is that this ecosystem houses these strange fish and they seem to coexist with the catfish, bass, crappie and bluegill that call this lake home. You know what that means… bring on the Peacock bass!

Russell and I hit the lake at around 2:00 armed with some crayfish, nightcrawlers and bone crusher (my 8 Wt. RLS+).  I was also armed with positive thoughts which I am convinced makes the difference between a bad day fishing and a great day fishing.

We had lines in the water with live craws within minutes. I also rigged up a second rod with a worm and bobber. I started by picking off some of the green sunfish from the cracks on the side of the lake rock. I was able to get into two of them. A bit later I tossed my bobber in deeper in hopes for one of the mammoth carp that roam these waters. There are big boys up to 20 lbs in there and I was aiming for one. at one point my bobber started moving to the side only it wasn’t a fish…

That was the first time I ever caught a turtle, which is definitely a milestone. The turtle was safely released and good thing it was because we later saw it hanging out with a couple of baby turtles.

We sat and waited for our catfish to come but they didn’t. A bit later I broke out bone crusher in hopes of a bass or piranha or something.  I took a black wooley bugger and went around the pond. I ended up catching a green sunfish in a shaded area and got a bass to chase my WB in the shallow, but no strikes. A bit later I changed it up to a Sarge’s Crappie fly and cast out to the deeper ends. An older gentleman came up and was watching me cast then asked if I had caught any. I told him a couple of green sunfish along the edge. He asked if it was hard and I told him, “No it’s easy, you just drag it close to the sides like this…” and when I said that I caught my last green sunfish of the day. He was pretty impressed. 

The old guy was fishing and ended up giving me some hot dogs he had which are the “go to” bait for Ellis lake. Unfortunately it didn’t do much for us. That was pretty much it for the day. The catfish weren’t having anything to do with our baits so we wrapped it up. 

** and I just realized that as I write this, we are officially in the last day of spring! That means a spring wrap- up is coming. Summer will be filled with Largemouth, catfish, striper, and hopefully some high country trout fishing.  Oh and come mid July I will continue my quest for my first King Salmon.

Total Fish: 3 green sunfish… oh and  + 1 turtle!

Sometimes it’s Destiny

I had a camping trip set up with a couple of buddies this past weekend.  We were all set to go and then one of the buddies was told he had to work late which ended the hopes of a camping trip. I felt pretty down about that considering we were supposed to head to Lake Camanche and try our hand at some trout, bass and catfish.  I was especially looking forward to trying to catch some Largemouth bass on the fly rod. But alas, it didn’t happen. We were supposed to head out later in the day on Saturday, around 4 so I waited until 4, got the news that we weren’t going, grabbed excalibur and then went to the fishing hole. 

For that day, the fishing hole was Putah creek Central as I will call it because there are three different areas of putah that I fish; West putah (tail water of Berryessa all the way to Lake Solano) Central putah (Davis city limits) and East Putah which is located in the Davis Wildlife area and is headed to the Delta). 

I arrived at Putah at around 5:00. I hit spot #1 and tied on old faithful (or fairly new faithful) the royal humpy in an orange color. I tossed a few with no bites. It was also fairly tight casting so I moved on after a while. Then I went to spot #2, where I have seen a lot of bluegills in the past as well as some pikeminnows and largemouths. I cast a few and could see the panfish coming up, checking the RH out and swimming away. For whatever reason they did not enjoy the humpy. I went a few feet down and the same thing happened.

The last spot was a spot on a little dam or concrete barrier thing that funnels the water on that spot of the creek. The funny thing about this spot on the creek is that I have fished it before and didn’t catch anything.  I fished it with a black wooley in the past but had no luck. This time I tried the RH but no fish were interested.  After a while I looked at it and just pictured that if any bass were there, they were waiting for an easy meal outside of the swift current. I thought the bass might enjoy a streamer but when I went into my fly box my eye landed on a bead headed black wooley bugger. I don’t know why, it just made sense. So even though I had fished WB’s here in this exact spot before and caught nothing, I went for it. A few feet away from me there was a snag that made me think I had caught a fish a couple of times. At about the 10^th cast I stripped my line and thought I had a snag, but then it moved! I pulled in a little smallmouth bass which I had never caught at this creek before. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of this fishing spot but its and interesting one. Its about 2 feet across at the spot where I was standing and casting and maybe about 2.5 feet across as it gets closer to shore. Fun little place to fish but you lose your balance at all and you’re wet! 

About 4 casts later I felt another tug and I got down on one knee to pull this fish in. I could tell it was a little bit bigger and had more fight. When I finally got him in, I realized that this sucker was a largemouth bass! I was very excited about this milestone which wasn’t big but enough to scratch the Largemouth off of my list. A few casts later I got into a second largemouth, this one a bit smaller. I was pretty happy to have figured out the key to catching fish here. 

Now, do you remember the snag I was telling you about earlier? Well I fell victim to that snag and I lost the only all black beaded wooley bugger I had. I looked in my box and I tied on a beaded thin mint but no takers. Then I tied on a black streamer and still no takers. I had a black wooley with red flakes in it and I figured that was the closest thing but unfortunately they showed no interest in that either. After a while I called it a day and added a mental note to pick up a few beaded black wooleybuggers for my next trip out there. As it turns out, I didn’t have to go all the way to Camanche to catch a bass on the fly, I did it 20 minutes from my door step. 

With this day I completed one of my 2014 goals, to catch a largemouth AND a smallmouth on the fly! Now its time to catch some larger buckets and smallies. I look forward to that feat!

Total Fish: 1 Smallmouth bass + 2 Largemouth bass = 3 fish

Post #100: How Fishing Changed My Life

We walked into a small bar and grill down the street from Kirkwood ski resort. As we sat down and had lunch I wondered how many would know the miles I had traveled for the mere pleasure of catching fish. It wasn’t only the lunch that I enjoyed but the company and the journey itself. I have been to foreign countries and different states but always for a specific purpose or passion, never for a past time. I stood outside and stretched, my lungs filling with fresh mountain air. I looked around and my eyes took in the scenery. I wondered how many locals had come to take that scenery for granted, driving by it all the time like when I drive by inundated rice fields or the Sacramento river. I was captivated by what I saw but even more by the mere fact that this hobby that had brought me out to El Dorado National Forest, a place that I have passed up on my way to Tahoe but never really appreciated.

22" Striper

First time Fly Fishing

There are many things that I never appreciated about fishing as a kid which led me to abandon this sport by the time I became a teenager. I left fishing for a life of video games, computers, vices and girls. All of these became more important to me than standing on the banks of a river with my dad occasionally catching fish. When I entered the world of higher education at CSU Chico, fishing became a distant memory of my childhood. In fact, it was replaced by going to the movies, hanging out with friends, and occasionally visiting a downtown Chico bar or two.

PB 16" Rainbow Trout

Fishing with my love

As I got older I took a job in Woodland, Ca and began the daily grind just like every other adult I knew. At this point, I was over the bar scene and the loud college kids. I adjusted to the monotony of everyday life, going to work, sitting at a desk for 8 hours staring at a computer screen and coming home to eat and then squeeze in an hour at the gym before going to sleep. My days became routine until one day  I happened to be looking out my window at work and noticed a man unloading a mammoth fish from his truck which I now know to be a white sturgeon. It’s amazing how one sight has the potential to change your life as much as the sight of that fish did to me.   To read a little more about that experience, please refer back to my first post, “Enter the Angler.”

On the surface I can say that what fishing has given me is the ability and privilege to catch hundreds of fish throughout the years. This however would be the understatement of a lifetime. As of right now fishing has given me so much more and since this is my 100^th post I figured I would cover some of the things that fishing has given me or returned to me that I would have lost had I not started fishing again.

Father and son

Pops and his first Largemouth

My first fishing pole

One thing I remember from fishing was that my old man (or Ol’ Pops as I call him) taught me how to fish. Being From El Salvador, He didn’t know anything about football or baseball and he never really taught me a whole lot about soccer either. The one sport I do remember sharing with my dad was fishing. When I was a little boy I remember him buying me a little Micky Mouse pole and then graduating to an abu Garcia rod and reel that I used until I was a teenager. 

Perhaps the most important thing that fishing gave me back was my father.  At some point when I was a teenager I thought I was too cool to hang out with my old man. Over time I noticed that our communication was stunted. We didn’t have a whole lot to talk about and so sometimes our time together was somewhat awkward especially since Ol’ Pops is kind of a quiet guy. 

18" Striper

When I came back to fishing I would often ask him to get his license and come with me but it wasn’t until I came home with an 18” striper during  summer that he decided it was time for his return. Our communication returned with old stories as well as conversation on how to catch striper.  This eventually led to conversation about things other than fishing and led to a few heart to hearts with my dad that have changed our relationship forever. On a side note,  my father had never caught a largemouth bass until I taught him what I had learned about bass. The student becomes the master! That of course is another post.

Drink one for me!

Chico buddies at Usal Beach - 3/13

I left Chico with a heavy heart. I had a large social group out there and I was coming to Woodland where I knew nobody but family. I went up to Chico to party a few times but it just wasn’t the same. After I began fishing and posting pictures of my catches, I realized most of my chico buddies were either outdoorsmen or willing/ wanting to start camping/fishing. Sure enough I began to reunite with them and continue to keep in touch with them and go camping and fishing.  

Surrounded by my best friends that I just met today

Mark from NCT

Me and Russell fly fishing the Yuba

It all started when I began blogging 100 posts ago! Specifically, my second post received two replies from two guys that have now become regulars at my blog. In those days they went by the monikers: Shoreman and Rainbow Chaser. Today they are known as Mark from Northern California Trout and Mel over at Pond stalker blog . They were my first two blog buddies and I’m proud to say they are still my good blog buddies! I have been out fishing with Mark a few times and I look forward to many more! I have yet to fish with Mel but I’m sure we will throw a fly or two in the future. After them came Shawn, Russell, Howard, Bill, Daniel, Bryan, Jay, Etc. Come to find out that fishing folks are the coolest folks you can ever meet. I never would have known this if I had not gotten into fishing. Cheers to all my current fishing friends, blog buddies and to all I will meet in the future.  

Adventures/ Scenery

Fly fishing Dry Creek

I have ventured into beautiful valleys, wonderful waterways and fished everything from clear creeks to dirty ditches. I have explored, walked and hiked to fishing spots. I have seen beautiful sunsets and driven up breathtaking mountain roads. I have camped just to fish at the crack of dawn. I have fished rivers, ponds, sloughs, lakes and the ocean. I have had the time of my life and I look forward to many more adventures and finding beauty in nature. 

 

Therapy

I have breathed deep the unpolluted air of many fishing holes. I have allowed the water to soothe my soul. I have become dazed by patterns swirling in the water until they disappear and with them my anxieties. I have read the word of God, I have listened to music, I have had heart to hearts with friends and family. My eyes have been opened to a whole new world where the worries of my work desk and home life are processed on neutral ground. The sounds of water traveling and sunsets falling have given me peace during difficult situations, allowing me to sort through issues of the day. I have learned to relax.  

Sunset over the Deep Water channel

I know this is an entire book you are reading here but if you are still with me, not just on this post, but on my blog I want to tell you that I appreciate you. My life has changed since I first stepped back out onto the banks and you have been along for the ride. You have read my experiences, given me tips and occasionally corrected me, you have commented on my words and pictures, you have gifted me flies and your time, you have fished with me and taught me more about fish. I am forever grateful to all of you who are reading this and to the sport that changed my life.

2013 Fishing Goals Report!

2013 was a decent year of fishing. It was the first year that I actually counted my fish so that’s a definite highlight. In 2013 I caught a grand total of 80 fish and I’m proud of that total! I worked hard for that total. I fished as much as I possibly could for that total. Part of me wants to say it’s not a lot of fish but it’s about more than just the fish, it’s about learning HOW to catch the fish! Its about always being a student of angling as opposed to being an un-teachable know it all.

My Personal best crappie - 12 in.

I am not an expert by any means but I now have 3 solid seasons under my belt. I would say that this third season has been the biggest learning year so far. That’s a huge milestone. In 2013 I learned how to fly fish, I learned how to fish for salmon, I learned how to set up a punch rig, I revisited and really learned how to use the slip-bobber rig to catch more panfish than I ever have. 

Fly fishing for the very first time

Out of all of these skills, my favorite by far is learning to fly fish. Ever since the moment I found out Mark would be teaching me to fly fish, I knew I would be hooked. So when I first held a fly rod in my hand, the moment I first tried to cast, the first fish I caught, the first trout I caught on my own rod;  all of those moments really confirmed that I would not forget about fly fishing and would eventually begin a lifelong pursuit of fly fishing. I will always remember 2013 as the year I became a fly fisherman. 

Below are the goals I had for 2013. Some I completed, others I will complete this year.

1.       Catch my first Salmon 

Incomplete. I didn’t catch my first salmon this year. However, my head is not down about this one. I learned exactly how to catch a salmon and the only thing missing this year was actually hooking into one. 2014 will definitely be my year for the king! 

2.       Catch my first Sturgeon 

Incomplete. Honestly, the weather has thrown my fishing schedule off. Usually around this time I would be trying for Sturgeon but the end of December and early January has felt like summer in Northern California. I usually wait for some rain to start salmon fishing but it hasn’t happened yet. All that to say I didn’t catch any salmon last year. Haha I will give it another go this year. 

3.       Catch my first steelhead

Incomplete. I didn’t really do anything toward this goal. I will however be going out for steelhead with they fly rod soon so hopefully 2014 will be the year for chrome!!

4.       Discover new fishing holes

Great spot on Dry Creek

Complete. I definitely accomplished this one! This year I found the bee hive, a salmon spot in Knights landing, A spot on dry creek for trout, and a great spot for catfishing at Ellis Lake. This year I will be on the hunt for more spots!

5. Catch more trout

PB Rainbow trout - 16 in.

stringer from New Melones

Complete. This goal wasn’t specific by any means but I have never been a trout fisherman. This year, I caught trout. I caught 14 total trout this year which was more than the single trout I caught last year. I also caught the largest trout I have ever caught which was a 16 inch planter. In 2014 I intend to catch many more. Its also important to note that 9 out of these 14 trout were caught on the fly. 

6.       Catch more smallmouth bass

My PB 24 in. Striper

Incomplete. I hardly even tried, but I will!!

7.       Break my striper record

Complete. This year I hooked into a hard fighting tuxedo bass that broke my old record by 2 inches. Even though I didn’t get into many stripers this year, I’m happy to say I got into my biggest so far. 

8.       Catch a double digit Largemouth

Incomplete. I hardly fished for largemouth this year and when I did get into them, they weren’t as large as I thought they would be. 

9.       More overnight fishing trips

Incomplete. I had a few camping trips but no overnight fishing trips. I need to put this goal back up in 2014 because I love al night fishing! 

10.   Do more fishing research than ever before!

Complete. I definitely researched more than ever. I think my tactic is different than in the past. Although I did do a ton of online research and video watching, I also asked a lot of questions to the experts like Mark with trout, Sean with Salmon and Russell with panfish. 

In all I met four out of my 10 goals. This year when I set goals I intend on focusing on those goals to get them done so I will choose wisely. 2014 Fishing goals are coming soon!