Upcoming Fishing Outings

San Justo Reservoir Friday March 10
Fishmaster: Betty Rentz 427-9875 rentzb@santacruzpl.org

When: Meet in the parking lot at boat launch at 8:30 AM. Cancelled if raining or really, really cold.
What: This is a wonderful little reservoir in the hills above San Juan Bautista about an hour from Santa Cruz. DFG regularly plants it with trout and it can be a fun day trip. Later in the spring, as water warms, it's good for bass, too. Mornings are best, since it often gets windy in the afternoon. The reservoir is open from February through November, Wednesdays through Sundays, sunrise to sunset.
Gear: Float tube, pram, canoe, pontoon boat, or some sort of small water craft. No gas engines, electric OK. Please wear a PFD.
Tackle: 4 to 6 wt rods, and some sort of sinking line, best an intermediate or sink tip. A nine foot leader and 4X and 5X tippet would be good.
Flies: Wet (wooly buggers, nymphs such as hare's ears and pheasant tails, wiggle worms, stillwater nymphs, and such like).
Driving Directions: Take Hwy 1 south to Hwy 129. Go east to Hwy 101, go south for 3 miles. Take Hwy 156 east, past San Juan Bautista about 5 miles. Turn right onto Union Road and go 1/2 - 1 mile and turn right at the small sign marking the road up to the reservoir. If you need compressed air to fill your tube, stop in San Juan Bautista. Lake is about 500 feet above town elevation.
Fees: Entry fee is $5 per vehicle; launch fee for boats and float tubes is $2.
More Information:
www.san-benito.ca.us/departments/dpw/parks%20pages/san_justo.htm lists season, hours, fees and includes a good map.
If wind forces you off the lake mid-day, drive back to San Juan Bautista. Lots of good places for lunch!

Place: Quail Hollow Ranch (see below for directions)
Time: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Over the past few years, this event has grown into a forum on most aspects of fly fishing. Quail Hollow Ranch is a 300-acre preserve in Santa Cruz County that was once a summer home of the Lane family, founders of Sunset Magazine. The ranch has a special history; California Ranch Style living we know today was started here. There is a wonderful bass pond on the property that was once the watering hole for cattle that grazed on the land. Much of the ranch house has been restored to its original condition and is a treat to see. Many photos, dating way back, adorn the living area, speaking thousands of words.
The day is organized to introduce people to fly flshing who think they might be interested in our sport. We will have continuous demonstrations and instruction in casting and fly tying. We need as many members as can, to volunteer to help by demonstrating fly tying and casting and answer general fly fishing questions. This is a great opportunity to introduce our favorite pastime to people who will be coming to learn just what it is we are all about. As many as a dozen Club members first learned of us at a Quail Hollow Public Education Day. Don't miss this opportunity; members who have participated in the past have thoroughly enjoyed the day. It's your chance to pass along whatever you have learned and to pay back a little of the fun, knowledge and camaraderie you have enjoyed as a club member. Please come and help out. If you enjoy fly fishing, you are qualified to show visitors what we're all about, and we need you to be there.
Snacks and drinks will be provided, but bring a bag lunch. Bring your tying gear, and the rods you want to practice with and may be willing to make available for visitors to try. We will have plenty of room to throw a few hundred feet of line (ten or twenty yards at a time, of course).
Directions: take Graham Hill Road to East Zayante Road and travel just about a mile until you reach Quail Hollow Road. About 1/2 a mile up you will see the ranch entrance on the right. Can't miss it.

Lake Amador is a privately run lake with LARGE cutthroat-rainbow hybrids. It's a three hour drive from Santa Cruz. The trout fishing is good until well past May and the bass fisherman don't start racing around the lake until late May. At the March meeting I will be glad to supply maps and driving directions for the three hour drive. Cost per day, one car, two people/two float tubes is $24. The link to the Lake Amador website with parking, launching and fishing prices is www.lakeamador.com
Fishing: Use a float tube or boat. Fish are up in the top 5 feet of water. Use floating or intermediate sinking lines. Fishing is good from first light. Camping: For those wishing to stay overnight, the link with the Lake Amador overnight RV camping costs is: www.lakeamador.com/pricing.htm.
Lodging: Harry Petrakis' favorite B&B in Sutter Creek is: www.eurekastreetinn.com. It's owned by Chuck and Sandy Anderson formerly of Santa Cruz. A great place to stay! The Best Western Inn in Jackson has low winter rates, If you have questions, call Don Wilcox.

Fishing Opportunities: Trout in tailwater river, stream and lake. Bass in ponds (limited and dependent on how warm this spring is).
Climate: Sunny and warm to snow. Strong winds are commonly encountered.
Lodging: Camping at Pleasant Valley Campground. RV or trailer recommended due to possibility of extended periods of cold and wind. Cost will be $10/night. Reservations not needed. Motels in BishopCost is $50/night and up. Reservations recommended.
General Plan: Fishmasters will stay at campground which is very basic, with picnic tables and outhouses. We intend to go to town for breakfast, groceries, newspapers, showers and fly shops which are in Bishop, ten minutes' drive from the campground. Fishing is from mid-morning on. We will have a pot luck barbecue dinner each evening at the campground.
Bring: Box of wood for campfire; small bag of charcoal briquets for barbecues; food and beverages; camping chair; your own tableware (cups/dishes/flatware) and cooking gear. Camp stove, cutting board, basic cooking utensils, grill and dishpan will be provided. Bring a camera to take pictures to share at next year's photo show in January.
Fishing Gear:
Rods: 2-6 wt.
Lines: floating and sinking
Flies: standard trout dry flies, including: blue winged olive 16-18, Mr Bill 14-16, elk hair caddis 16-18, GriffithÕs gnat 14-18; standard trout sinking flies including: tiger midge 16-20, pheasant tail nymph 14 & 18, Hornberg or Loehberg 12-14, Prince nymph 12-16, Scintilla bubble nymph 20, dark lord 12-16, Bass and bluegill poppers, small and medium.
Waders: neoprene with fleece underlayers for float tubing; breathables over fleece for river and stream.
Float tube and accessories
Personal: Gloves; warm cap (cover ears) and hat; rain gear; warm coat; insect repellent; sunscreen.
Driving Directions: Sierra passes will be closed. Southern route to Hwy 395 via Bakersfield is recommended. Allow 8-9 hours' driving time. Refer to map.
Sign Up: Not needed, but the fishmasters would like to know that you are coming.

Our 6th annual trip is set for three days and two nights from April 28th to 30th. This private ranch consists of 5,800 acres and seven bass ponds and two others within walking distance. It is located in the backcountry adjacent to Henry Coe State Park, 22 miles off Highway 152 near Casa de Fruta. It offers excellent bass fishing and an outstanding experience on a ranch with beautiful hills and open country for hiking and photography. There is a two-storey ranch house and a bunkhouse to accommodate everyone's needs. The ranch house overlooks the Orestimba River and is the historic site of Joaquin Murietta's adobe home during the 1800s. The bass ponds can be fished either from shore or in float tubes. Four-wheeled carpooling is a MUST. The weekend cost is $135 per adult. Due to limited sleeping arrangements, we can take up to twenty people: maximum total fifteen fishers and up to five non-fishers. Call in date to get your name on the list is Wednesday, March 29 at 7:00 PM. If you are a partnered couple, only one call is necessary for the two. Otherwise, each person must call in and reserve his or her name. If you have any questions regarding the trip, please call me any time; I am generally home in evenings.

General: The drive from Santa Cruz to the Reservoir takes about 1 1/2 hours. I will gladly arrange for a meeting place the morning of the trip.
Camping: there's a combination RV park and campground right on Carmel Valley Road about 15-20 minutes below Los Padres Reservoir, the Saddle Mountain RV Park and Campground. It can be reached at (831) 624-1617 and www.saddlemountain.com. Rates for tent sites are $30/night for two persons, each additional person is $5. RV rates are $45 per night for two persons Š that includes full hook-up. Pets on leash are OK but a call to Saddle Mountain RV Park concerning pets would be useful. You can be there for the entire weekend or just one day.
Fly Shop: Central Coast Fly Fishing is on the route to Los Padres Reservoir at 7172 Carmel Valley Road (831) 626-6586.
Essentials:
1. Float tube or lightweight pontoon boat.
2. Carry straps for the float tube or a wheeled cart of some kind to haul in the pontoon. It's a good 1/2 to 3/4 mile hike from the parking lot to the reservoir with a couple of hills in between to test your fitness.
3. A way to lock up your cart safely at the launch site. (I had mine "borrowed" three years ago but luckily it was left back in the parking lot.)
4. A 5 weight rod is plenty. Bring both floating and sink-tip lines. I bring along two or three different lengths of lead core to search various depths.
5. Flies - both dry and wet: size 14-18 elk hair caddis; same for gnat and mosquito patterns; beadhead woolly buggers in olive or black in sizes 14-18. You may also try the Hornberg and Loehberg patterns used at Crowley. Just bring any flies that you usually use for a stillwater fishery. AND CRIMP THE BARBS ON ALL HOOKS. The Fish and Game Warden, while friendly, has a job to do.
6. Wear a Coast Guard approved flotation device.
7. Wear a hat, polarized sunglasses and lots of sunscreen and lip balm.
8. And don't forget the following: drinking water; lunch; two-way radio if you have one. Please call or email me if you are interested and if you plan to attend. I will take the first ten members who sign up at the March and April Club meetings.

The Green River trip is set for May 6th through the 12th. We will be staying at the Trout Creek Lodge this year. It's in Dutch John, right next to the Trout Creek Flies flyshop and guide center, and is close to the river. We have room for sixteen people at the lodge, so if you are interested, give me a call. It's a great place to learn because the fish and the responses to your fly are easy to see. The weather can be changeable, but it's always a good week. Give me a call at 476-0648, for information and to sign up to go. There are alternate places to stay as well, if more than sixteen people want to go, such as Red Canyon Lodge and Flaming Gorge Lodge. If you are planning to go on the train, call Elaine (688-1561) right away. We need to make train and car rental reservations as a group.

www.saddlemountain.comThis is where some members have caught the biggest trout of their lives. North of Susanville, the ranch has a 400 acre pond, fished from float tubes and small boats.
Cost: $100/day, twelve anglers, four spaces still available. $200 non-refundable deposit to hold your place. If you have to cancel, someone may be on a waiting list who could buy your deposit.
Facilities: Grill, tables, Porta-John. Bring your own food, camp chair, sleeping arrangements. Weather can be windy and cold. Access road is not passable with a trailer in tow.
Fishing Gear: Float tubes, prams, PFD/Vest , 5-6 wt. Rods, floating & sinking lines 2X, 6 ft. leaders, leech patterns.
Participants will meet at the 5 Dot Ranch entrance gate, time to be established. Contact the fishmaster for additional information.

In July, fishing opportunities include great fishing for smallmouth bass to five pounds in Trinity Lake and dry fly fishing for aggressive 8" to 16" trout in several area rivers, streams and lakes within a 30 minute drive from the Power home in Trinity Center, six to seven hours' drive from Santa Cruz. Trinity Center is on the northwest shore of Trinity Lake, about 30 miles west and 30 miles north of Redding.
The fishout will be limited to the first 12 members who sign up at meetings or who contact Harry Petrakis at (831) 419-4245.
For more information, see the February 2006 Newsletter or watch this space in the May 2006 Newsletter.

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