Foothill Gem

After quite the wet winter and spring here in California, we’ve finally got some decent weather so I could get out and fish. My buddy Kevin wanted to join so we made the drive up into the Sierras to one of my favorite lakes. Unfortunately, there ended up being a lot more snow than what we anticipated. Plan B was initiated, and we headed back down the mountain to Tabeaud Reservoir. This is a nice little lake for a paddle, since no powerboats are allowed and the fishing is normally pretty good!

There we were met with some more pleasant conditions, so we launched the Kilroy a long with the Cruise FD and began fishing. It didn’t take long and I had my first bite that didn’t stick. Kevin was on the board first, hooking and landing a little Rainbow. Not long after, I hooked and landed a couple small Rainbows as well. The Bows weren’t really the main target, as the lake is home to a decent population of Brown Trout. We worked our way around the lake and got to a place I’ve done well in the past. A couple casts in and my jerkbait gets smashed! A nice Brown surfaced, jumping a couple times before it shook the hooks.

 We pressed on, each getting a couple more Rainbows, until finally it happened! As I’m reeling in and just about ready to make another cast, a nice Brown comes out of no where and smacks my lure! After a short battle I get it in the net and land my personal best Brown for this lake at almost 21”. I was stoked! Kevin snapped a few photos of me and we kept on fishing. I think we each got one or two more Rainbows before calling it quits and heading home. Definitely a nice day to be out on the water.