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VOL . 37 • ISS . 14 |
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June 22 - July 6 , 2018 |
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Folsom Lake Facts
Location and size : Folsom Lake is a reservoir located on the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills within Placer , El Dorado , and Sacramento Counties . It is about 25 miles northeast of Sacramento ad can be reached via either Highway 50 or I-80 . Both Folsom Lake and Lake Natoma have many access points and entrances . The lake contains 11,500 acres of water when full and is located 466 feet above sea level . There are 75 miles of undulated shoreline surrounding the lake . The Folsom Lake State Recreation Area is one of the most visited parks in the California Park system . For more information , call ( 916 ) 988-0205 .
Fishing season : The lake is open to fishing for yearround . The CDFW plants the reservoir with rainbow trout and Chinook salmon . In addition , the reservoir features naturally spawning populations of rainbow trout Chinook salmon . Other popular species found in the reservoir smallmouth , spotted and largemouth bass , black crappie , bluegill and channel catfish .
Camping : Is available at Beals Point year-round and at Peninsula Campground beginning April 1 , through the summer ( Peninsula Campground closes October 1 ). Additional information about camping can be found by calling ( 800 ) 444-7275 .
Day Use & Boat Launch Fees : The day use fee is $ 12 at Beals Point , Browns Ravine , Folsom Point , Granite Bay , the Peninsula and Rattlesnake Bar . The boat launch fee is $ 10 for a power boat . Boat launching is available at Folsom Point , Browns Ravine , Granite Bay , Five Percent and Rattlesnake Bar when the lake is full .
Folsom Lake Marina in the Browns Ravine Recreation Area is a full-service marina . For more information , contact : ( 916 ) 933-1300 , http :// www . folsomlakemarina . com
Fishing Guides : James Netzel , Tight Lines Guide Service , 888-975-0990 , https :// fishtightlines . com Jerry Lampkin , TNG Motor Sports Guide Service , 530-
320-0994 , http :// www . tngmotorsports . com Don Paganelli ’ s Bass Fishing Experience , 916-502-FISH , http :// www . guidebass . net
Rocklin
Rocklin
Blvd
English Colony Wy
Loomis
Sierra
College
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Folsom Lake Recreation Area
Orangevale
Santa Juanita Ave
Lake Natoma
Hidden Valley
Power Plant
Natoma
King Rd
Horseshoe Bar Rd
Beals Point
Auburn
Natoma Rd
Prairie City Rd
Folsom State Prison
Folsom
Granite Bay
Mooney Ridge
Folsom Dam
Folsom
Rd
Folsom Lake
Mormon Island Dam
Blue Ravine Rd
North Fork American River
South Fork American River
Folsom Lake
Placer , Sacramento & El Dorado Counties
El Dorado Hills
Rd
Clarksville
Pilot Hill Lookout
Falls
Salmon
• Rainbow Trout provide good fishing throughout the year for a mixture of recent planters and holdover fish . Trollers find the top action during the fall and spring while using Speedy Shiners , Cripplures , Hum Dingers , Needlefish and other minnow imitation lures . Bank fishing is productive with Power Bait and nightcrawlers at Granite Bay , Five Percent , Folsom Point and Browns when the CDFW is planting the reservoir from October through April .
• King Salmon will hit the same lures as the trout , but generally are found deeper than the rainbows . Spring is the best time for bank anglers to purse the kings with nightcrawlers and minnows under bobbers .
• Black Bass provide a solid year round fishery . During the fall and winter , drop-shotting with Magic Worms and other plastics and fishing with jigs becomes very effective . Spotted , Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass thrive on Folsom ' s threadfin shad and pond smelt .
• Channel Catfish hit best From August through November , but also go on the bite when storms hit the lake during the winter . Mackerel and nightcrawlers are the top baits .
• Bluegill and Crappie are hard to find , but provide excellent light tackle action when you locate a school .
Jim Harrington of Folsom had a great time battling this scrappy rainbow at Folsom Lake during a trip with James Netzel of Tight Lines Guide Service on May 31 .
Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff .
7,600 pounds of rainbows in Folsom so far this year – and will plant more this fall .. The CDFW planted Folsom with 13,300 pounds of rainbows in 2015 , 5568 pounds in 2016 , and 3250 pounds in 2017 . “ Also , in 2014 we put in 41,760 sub catchable Eagle Lake Trout ( ELT ’) as ‘ put and grow ’ fish . I think because of drought they didn ’ t work out so well , but we ’ re looking at giving the ELT subcatchables another shot in the future now that we ’ ve got some water ,” he noted .
Folsom Lake is the second reservoir in the state after Don Pedro where the successful spawning of Chinook salmon has been documented by anglers and CDFW biologists .
The CDFW stocks triploid ( sterile ) Chinook salmon in the lake when they are available . The Chinooks were first stocked in 1999 and have been a very popular species with anglers because they grow to over 8 pounds in the forage-rich waters of
Folsom .
The CDFW planted 30,000 Chinooks in 2015 and another 42,588 Chinooks in 2016 , but none were available in either 2017 or this year .
“ I ’ m not sure if there are Chinook still spawning , but I would assume there are ,” said Rowan . “ That survey that we did on the South Fork several year ago was brutal physically and dangerous . It ’ s not one I ’ d send anyone in to repeat . There has been at least some level of natural survival which I assume will try to spawn , but the fish we have stock from 2014-to present will all be triploid .”
Besides rainbow trout and Chinook salmon , Folsom also features good populations of spotted , smallmouth and largemouth bass , crappie , bluegill and channel catfish .
For more information , contact James Netzel , Tight Lines Guide Service , 888- 975-0990 , https :// fishtightlines . com rainbows in the 10 to 20 lb . class over the past two decades , including one 12.5 lb . rainbow that measured 24 inches long .
The trout in Lake Natoma feed on the same forage species found in Folsom Lake , pond smelt and threadfin shad , so it ’ s not unreasonable to believe that a fish in the 15 to 20 lb . class could also come out of Folsom .
Rainbow trout and Chinook salmon can be caught in Folsom year round , but Netzel said May is the best month to target both species .
Bank anglers experience the top rainbow and king action in the fall during the period of the fall turnover October through December . Fishermen regularly hook a mixture of holdover trout and salmon while tossing out PowerBait , nightcrawlers , minnows and other baits under bobbers and on sliding sinker rigs .
“ There is also a fairly significant wild rainbow trout component in the fishery ,” said Jay Rowan , CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Supervisor . “ The thought is that these fish use the North and South forks to rear , come down to the lake during certain times of year to feed and get out of the warm water in the forks , then head back up into the forks to spawn .
“ I ’ m not sure by percentage how much of the catch they make up , but enough show up in pictures on the net that make me think it ’ s a fairly decent part of the fishery . They certainly add a trophy component to the fishery ,” said Rowan .
Rainbow trout plants at Folsom have varied greatly from year to year . The Department of Fish and Wildlife has stocked
Folsom Lake Marina is a full service marina located in the Browns Ravine Recreation Area . Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff .