When I fished the lake from the bank on March 28, it was after the DFG had planted Sugar Pine with the first two trout stocks of the year. The American River Fish Hatchery had stocked the lake with 23,040 "subcatchables" around 4 inches long each on March 22, followed by 1,000 pounds (2000 fish) of catchable rainbows on March 24.

The allotment of catchables for the lake this year is 4,000 pounds, according to Dennis Redfern, hatchery manager. The DFG plans to stock the lake once a month through June.

After an abortive attempt to fish the lake earlier that week, when unexpected rain blew out my fishing trip, the action on the bright, warm day was superb. The fishing started out slowly, since the surface water temperature was only 48 degrees.

"We didn't get a bite," said one disgruntled boater as he and his wife put the boat on their trailer after trolling the lake for several hours.

Bank anglers weren't faring much better; 9 year-old Frankie Lopes of Loomis caught the only trout I saw, taken on Power Bait between the boat ramp and the inlet.

After I took his photo, his fishing buddy, 9-year-old John McManus of Loomis, pleaded, "can you take a photo of me with a fish? I'd like to be in the Fish Sniffer - it's my favorite paper.'

"I'd love to," I replied. "As soon as you catch a big fish, I'll take your photo."

I went back to my truck to get my gear and set up my "fishing post" along the shoreline. Just after I put my bait in the rod holder and set it in the rod holder, the piscatorial pair came running along the shoreline, "I got a big fish, come and take my photo," exclaimed McManus. After taking photos of the 14 inch rainbow, I went back to my spot and began fishing. The fishing continued to be slow for bank anglers and boaters.

At about 11 am. Mark, a Project Kokanee member, arrived with his boat and launched it. I decided to reel in my line and felt the weight of fish on it as I reeled in. It was my first fish of the day.

After that, I hooked a fish every time I tossed out my bait in a "slot" off a ledge. By noon, I had caught my limit of rainbows, ranging from 11 to 13 inches, as well as missing some bites.

Meanwhile, Frankie Lopes, his dad, Frank and John McManus were walking back to the parking lot, ready to go home after catching a total of 7 trout, when they saw me hook my last fish.

"Grab my spot - there's a lot of fish right there," I urged Frank Lopes. "The bite has really turned on."

He tossed out his Power Bait and soon had another trout on the stringer, but decided to leave with a total of 8 fish for the barbecue.

Boaters also did very well after the bite busted loose. As I was leaving, one couple reported catching and releasing 10 trout while trolling Needlefish.

Although most of the fish were the recent planters, this lake has a good holdover rate for trout during the summer, according to John Hiscox, DFG associate fishery biologist. There is some natural trout spawning in the tributary creeks, but it is by no means enough to sustain the fishery.

German browns are occasionally caught in the lake. The DFG stocked the reservoir with catchable browns in the 1990's, but hasn't stocked them since.

On the other hand, the lake has solid, self-sustaining populations of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill and redear sunfish. "When we last electro-shocked the lake in 2000, we saw five to six year classes of bass and sunfish," he noted. "Although we saw plenty of 2 to 3 pound largemouths, we didn't see any real huge ones."

Bill Prior at Auburn Outdoor Sports has weighed in bass to 9 pounds caught at this reservoir. Since the lake has Florida-strain bass and relatively good growing conditions, trophy fish are possible.

"The bass fishing usually peaks in mid-April," added Hiscox. "Your best bet is to toss plastic worms and crankbaits off the bank in 12 feet of water off the points."

The lake also has a small population of channel catfish, according to Hiscox. The fish average 2 to 3 pounds, though larger fish are possible. Fishing is best in the summer and fall in the warmer coves of the reservoir.

Sugar Pine Dam is located at 3500 feet in elevation on North Shirttail Canyon, a tributary of the North Fork of the American River. Reservoir capacity is 6,921 acre feet with a surface area of 165 acres. The recreation facilities are managed by Tahoe National Forest under an agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The dam is a feature of the Central Valley Project, American River Division, Folsom Auburn Unit. The reservoir provides water for irrigation, municipal and industrial uses to the Foresthill Divide area.

The complex contains two group campgrounds, two family campgrounds, a boat ramp, hiking trails, picnic area, swimming beach and a trailer dump station. Most facilities are wheelchair-accessible. Sugar Pine has great shore access, with a two to three hour hiking trail winding around the entire lake.

For groceries, gas, lodging and other supplies, stop in Auburn and Foresthill. For more information, contact Tahoe National forest, 631 Coyote Street, Nevada City, CA. 95959, phone 530-265-4531.For camping reservations, call 1-877-444-6777.

For a side trip when fishing Sugar Pine, you might also consider fishing Big Reservoir, a privately owned lake and campground that is open from May 1 through October 31. The lake is not stocked by the DFG, but is planted with trout by the management. The lake has rainbow trout, black bass and catfish swimming in its waters.

The day use fee is $2.00 per person at Morning Star. The daily fishing permit is $12.00 for day users and $6.00 for campers. For more information, call 530-367-2129.