Winter Is Time For Big, Feisty Trout At Rancho Seco   By: Dan Bacher January 29, 2006 More Articles by Dan

One of the most popular lakes for families to pursue rainbow trout, largemouth bass and other fish in the Capital City region during the winter is Rancho Seco Reservoir, managed by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). The well-landscaped lake is easy to find off Highway 104 coming from Galt, since you can't miss the twin towers of the decommissioned Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant in the rolling hills of southern Sacramento County.

SMUD kicked off its winter trout planting season with its Thirteenth Annual Winter Trout Fishing Derby on December 3 and 4, 2005. From December through March, the utility will be planting 6,000 pounds of trout, contracted from the Lake Amador Fish Hatchery near Ione. The DFG will match SMUD's fish with another 6,000 pounds of catchable rainbows, according to Geoff Roberts of the Rancho Seco Recreational Area.

In contrast with many past derbies, boaters appeared to experience the top action during this December's event. Many bank anglers I surveyed there on December 4 didn't report catching anything, but most anglers in boats with electric motors reported decent action. The action was best for anglers fishing with Power Bait, nightcrawlers and lures; fly fishing was surprising tough.

"The anglers fishing flies from float tubes during our derbies usually report very good action, but they didn't do well for some reason during this derby," observed Roberts, the SMUD derby coordinator.

This clear water 160-acre lake plays host to two derbies sponsored by SMUD every year, the winter derby in early December and the spring derby in March.

"About 600 anglers fished on Saturday and 400 on Sunday," noted Roberts. However, in spite of more anglers trying their luck on Saturday, more fish were weighed in on Sunday. The better fishing was probably due to the weather; it was windy on Saturday and sunny and calm on Sunday.

One of the more successful pairs of anglers, Curt Rohrbach of Elk Grove and Jonathan Bradford, caught nine trout to 3.14 pounds. They fooled the fish with crappie jigs from their boat, according to Roberts.

The adult division (16 and older) winners received from $20 (fourteenth place) to $100 (first place). Anglers weighed a total of 28 trout in the adult division and 11 fish in the children's division. The derby entry fee was $3.00 per angler.

Tom Kochis won first place in the adult division, taking home $100, by catching a 4.22 pound trout.

Bruce Legg of Sacramento placed second place by nailing a 3.18 lb. trout. The angler was bank fishing with Power Bait in the main recreation area when he bagged the fish on December 4.

Brian Thomas took third with a 3.18 pounder. Jonathan Bradford and Curt Rohrbach, who each nailed fish weighing 3.14 pounds, placed fourth and fifth respectively.

Shawn Piontek ended up in sixth place with a 3.12 pound rainbow, while Al Jones finished seventh with a 3.10 pound trout. Jones was fishing with his daughter, Miranda, and his son, four-year-old Jaylen, when he hooked the fish in his boat while bait fishing with Power Bait and worms.

Meghan Battles took first place in the kids division of the derby by nailing a beautiful 3.04 lb. trout. She was soaking Berkley Power Bait from the bank with her dad.

Five-year-old Jeffrey Jamison, Jr. of Carmichael placed second with a 2.94 lb. trout. The young angler was fishing Berkley Power Bait from a boat with his dad, Jeffrey, when he hooked the lunker.

Thomas Legg of Sacramento took third place with a 2.56 lb. rainbow while fishing with his dad, Bruce. The 10-year-old tossed out a Kastmaster from shore to entice his winning fish.

Patrick Patterson placed fourth with a 2.54 lb. trout; Steven Adams took fifth with a 2.44 lb. fish and Tyler L. Connor placed sixth with a 2.30 lb. trout. The children's division winners received from $10 for sixth place to $50 for first place.

"We started the derbies in the fall of 1993 to help generate revenue for our trout planting program," explained Roberts "Our goal was to encourage more families to bring their kids fishing at the lake."

I can attest to the success of the lake's derbies, since I have been to most of them since 2000. Every time I've seen lots of children fishing with their parents and guardians in pursuit of trout and other species. Many of them have caught their first-ever fish during the derbies.

The "cutbows" from Amador are known for their large size, including a lot of fish in the 3 to 8 pound range, as well as their hard battles. Many of the colorful fish look more like holdovers than the traditional "planters" that most people are familiar with.

Besides rainbow trout, Rancho Seco Recreational Area features flourishing populations of Florida-strain largemouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie, redear sunfish and bluegill.

Rancho Seco's bass population is unique for having the highest percentage of Florida-strain characteristics of any lake in California, according to a genetic analysis of fish conducted by the DFG through a contract with UC Davis, in the late 1980's and early 1990's.

"Rancho Seco is a lake with the potential for producing a state or world record largemouth bass," said Dennis Lee, DFG senior fishery biologist. "The lake has the three characteristics needed to produce record class fish: (1) Florida-strain genes; (2) conditions that allow the fish to reach large size; and (3) a good food source, particularly planted rainbows."

"Fish Chris" Wolfgram set the lake largemouth record when he caught and released an 18.4 pound largemouth bass on April 10, 2003. The big fish had a length of 29" and a girth of 24.5". The lake produces fish in the 10 to 14 pound class every year, with the most consistent fishing available during the spring for anglers fishing large rainbow trout swim baits, Senkos and other lures.

"Florida-strain bass are more nocturnal than northern-strain fish, are not as willing to hit and get very skittish with fishing pressure," noted Lee. "The fish don't get big by being stupid and finesse techniques are necessary to catching the trophy class largemouths."

Rancho Seco has an interesting history. In the early 1970s, a small pond was expanded to a 160-acre lake to serve as an emergency backup water supply (in case of fire) for the now-closed Rancho Seco power generating station. The lake has always received its water from the Folsom South Canal and never had any relationship with the power plant's daily water supply.

Surrounding the lake is 400 acres of recreational area originally operated by the County of Sacramento for day-use activities. In 1992, SMUD took over operation of the park. SMUD uses the park-generated revenues to fund all park-related operating costs.

For more information, call the 24 hour informational recording, (209) 748-2318. For RV, tent and group camping and picnic reservations, call (916) 732-4913, Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.  

Rancho Seco Facts  

Location: in the rolling hills of southeastern Sacramento County east of Herald. From Sacramento, take Highway 99 south to the Highway 104 exit. Go east on Highway 104, 15 miles, to the Rancho Seco Park exit.  

Fishing Season: The park is open year round to fishing and other activities from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The park entrance gate is locked nightly.  

Day Use: The day use fee is $5.00 per vehicle and $4.00 for senior/handicapped.  

Boat launching facilities: The park's 160-acre lake is maintained at a constant level year round, so you will find no problem launching. You can launch an electric motor boat, rowboat or sailboat from either of the two boat ramps. The boat launch fee for a trailer and vehicle is $8.00, senior/handicapped $6.00.  

Tent Camping: There are 20 lakeside campsites where you can pitch a tent or sleep under the stars. Each campsite has a barbecue, picnic table and drinking water. The fee is $10.00 per night, with a 14-day maximum stay. A semi-private 1-1/4 acre grassy area is available for group campovers and special events. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance.  

RV Camping: The southwestern rim of the park features 18 RV campsites. Each site has a barbecue, fire pit, picnic table, drinking water and electrical outlets. A dump station is conveniently located. The fee is $15.00 per night, senior/handicapped $12.00 per night. The maximum stay is 14 days.

Picnic Facilities: One hundred shady, grassy picnic areas adorn the lake's southern shore. Picnic tables and barbecues are available on a first come basis. Picnic areas can be reserved for groups of 30 people or more.

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