"The fish have been tagged both with coded wire tags and adipose fin clips," said Harris. "We will be studying the size and maturity of the fish of the two different strains as they are returned to the creel."

Bullards is one of California's most popular kokanee lakes, but is more known for the numbers of fish caught than for their size. A big fish at Bullards Bar most years is a 15 incher and a 16 incher is a real trophy. The lake can't be beat for the great action it provides for fish in the 12 to 14 inch range in the winter, spring and summer months.

However, these tasty fish can be very difficult to land, as Scott Bartosh of Miner Moe's Guide Service and I found on an August trolling adventure at Bullards Bar.

Joining us for several hours in Bartosh's Jetcraft were Vern and Bill Cotter of Dunnigan, who regularly fish with Bartosh on Bullards Bar, Scotts Flat, Collins and other Sacramento valley foothill lakes. After we got on the water at 8:30 a.m., we began hooking one kokanee after another. However, we couldn't get the first several fish in the boat. Finally, I landed a fat, scrappy 13 inch kokanee.

We finally started landing more fish, but still we were losing over half of them.

"It must be because of a lack of fishing talent in the boat," I quipped.

By 1:30 p.m. we had hooked an amazing 42 kokanee and ended up catching our limits. We enjoyed beautiful late summer weather, in the 70's and 80's most of the day, while having a lot of fun.

The kokanee were two sizes - 10 to 11 inches or 13 to 14 inches. The smaller kokanee were at 45 to 55 feet, while the larger fish held near the bottom at 100 feet. We fished the whole time around the buoys near the dam.

"Over the past month, the larger fish have all been holding near the dam, though you can take fish at a variety of spots on the lake," said Bartosh.

We trolled a variety of lures including homemade spinners (inventions of Vern Cotter), Marni Bugs and Uncle Larry's spinners behind dodgers and flashers. We also put garlic and corn Crave Trout Gravy on the lures. We only saw one other fishing boat on the lake all day.

You can catch kokanee year round at Bullards Bar, but fishing for the larger kokes slows down around mid-September when the kokanee move into the area near the dam to spawn. On our trip, we landed several male kokes that were already starting to "turn" - develop kypes and an arched back - in preparation for fall spawning.

The depths and methods you use to catch kokanee depend on the time of year you fish at Bullards Bar.

"From November until March, you'll catch a mixture of rainbow trout and kokanee salmon at 15 to 20 feet," noted Bartosh. "The fish can be found in the main body and Mill Creek areas, as well as the river arm. As you enter the summer months, the fish concentrate in the Willow Creek and dam areas. As the water temperatures warm up, the kokanee will hold in water as deep as 120 feet."

Trolling is the most productive method for taking kokanee at Bullards Bar, though jigging can produce some fish also. "I have caught the fish while jigging, but you don't catch the numbers that you do trolling," Bartosh said. "It's not like Stampede, where jigging can be very good in the late summer and fall. The reason is that the fish at Bullards Bar don't school as tightly as they do at Stampede."

Among the lures that Bartosh fishes at Bullards Bar include Uncle Larry's spinners, Kokanee Kandy, Marni Bugs, Apex lures, Wedding Rings, Ted's Bugs and Sockeye Slammers. "The best trolling speed I've found at Bullards is .09 to 1.2 mph," he tipped.

Other lures to try behind dodgers and flashers include Needlefish, Cripplures, Hum Dingers, Goldeneyes, Dick Nites and Koke-A-Nuts. Remember to tip your lures with white corn, although pieces of nightcrawlers will work, particularly in the early season.

The DFG plants the lake annually with 50,000 rainbow trout fingerlings, according to Dennis Redfern at the American River Fish Hatchery. These trout supplement the lake's wild rainbow population. Anglers targeting trout at Bullards find the best action while top line trolling with Rapalas and other minnow imitation lures, trolling flies and nightcrawlers in the winter and spring. The North Fork of the Yuba and Willow Creek inlets are the top areas to target the fish.

"The trout population has been getting better every year since 1999," added Bartosh. "Most of the fish are rainbows, but there is also a decent population of quality browns. For example, my fishing buddy, Ray Standring, landed a 4 pound brown while trolling last spring."

A small, elusive population of mackinaw trout is also found in the reservoir. "Two years Jaysen McDaniel of Camptonville and I caught several mackinaw to 5 pounds while jigging in the middle of winter," said Bartosh. "However, we haven't caught any macks in the lake since, even though we've tried for them."

The lake also features a decent population of spotted, largemouth and spotted bass, but few anglers try for them. Crappie, bluegill and channel catfish also swim in the lake's waters. When Bartosh and I were there, a young angler and his father landed some fat bluegill from the docks at Emerald Cove Marina while tossing out flies and bait.

Located in Yuba County between Nevada City and Downieville at an elevation of 1927 feet, this 16-mile long lake has 56 miles of forested shoreline with pine, fir, oak, madrone and dogwood trees. The reservoir is held back by Bullards Bar Dam, the second tallest dam in California and the fifth tallest in the United States. Bald eagles, osprey, blue heron, deer, bear, fox and other animals make the shores of the lake their home.

Full services, including house boat rentals, bait and tackle and groceries, are available at the lake's south end at Emerald Cove Resort and Marina. For information about the facilities, contact: Emerald Cove Resort & Marina, P.O. Box 1954, Nevada City, CA, 95959, (530)692-3200. For fishing information and guided trips, contact Scott Bartosh of Miner Moe's Guide Service Scott Bartosh, (530) 478-1986, Email: moes@jps.net .