Corky Hart with son, Ronnie, fished near the Amador boat ramp off the bank on October 29. They caught a total of 5 fish on rainbow Power Bait with a bobber. After talking with some of the locals in the general store, we realized that our best bet would be floating a nightcrawler with a bobber. "I wouldn't go any deeper than a foot. The trout are staying close to the surface," said Lake Amador Resort Owner, Bob Lockhart.

With the slight wind, we decided that the floating docks would be our best bet because the water would be a little more sheltered. We got settled and I threw out the first cast of the day. There was nothing, and so we waited.

Dan remembered that Patrick and Paul were nailing fish on Kastmasters, so he decided to throw one out onto the water. As soon as the lure hit the water, a 4-1/2 pound rainbow attacked the lure, refusing to give up without a fight.

I began to feel anxious, thinking that I should switch over to Kastmasters since I hadn't even seen a hint of a bite on my nightcrawler. But Dan insisted that I stay with the nightcrawlers for a while longer. So I did, and ended up benefiting from it.

Soon after Dan's ice breaking bite, I could see my bobber dancing on the water. I waited until the bobber went under completely and stayed under and then set the hook. As I began to reel, I thought I had missed the fish, but as the bobber approached the fight was on. My little rainbow wasn't quite as feisty or as big as Dan's, but it was only the beginning.

In the brief time that Dan spent switching his rig from a Kastmaster to a bobber with a nightcrawler, I was able to hook and land two more rainbows of substantial size. I now had 3 fish in the bag and Dan only one. I could tell that Dan was starting to feel the heat. He was determined to catch up.

As the morning went on the wind slowed, which caused the bite to slow significantly. We saw others from the shore, trollers, and float tubers catching an occasional fish, but we definitely noticed the change. Dan managed to catch up to my three fish, and was able to hook one more before calling it a day. Our catch ranged from 16 inches to just over 20 inches.

We were delightfully surprised that we had had such success in one spot, even with the wind. I was able to give Dan's 4-1/2 pounder a run for it's money, but fell short.

According to Amador Resort employee, Vicki Wertheimer, the 400 acre lake is planted with 5,000 pounds of rainbows, averaging 3 to 5 pounds, every week. The lake also has camping sights, a lake side R.V. park, and boat rentals. For more information or reservations call (209) 274-4739.