Lower Sac Rainbows – October 21-22

Six of us fished the lower Sac on Monday and Tuesday Oct. 21-22 with the help of Jim Roberts, and two other guides.  On Monday Ted Orzechowski and I fished with Roberts and Al Mansky and Don Jower fished with a guide named Ellis.  Ted is a colleague from work and came as my guest.  We fished from the Posse Grounds to Anderson.  Ted and I had a pretty good day and hooked over 30 fish and of these we boated about 20 with perhaps 13 being in the 15-20 inch class.  I fished all day with an egg, a caddis imitation, and a copper john and caught fish on all three flies.  Ted got the record small as well as 6 or 7 like the one shown here.  My best fish and I are shown below.  We didn’t measure the fish.  Ted and I got a nice double of almost identical fish.  (I think mine was bigger).  Al and Don didn’t get a thing!  Guides do make a difference.   

On Tuesday It was Al Mansky and Alan Wyosnick with Jim Roberts and Richard Tarbell and I with Jim Pettis.  We fished from Bonnyview to Ball’s Ferry.  Al finally got into some rainbows with Roberts’ help and landed nine, of which three were really nice ones and lost at least nine.  Tarbell and I did almost as well although I thought Monday’s fish were a bit bigger.  Tarbell and I spent most of the day using a different technique that JIm Pettis had developed.  It consisted of two eggs on a really long (≈20 ft) leader with a small shot and no indicator.  The long leader was difficult to manage and took some getting used to.  Also with no indicator there was no mending.  The eggs were allowed to roll along the bottom and the takes were quite subtle.  I found it an interesting technique and would like to try it again.  I couldn’t help but think that, with no bobber, Hal Wilson might be willing to try the Lower Sac.  It was fun for me to get back fishing again.