Rancho Seco Lake Fishing Report

Rancho Seco is firing on all cylinders right now, and with another 1,500 pounds of trophy trout stocked today ahead of the trout derby this weekend, the fishing will get even better. Over 11,000 pounds of trout have been stocked in the last five months, not counting today's trophy plant. Folks have been getting limits soaking garlic scented powerbait, or running spinners in the early morning hours.

On the bass front, some anglers are reporting 10-20 fish days on Senkos and drop shots. Nothing huge, but solid 1-2 pound fish. The crappie bite has been on as well, with mini jigs and small ned rigs working well next to the docks.

Rancho Seco received another 1,000 pounds of Lassen rainbows yesterday on top of the December 4 stocking. Prior to yesterday, the action had been fair at best when it comes to numbers. Most anglers were struggling to get a bite or two on each outing, but still, those bites were typically from quality fish. These stocked Lassens average 1–2 pounds, with many pushing the 3–5 pound range.

The fresh plant should improve the bite once the fish settle in. Powerbait remains the staple, but a handful of anglers using small stickbaits and jigs along the shallow edges have been finding fish (since the first stock), especially in the early mornings. It may take a couple days for the new fish to adjust, but look for the bite to fire up quickly.