What does a city girl know about fun fishing and farm ponds? You might be surprised. Country folks walk behind their house or to the neighbors to fish a pond. To get to a river, stream, or bigger pond, they can take a horse and get there and back in a short time. Okay, I know they have trucks and can get to a nearby lake, but city dwellers need more effort to engage in such activities. In my territory, we have wheels on everything. In my Ford 150 on an eight-lane freeway, I can be at a lake in less than an hour, okay, two hours with traffic. City kids have bicycles and skateboards and can zip a few miles and get to their fishing spots. I remember in the old days when my boys jumped on their two-wheelers and rode to a nearby private lake, jumped the fence, and fished. Jumping the fence wasn’t a good thing when I tried to do it.
Out west, we have aqueducts. We have lots of them if you can get to one, and fishing is allowed. In years past, our family would sit on the bank of an aqueduct and fish for hours because giant catfish and stripers were lurking about, and we caught some. It would be vital for you to know that most aqueducts have slippery, mossy sides that I found out about the hard way. One lovely afternoon while fishing, my hat flew into the water. I stepped just an inch into the water to get it and quickly slid in. Did I mention there is usually a fast current as well? My family burst into laughter until they realized mom was in a panic and quickly headed downstream and reached out with a net to save me!
A safer place might be the many piers and docks you find on lakes and the ocean. Piers can be a blast! It’s really how my boys and I got hooked on fishing. It’s usually free and something a family can do besides shore fishing. And those who would rather sunbathe will probably be able to do so nearby.
I call all of the above fun fishing, and I’ve done a lot of it. But now I want to take you somewhere else. May of this year, I had the privilege to attend the Outdoor Writers of California Conference in Placer County, Calif. We stayed in Auburn, the home of the famous Reese family that includes Skeet and older twin brothers, Jimmy and John. It’s no wonder Skeet and Jimmy became pro anglers, being surrounded by more than twenty of some of the finest bass lakes and reservoirs. Bassmaster just announced the Top Ten Best Bass Lakes for 2016, and three of them are a short drive from Placer County. Clearlake was rated #3, Sacramento Delta #5, and Berryessa #7. Some of the others you may recognize are the American River, Lake Tahoe, Folsom, Pardee, Oroville, Comanche, New Melones, and Don Pedro.
Within that circle are many smaller lakes and a new lake called New Bullards Bar Reservoir that has been in the news lately. December 2015, Paul Bailey caught a new record 11.4 lb. spotted bass. In February, a 10.8 lb. spot was caught and released by biologist Adam Koons. According to websites, there have been multiple spots over 7lbs. caught this past year. Bullards Bar is definitely on my bucket list! Most of the lakes I mentioned are well known for having all three species of bass, which allows for good fishing all year round. Denis Peirce (another writer) and I had the good fortune of going on a guided bass trip with well-known Don Paganelli from Sacramento. We spent a few hours on Folsom Lake and caught some nice bass in the afternoon. He took out some of my associates that morning and caught bigger ones. That’s what we get for sleeping in. Don conducts guide trips on Folsom, Berryessa, and the Delta for low and reasonable rates. His website is www.Guidebass.net for more information. Don let me know that if we take your boats to any of these lakes and reservoirs, Quagga mussels are not a threat because of the higher elevation, and that’s excellent news. It would help if you still researched the lakes you want to visit for their hours, fees, accommodations, and restrictions before you go.
Regarding accommodations, I highly recommend the Auburn Holiday Inn near the corner of HWY 80 and the 49. My friend and Editor Jeannie Komorech and I extended our stay after the conference for a total of 5 nights. We were impressed with the rooms, conference facility, restaurants, and staff. Every morning hotel guests can have a healthy breakfast with made-to-order omelets and great coffee for just $5. Plus, just a short walk next door, you’ll be at the infamous In-N-Out Burger. How can you miss it?
Now for the highlight of our trip to Placer County that Skeet may not even know about. Hidden off hwy 49, less than 30 minutes from Auburn, is a private pond and farmhouse on a 5-acre site. Denis Peirce found out I had a passion for farm ponds while we were on Folsom and made arrangements to meet Tom and Andrea Moreno. They have owned this property for over 20 years. Jeannie and I fished for over 5 hours on this unique 2.5-acre pond surrounded by cut grass for easy access. It also has a covered dock extending over the water that serves as a kitchen/dining area that can be fished from.
This pond was created and is well-managed by Tom in every way. He planned a route to have a large variety of healthy fish and took steps early to make sure this happened. He pumps his well water to the deepest part of the pond using his windmill and has an aerator that provides the needed oxygen and prevents stagnation. Tom supplements the food chain to maximize his fish numbers and size with an automatic feeder. He also introduced mosquito fish as a prime forage for the fish and to control pesky mosquitos!
Tom took the time to explain the many things that make his pond successful, including the importance of duck poop and proper runoff. Who knew? In addition to a few ducks, a family of Canada geese has made this pond their year-round home. When it comes to catchable fish, there is an eight lb. Largemouth named Moby, who Collin recently caught on his 21st.birthday. Collin is the son of Denis Peirce, and fishing this pond brings him pure joy. I heard the biggest catfish weighs about 40 lbs. Jeannie caught a two lb. smallmouth right next to the dock! The largest trout so far is nearly 3 lbs. I saw for myself the large bluegill around the dock that will bite your hook just for fun. If you want to build a pond, I suggest you visit and copy this one. There is still another surprise!
On this spacious property, there happens to be a two-bedroom farmhouse with all the amenities of the home. The whole inside is pine, and outside, a covered porch around the entire house. It’s furnished, so all you need is some clothes and your fishing tackle. I’m serious. You have a vast and secure area to park multiple cars and boats.
The house overlooks the pond that belongs only to you while you’re there. Yes, I said while you’re there because it’s rented out year-round. You won’t believe the rates per night, so I’m not telling. All I know is I’m heading back as soon as possible and taking a well-deserving friend or family member with me. Check out www.basskickincabin.com. Tom and Andrea selectively share this jewel at low rates to make enough income to pay for the maintenance, but they also love to see people enjoy themselves and come back as friends. In closing, as a writer and lover of the outdoors and fishing, I hope to share people and places like these with you in the spirit of adventure.
