Nice Trout in Caples Lake's Limited Ice Free Water (CA)

I was disappointed to see Caples Lake still iced over but I noticed one ice free spot at the back as I drove by. It was worth investigating.

[@UR2Compliant]

That very spot! Woods creek! I caught massive rainbows right there where the water washes in. One was 8 lbs! Then we caught a few 3 and 5 pounders right there. Can't wait to go back up there soon...you ARE my local "fish report", I love-it.

[@Fishing_With_Ivan]

What side of Caples Lake is that woods creek at?

[@UR2Compliant]

@@Fishing_With_Ivan Eastside. If you have come up, from Silver Lake and hit the damn of Caples on your right, you pass the dam for about a 1/4 mile, and there's parking on the right. Then there's a trail that leads right to where Amani was fishing, i.e. Woods Creek. Great spot!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

@@Fishing_With_Ivan That is at the far end of the lake from the dam. You can see the water rushing in from the road. I never would have gone down there if I didn't see it from the road because the rest of the lake was one big ice covered stop sign.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

That looks like a spot that would produce big trout like that. I was surprised the fishing wasn't better given that was the only ice free water but I can't complain. I was stoked on those fish.

[@ronmodafferi8202]

As usual, 2 very nice catches even with very slim prospects. You're lucky water was not deeper under that ice shelf. I nearly bought the ranch in similar circumstances in Talkeetna River, AK. I drove by Caples Lake many times on trips to XC ski at Kirkwood. It always looked like a nice, peaceful lake for trout fishing. You put on the miles seeking different spots and fisheries

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I was just glad there was that open water at the back of the lake. When I first saw it covered with ice when I was driving by I was not sure what I was going to do. I sure as heck didn't get near that snow bank right next to the waterfall. That collapses under you it would be ugly in that ice cold swift current.

[@Capital-Idea]

Back in the 60's...lake merced, san francisco...pautskee's balls o' fire , red top or green top salmon eggs or Sugar roe that was the ticket, sometimes velveeta cheese spread with garlic....now, it seems all these modern hatchery bad boys want is what you so aptly call, " junk food"..

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I used to fish Merced back in the 70's and 80's as a kid. I remember my uncle cooked up this concoction where he melted Velveeta, salmon eggs, garlic, and probably some other stuff all together in a pan and when we went out there with it we got skunked! Salmon eggs worked fine just off the bottom. We'd rent those row boats and pull up to the reeds. I used to love going there as a kid.

[@FeatherFishing]

I know what I’m doing for retirement! Thanks for taking us on this adventure with you.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. If you haven't seen a lot of it and are interested, I have hundreds of videos across my channel playlists. River fishing, lake fishing, fishing Tahoe, backcountry hiking and fishing, and a variety of outdoor content. If you want to hit it all in retirement, retire soon! The snow clearing will bring on more backcountry action. If I can afford to go, I go!

[@fishingtimeletsgo598]

Hello Amani, it was salmon eggs for the win, crazy they did not want the worm or wooly bugger, glad you still had that jar. Nice Brown and Rainbow for your efforts on that day, and you cannot beat the scenery👍👊🎣

[@travisk5589]

I have never once caught any type of fish using salmon eggs.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Salmon eggs are one of those things that just went away from my attack years ago. Mostly because I stopped using bait in rivers. Like I said in the clip, salmon eggs are deadly in rivers for rainbows if you get good at drifting them. My old friend in a jar!

[@timmadden8849]

That fly you found is a balanced leach designed to be fished under an indicator. Balance leeches are very good flies on pyramid lake Nevada. They resemble the baitfish that are in the lake

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I'll probably use it as a streamer without an indicator. If you watch a lot of the content on my backcountry fishing playlist and some videos on other playlists where I'm fly fishing a strike indicator is something I never use. Haven't since I was a kid for better or for worse. It's a nice looking fly though. I'll give it a run eventually. Thanks for the insight. I had no idea what it was called.

[@Marta_Lledo_Video_Channel]

Caples was a place we went to so many times. Several times a year. That area between the creek coming in and the damn is always the first to thaw and just about always kicked out a nice holdover rainbow or a brown in the 20 range at that time of year. I wasn't skunked too many times there but at first thaw it was never more than a bite or two. Great looking fish. They are always so healthy coming out of the water that time of year. Great video amigo.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Sounds like some nice memories were made there for you over the years. What you describe is exactly what I experienced. Just a bite or two. It was enough. When I saw it I thought there was going to be a chance the fishing would be explosive but it just wasn't like that. Oh, well, I'll take the quality size over quantity any day.

[@stevenmartinez4399]

Love the videos. Your positive attitude and energy really makes the videos enjoyable to watch. I know some of the spots you get to aren't easy but appreciate the effort for the video. I am heading to Mammoth Lakes for 2 days then Lake Tahoe from June 9-16. I am definitely going to use your videos as reference for the best spots as we get closer to that time. Thanks again and maybe I will run into you while I am there at one of the fishing spots.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. Thanks for the kind words and for watching my content. A lot goes into producing my videos and I have grown to love making them so I am always happy to hear they are both entertaining and useful for people.

[@garyweglarz]

Love the example you set in treating the trout so respectfully. Kudos my brother!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. When I'm bait fishing my usual goal is to safely release fish fish I barely have hooked. Larger fish that hit powerbait on that tiny size 18 treble hook are often hooked right in the corner of their mouth. On my backcountry and river fishing playlists I only go artificial/barbless/ catch & release so for viewers only into that have a place on my channel to go. I figure if I have kids and people new to fishing watching I should try to demonstrate ways to release fish safely, especially when the flows are down and the water is warmer. I'm not perfect but I think I'm good enough. Thanks for checking out the clip.

[@gonfishn]

The other big difference in my hookset style is using braid to 6ft leader. A lot less line stretch from rod tip to fish. I only have to give it a slight twitch to set the trap. My usual favorite gear is a Daiwa Presso rod or Lamiglas paired to a Pflueger 20 or 25 reel. Favorite waters are Robinson Creek or Rush Creek between Silver and Grant lakes. Happy fishing Armani! Thanks, Bob

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

right on.

[@travisk5589]

We were ice fishing caples 3 weeks ago. Still 7 feet of ice/snow. But was getting close to the not so safe part of the melt

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Yeah, no need to push your luck on that. You must have been digging through a lot of snow after all of the late Winter weather we got this year.

[@travisk5589]

@@wildernesswithamani1027 we have a6 foot auger and we still needed to get our hands wet to get the last foor.

[@davejones5728]

What a way to savage a trip. I definitely believe you made the right call by not going to silver lake. I love Caples and that inlet. There are some really big Macks that hang out in that area as well. My goodness that brown was beautiful! What an awesome fight! I’m shocked you didn’t get any action on your flies ir jigs. That area has been productive with jigs. Super cool you used salmon eggs. Those are always good to have in the fish bag. Congrats on your awesome catches that rainbow was also nice!!👍🎣👍🎣

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. You and me both were surprised I was getting nothing on my fly rod or jigs. Days like this one I'll take what I can get. I was just glad to find some open water. I was not expecting to see that much ice on the lake. By "that much ice" I mean practically the whole thing being covered!

[@Ethan-ut7cp]

You always make it a good day, you crack me up

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. The day started out sketchy! I needed humor to get me through it!

[@markandviviennepayne3596]

Very cool 😎 that is a buteful lake one of my favorite thanks for sharing

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. I love just being out there. I was really happy to see some open water after I saw all of that ice. I was on red alert!

[@hogwildbowhunter]

Well Done using the playbook variations! When your foot gets cold enough to give you an Ice cream headache you need a nice fat rainbow to for get the headache! Yes love Browns on proper bait too!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Man, when that boot filled up with that ice water it got painful in a hurry! laid my pants and socks out on a rock and they were dry by the time I left. It's warming up in a hurry.

[@jeeperguy4290]

Nice fish brother! Like you, I always slayed the trout with salmon eggs as a kid. My dad would take me all over when camping and wait for me to catch limits. I’m more catch & release now, going the barbless route too.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

You sound like you were a lot like me as a kid. Salmon eggs were a solid go to. Especially in creeks and rivers. Funny how we can remember those good times so vividly. One of the reasons I keep my channel family friendly is that hopefully more parents and family members can get kids out fishing, hiking, and backpacking so they can get into more of the outdoors and less into video games. There is room for both! We need more kids to get into these types of outdoor activities so there are more people who care about preserving these areas in the future.

[@mikeroll9868]

Slugging it out as usual. Great fishing.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. I was just glad to find that nice chunk of open water. I need open water to slug it out!

[@RosbelTirado]

Hello Amani!, nice videos, learning about trout fishing, I'm heading to caples lake this weekend, which spot for fishing do you recommend? Thank you

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I haven't fished there a lot. The two times I have there are clips on my lakes and reservoirs fishing playlist and this was one of them. I have only fished there when the water was cold so I'm not sure. If you are learning about trout fishing, I have several videos on my trout fishing tips playlist that might help you have success if you haven't already seen them and are interested.

[@tommynoel9929]

Damn.. nice work!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. That brown was a treat but getting that rainbow was the one that was playing hard to get. I enjoyed eating it more because of it!

[@JoeD.294.]

The good old classic salmon egg & split shot. I love fishing those in creeks. Still highly effective.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I don't fish bait in rivers/creeks anymore but I can fully agree with you on that from past experience. Get the weight right for the flow and it's on!

[@1OrdinaryGuy]

Dude... How do you see the fish so easily in the water? What brand of sunglasses are you wearing? Polaroid help me, but I don't see them like you do. NICE brown!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

These glasses are the $5 Ozark trails polarized glasses they have in the fishing section at a lot of Wal-Mart stores. They are cheap but cut the glare better than most glasses I've tried in my life.

[@1OrdinaryGuy]

Thanks. Tight lines!

[@Taylorsurfingeffects]

Nice venue! Great vid

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it. Once I had a decent place to fish, I enjoyed making it!

[@mattiasdahlstrom2024]

How thick was the snow? Nice video and nice fish man!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

There was still quite a bit of snow to get around when I shot this but it was a few weeks ago and I plan to go up and scout the area again soon. I have backcountry fishing plans for the off the 88 so i need to see what's going on.

[@gonfishn]

Armani, that's all I fish with is super ultra light gear, 4.5 to 5.0 rods all the time. I prefer to keep my rod tip really low so I only have to twitch it slightly to set the hook. My rod tip rarely is above my chest even while reeling in. I find side reeling more controllable than anything else. It allows me to keep the rod tip close to the water the entire time. BTW... I'm almost twice your age so this isn't my 1st rodeo bud. Like I said earlier, if that style works for you, get after it!. I do enjoy your enthusiasm and antics. Cheap entertainment. Tight lines.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. You are 106 years old? Man, you are active!

[@geofffiedler8674]

Love Caples. Nice work. How can you tell it was a plant?

[@CC_Marauder]

Hatchery trout have a specific cut made on their fins. Markings Although not all states mark trout that have been raised in hatcheries, most states do. The local Department of Natural Resources, which is responsible for operating the various hatcheries, not only marks the trout raised in their hatcheries but also posts notices in the popular fishing areas, identifying how the stock trout are specifically marked. This allows any angler to determine quickly whether they have a wild trout or one that grew up in a hatchery. There are a number of ways that hatcheries can mark a trout. The most common way of marking a trout is to clip certain fins. The adipose and dorsal fins are the most commonly clipped fins. Depending on the hatchery, a single fin may be clipped, or multiple fins may be clipped. Some hatcheries are also known to mark trout by cutting the fish behind the eyes, or along the gills.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

The rainbow's back fin was deformed and part of it's dorsal fin appeared to have been clipped. That brown looked pristine though.

[@WildBillRidesAgain]

Those are two of my favorite lakes and I live relatively close. So I went up there about a week ago or so and I did not expect them to be ice lakes. At least I was hoping they weren't. Lol. But that's up at the 7,000 ft level. Was nice up there until you pulled into the lake(s) parking lots.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Yeah, that much ice caught me by surprise. I was very happy to see some open water to work with. When the snow finally clears I have some backcountry fishing expeditions up that way I want to get to. I think I only have Lake Winnemucca on my backcountry fishing playlist so far. Heading north as well. That playlist is Eastern Sierra heavy but there are dozens of lakes on it. I just want to broaden the range a bit.

[@WildBillRidesAgain]

@@wildernesswithamani1027 You be traveling in search of that big one..lol. I'll keep an eye on your channel see what you're up to. Good luck..

[@sylviawelsh9518]

Have you fished the East Walker by Wellington.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I fished the East Walker in Nevada out near the campground is off that dirt road where the land is public after the State got those ranches. I fished that for my Patreon several weeks back. If you go back to my highlight clip #35 I posted a few weeks ago one of the big browns was from that trip.

[@user-vi7hy2gn2t]

Saw your footprints in the snow today at Caples . unfortunately I did not have the same luck as you.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Don't feel bad. Those were the only two fish I got action from. I had to reach deep down to figure out how to get that rainbow out of the waterfall. You'll get them next time when the full ice off is underway.

[@CaptainCompassion1]

Way to salvage the day. The West Carson and East as well are blown. Fished it just before the opener. Zilch. Two nice trout from Caples. Lookes cold.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I gave the West Carson a few hours before this but it was stained. Not horrible but enough where I had zero confidence! I think we'll be stuck with lakes for a little while.

[@davidmeyers4561]

Great video! What day were you there? I was thinking of heading over to Caples to fish this area but if you were there just a day or so ago, I'm going to hold off.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I was there Tuesday. I didn't get much action so I wouldn't worry about hitting it too soon. Those where the only fish I had concrete evidence of. No other bites nothing.

[@travisk5589]

Amani, where are you based out of? We will take you ice fishing next winter

[@markvanderstelt8999]

i believe he lives in Truckee

[@CC_Marauder]

Reno area.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I live north of Reno. I have been ice fishing. I only have 5 videos on my ice fishing playlist because I just started during the big Winter a couple of years ago because that's all there was. I also ice fished in a few videos for my Patreon. I just didn't get around to it this year because the ice was sketchy on the lower lakes.

[@MPNNag]

Fish on my friend.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Yes indeed.

[@Fishing_With_Ivan]

6:16 What color was the powerbait?

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I use the rainbow swirl stuff. Original scent. Details of the hooks, bait, lures, how I set up, etc. can be found in detailed videos on my fishing tips playlist.

[@gonfishn]

Hey! Nice lip ripper hook sets. If the tip of your rod was any further back it would touch your ass!!! lol. Just teasing u bud, nice, i like with the water rushing in to the lake. I think u need hip waders huh? Keep the rod bent.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Dude, it's a five foot rod so naturally the angle is going to be different from when you set the hook on a longer, stiffer rod. You are talking about angles right? A 5 foot ultralight rod maxes out in a second on fish like that. There's a reason I don't lose fish often unless I'm fishing barbless jigs. Try getting experience with something like that and then maybe you'll have some context and understanding. It's not teasing when it's wrong. Then it's it's just kind of dumb.

[@JosephLikesTurtles]

Have u ever fish at Parker lake or walker lake in Lee vining

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

No I have not. I fish a bunch of lakes off of the 120 there in videos on my backcountry and lakes/reservoirs fishing playlist. I also have a little Lee Vining creek on my river fishing playlist. Nice Goldens in Gibbs lake up above but they were hard to come by as you can see in the clip I shot up there. I am eager to get back to that area. I'll scope out those lakes you mentioned. I plan to head North before I head south this year I believe but I don't know. Planning isn't my strongpoint and it's especially tough with all of the late snow.

[@rvmcwhorter]

I always fish my wooly buggers deep with short little erratic strips like three inch strips , two strips , pause, three strips, pause , five strips , pause “get my drift “ . Try it brother .

[@rvmcwhorter]

I caught over a hundred fish one day at Almanor with this method near Hamilton Branch . Biggest going 24 inches . Olive bead head sparkle tenile wooly bugger.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I fish them with a bunch of different retrieves. when I'm looking for larger goldens and brookies I often fish my nymphs and buggers in a similar fashion because they are often hanging out deep in the alpine lakes. I got a lot of that action on my backcountry fishing playlist.

[@markvanderstelt8999]

in the river i will take salmon Eggs over power bait all day they are my Favorite.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

In rivers for sure. Salmon eggs are great. I mainly only use powerbait in lakes for the most part. These days, I am all artificial/barbless/Catch and release in rivers. Lakes, I'm ready to eat some fish!

[@CC_Marauder]

#14👍🏻🎣👀 I absolutely love Caples and Echo Lake. I caught 3 trout locally this morning in about 50 minutes. I was done by 850a PST.

[@CC_Marauder]

P.s. Caples Lake Resort is due to open on 5/24/24.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Early start and finish is always nice when the fishing is good.

[@dgibs8499]

Sweet brown and bow. 3 trips to Caples for me to finally get my elusive mack, 3 skunks instead. 🦨. Same story for Fallen Leaf Lake. I just can’t seem to hook a mack. 😔

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I've fished Caples twice. Both times were slow. The first time all I got was a Mack near the boat ramp. Since the water came up in Tahoe the past couple of years I've been getting Macks from shore there quite often. Try it when it's cold. I have a bunch of clips on my Lake Tahoe shore fishing playlist. Maybe try Emerald Bay before the campgrounds open. Water is still cold enough. I got 4 or 5 Macks down there this year and I was fishing for rainbows!

[@HunterIngram-pw6do]

If you are catch and releasing why are you using power bait and worms?

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Basically, when I bait fish I keep what I can't release safely. I use tiny size 18 treble hooks for power bait that often end up right on the corner of the mouth on larger trout so it's an easy release. I am prepared to keep everything I catch when I bait fish because I do like to eat fish but if the hook is right there to be easily popped out with a tool I let them go. The content on my backcountry and river fishing playlists is all artificial barbless/ catch and release.