Mackinaw And Sierra Fishery Form A ‘Perfect Union’
The following appears in the September issue of California Sportsman:
a trip up the Sierra to Union Valley Reservoir in the El Dorado National Forest, where Mackinaw are one of the prime targets for anglers. (MARK FONG)
By Mark Fong
Summers in the Sacramento Valley are notoriously hot, and the dog days are a real thing for freshwater anglers.A great way to escape the sizzling temperatures is to head to the Sierra, where conditions are more tolerable and enjoyable.
In the past, a kokanee outing to Stampede Reservoir or Boca Reservoir has provided me with a welcome relief from the heat of the valley. This season I again made a trip up the hill, but it was to experience something new altogether. When friend Roland Aspiras asked me to join him for a late-afternoon trip up to Union Valley Reservoir to fish for Mackinaw, I was all in.
Aspiras operates Emberline Adventures, a multi-species guide service, and one of his specialties is casting and jigging for Mackinaw using techniques typically reserved for targeting bass.
California Sportsman Guide Roland Aspiras uses forward-facing sonar technology, which author Mark Fong writes is
utilized “to pinpoint fish location and activity in real time, and then to present our baits to them and to entice strikes.” (ROLAND ASPIRAS/EMBERLINE ADVENTURES)
DIVERSE HIGH-SIERRA ACTION
Located in the El Dorado National Forest at an elevation of 4,870 feet, Union Valley Reservoir is a popular recreation area. It is home to a diverse fishery that includes smallmouth bass, sunfish, rainbow trout, brown trout, kokanee and Mackinaw.I met up with Aspiras off Highway 50, about an hour and a half from the lake.
I have driven Highway 50 many times to South Lake Tahoe, but I had never taken the turnoff for Ice House Road, which makes up the final 15 or so windy miles to Union Valley.When we arrived at the launch ramp, I was eager to start fishing, but I would be remiss not to mention that my first impression of the lake was its beauty and how clean and fresh the air was.
IN SEARCH OF MACKS
After we launched Aspiras’ River Hawk boat, he made a short run to an underwater hump that topped out in 50to 65 feet of water. Aspiras patiently idled around the area using his fishfinder to look for signs of not only Mackinaw but also for specific structural elements. When he located what he was searching for, he shut down the outboard and deployed the trolling motor.
Our objective for the afternoon was to utilize forward-facing sonar to pinpoint fish location and activity in real time, and then to present our baits to them and to entice strikes. This is absolutely one of my favorite ways to fish; I have caught untold numbers of bass with FFS, but I had never used it to target Mackinaw before.
GEAR CHECKLIST
As gear selection is extremely important for this type of fishing, I’ll note that Aspiras employed a Phenix M174ML rod paired to an Okuma Safyre 3000 spinning reel spooled with 10-pound braid and a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader. I love a challenge, so I brought my ultra-finesse gear: a 7-foot, 3-inch ultralight-action spinning rod and 2000-series reel spooled with 5-pound braid tied to a topshot leader of 5-pound fluorocarbon.
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME?
Aspiras is very skilled with FFS. He positioned the bow of the boat into the wind and used his Spot-Lock trolling motor to keep us in the proper casting position. The fishing started off slow, as the Mackinaw that we saw on FFS just were not in the mood to bite. Just because you can see them doesn’t necessarily mean you can make them bite.Undaunted, we continued to cast to the fish we saw. They would be curious about our offerings, often swimming right up to the Sakamata Shad, then turning away at the last minute. Getting these fish to commit was proving to be quite the challenge.After an extended period of time without a bite, Aspiras decided to move to another location. This time he stopped on a mainlake point with scattered underwater rock. It did not take long for the Mackinaw to show interest in our baits, but the big question was whether they would bite.
MACK MAGIC
We got the answer in relatively short order, as Aspiras set the hook on our first fish of the day. The Mackinaw made several nice runs before he was able to work it close to the side of the boat. While it wasn’t a giant, the fish put up a spirited fight. With a quick scoop of the net our fish was onboard. After a few quick pics, Aspiras released the Mackinaw back into the lake.
Following a slow start, it’s always nice to get the first fish in the boat, and to our good fortune it did not take much time to get hooked up again. This time it was my turn; I watched a Mackinaw stalk my Sakamata Shad on FFS. A few quick turns of the reel handle and this time the fish decided to commit to my offering. With a steady lift of my rod, I was hooked up. The Mackinaw wasted little time in stripping line off my ultralight reel. I played the fish carefully and enjoyed every minute of the fight. Once I had the fish within reach, Aspiras was quick with the net and in a flash he removed the hook and carefully released it.
EMBERLINE ADVENTURES)
FUN IN THE MOUNTAINS
As the afternoon turned to early evening, we caught and released a handful of additional fish before it was time to head back down the hill. I had a great time fishing with Aspiras. He is an excellent guide and his innovative approach to targeting Mackinaw was fun, informative and very successful. CS
Editor’s note: To book a trip or to learn more about Emberline Adventures, you can contact Roland Aspiras at (916) 572-4420 or follow him on Facebook and Instagram. His website is emberlineadventures.com.
