December Trout at Round Valley Reservoir

I was beginning to believe I'd catch no trout in December on my short stints at Round Valley Reservoir, but landed this chunky 15 or 16-inch rainbow this afternoon on marshmallow and mealworm. A couple of guys left as I set up my two Ugly Sticks with size 6 hooks, barrel swivels, and half-ounce steel egg sinkers, and they caught half-a-dozen or so, but started early. Their largest was 16 1/2 inches, smallest 14. I also fished on Monday and once during last week, and spoke to someone who had caught three. He said they're running smaller, about the size I caught today. 15 or 16 inches is the average Round Valley trout. I've never heard of any under 14 inches, but we've all heard of much larger.

I thought, after I cast each line, that I just like the satisfaction of putting a couple of lines out. Doing that is sufficient to breathe fresh air and move my sore thighs with the L-4 nerve pain still persisting from the herniated disks in my back. I thought that I know it's possible to hook a trout, but if none come along, it's still a worthwhile outing. I let the lines sit for 15 minutes, bails opened, and when I came back to the rod with the trout, the line was spooled, all the way down to the spool knot. I lifted the rod and reeled, feeling nothing, so at first I thought the trout got off. It had only changed direction. If it hadn't, I suppose it would have broken that weak knot.

Next time I reload line, I'm tying a clinch knot to the spool.

Silvery reservoir trout have been in the depths a long while.