On New Years Eve my niece, Brooke Culverhouse, and I braved stormy conditions and knee deep snow to fish Sugar Pine Reservoir located about 30 miles northeast of Auburn. Brooke grew up in Foresthill and is currently a freshman at the University of California San Diego.

Ordinarily, I would have waited for fair weather before making the trip to Sugar Pine, but since Brooke was slated return to school the following Monday, we opted to ignore the bad weather and try our luck.

Arriving at the lake, we were taken aback by the beauty and serenity that confronted us. The lake's calm dark surface, framed by dense timber mantled in snow created, a scene that few artists could paint.

Anxious to get started, we grabbed our gear from the pickup and hiked a short distance to one of our favorite bank fishing spots. The water was clear and we saw a few fish disturbing the surface as we baited our rods. At that moment, I would have bet the ranch that we were going to catch fish, but it wasn't meant to be.

For three bone chilling hours we tried worms, salmon eggs, Power Bait, and lures with zero results. Ultimately, we decided that a hot hamburger sounded a lot better than a cold trout so we headed back to town.

It would be easy to write our trip off as a total failure but in reality it was one of my best fishing trips of the year. I wouldn't trade those hours I spent visiting with Brooke for a limit of big rainbows. All too often we lose sight of the fact that fishing isn't about catching. It's about relaxing with friends and family, while having fun in the great outdoors.

Northern California anglers greeted 2005 with damp anticipation. While it's true the cavalcade of winter storms that pushed through the state over the holidays had a negative effect on fishing in the short term, they held the promise of full reservoirs and briskly flowing streams later on.

The Sacramento metropolitan area has received 13.66 inches of rain as of Monday, January 10, far exceeding the 7.91 inches that represents the normal average to date.

On December 29, the Department of Water Resources conducted the first of four snow pack surveys. In the northern mountains, researchers determined that the current snow pack is 153% of the normal snow pack to date. So far, the northern mountains have attained 59% of the normal annual snow pack.

In the central mountains the measured snow pack is 151% of the normal snow pack to date. This represents 58% of the normal annual snow pack for the central Sierra.

Prior to the holiday storms, anglers visiting Rollins Lake and Scotts Flat Reservoir were experiencing good action on holdover rainbows and the occasional brown. This action should continue to improve through April.

For holdover rainbows, anglers should troll silver Cripplures, No. 2 Needlefish in silver or shad finish and quarter ounce silver and blue Kastmasters. Bait anglers do well using inflated worms, dough baits, and salmon eggs.

Both these lakes have good populations of browns. Some browns are caught incidentally by anglers targeting rainbows however for serious brown trout enthusiasts, fast trolling large minnow plugs is the method of choice.

I've had good success targeting browns in these lakes trolling a No. 11 rainbow trout pattern Rapala minnow between 3.5 and 5 miles per hour. Work these lures near the shoreline at least 200 feet behind the boat.

Collins Lake, situated about 22 miles east of Marysville, has a well-established reputation for producing quality rainbows during the late winter and spring. Before Christmas, anglers were nailing rainbows at Collins while trolling small Rapalas, Needlefish, and threaded nightcrawlers.

At press time, the lake level is on the rise and the water is colored. Once Collins Lake clears, the action should rebound. Boaters should concentrate on trolling the area between the power lines and the dam on the lakes western shore. For bank anglers, the area from the swim beach to the dam should produce fish. Power Bait and inflated worms are the top offerings.

Just south of Collins Lake lies Englebright Reservoir. This Yuba County lake is a real sleeper, overshadowed by both the trout fishing Collins provides and the excellent kokanee action found at Bullards Bar.

Rainbow trout to 24 inches were on tap prior to the storms and the bite should resume with clearing conditions. Try slow trolling threaded crawlers behind dodgers and flashers. Most of the trout in Englebright are rainbows, but there are some big browns to be had. Target the browns with minnow plugs, Apex Lures, and Kwikfish.

If battling a landlocked coho salmon sounds like your idea of fun, consider heading over to Lake Oroville. Anglers drifting minnows from the surface down to 30 feet have been hammering salmon between 2 and 4 pounds. The fish are spread out in the main body of the lake feeding on schools of pond smelt.