New Lake Record 19.96 Lb. Rainbow Trout Caught
Lake Amador, renowned for its unique breeds of cuttbow, rainbow and “Amador Gold “ trout, produced a nearly 20-pound rainbow on Saturday, March 6, setting a new record for the reservoir.
Richard Bartoni drove from San Ramon to the Mother Lode lake near Ione to enjoy the sunny weather and do some trolling for trout on the reservoir.
“Little did he know the fish gods would be smiling upon him that day when he hooked and landed the biggest trout of his life and set the new lake rainbow record at the same time,” said Elizabeth Lockhart at the Lake Amador Resort.
Weighing in at 19.96 pounds, this rainbow trout crushed the previous record of 19.30 pounds by over a half pound. Richard was top-line trolling from a boat at the mouth of Jackson Creek with a bronze/gold Rapala on 4-pound test line when the monster fish hit his lure.
The fish measured 32.4 inches in length, 22 inches in girth and 9.5 inches in height, according to Lockhart.
However, the fish still is not the biggest trout ever caught at Amador. Those honors go to Juan Garcia of El Dorado, who landed a 20.12-pound cutbow trout, a hybrid between a rainbow and cutthroat, on Veterans Day 2020.
That fish measured 32.5 inches in length and 24 inches in girth – and 10 inches in height. Garcia was fishing with chartreuse Berkley PowerBait at the dam when he hooked the lunker.
So whether you fish from shore or from a boat, you have a chance to catch a giant trout at Amador.
Amador’s trout are raised on site in the lake’s fish hatchery. The facility has raised a total of 22,450 pounds of trout, a mixture of cutbows, rainbows and “Amador Golds” from October 15, 2020 to present. An average of 1,000 pounds of trout are being planted weekly.
In addition to three breeds of trout, Lake Amador also features largemouth bass, crappie, redear sunfish, bluegill and catfish to anglers pursue. Information: (209) 274-4739.
Written By: Dan Bacher
