We caught up with Tom Mailey from Get The Net Fishing. He's been guiding clients out on Folsom Lake, and January and February are some of the best months to head out there for fishing before the summer crowds show up. The water's cool, keeping the trout more active and ready to feed in those colder temps. Compared to the bustling summer with tons of boat activity, these quieter months make for a more relaxed and successful time on the water.

"Folsom is definitely still fishing well for trout right now and even a few good-sized salmon. My fellow guide Jerry Lampkin did very well last week both up near Peninsula campground and out in front of the dam near the floating weather station. He said trailing nightcrawlers behind little sidekick-style flashers worked well, as did toplining spoons and among his catch, a 22' king. There are still lots of small 10-12" kings too and hopefully guys are releasing those. 

One interesting note: Folsom recently received an unexpected plant of 4000 lbs of trout from a hatchery in the upper reaches of northern California. I do not have all the details but apparently the hatchery had an equipment malfunction and they had to offload fish. The ones they put in Folsom, at Brown's Ravine, are larger than the normal CDFW fish and also pretty cool looking - they're heavily spotted. I thought one of them was a brown til we got it in the boat!  Good fighters, too. The 4 pictured were caught just over a week ago with a client in the water just off Brown's, but I'm pretty sure they are now dispersing throughout the lake."

If you're new to Folsom Lake or want some tips to get on the fish, book a guided trip with Tom. He is fishing both Folsom Lake and Collins Lake (which is picking up), and has open dates after February 12. Head to https://www.gtnetfishing.com/ for more info or call 916-521-4641 to book.