Preparing for a day of fishing can rival the actual fishing experience

When I go fishing, half or more of the fun is preparing for the trip and the trip to the fishing spot itself.

Okay, I'm going to have to dig deep for the 30 some dollar fishing license this year. Can't believe it's gone so high. It means you have to catch and eat a lot of fish to make the trip worth the money. Or, just count the money as entertainment as it's really worth it to some of us.

I've fished in some great secret fishing holes up here in the north state.

The drive, walk or horseback ride into many of them is worth the whole trip, as far as I'm concerned.

My favorite on-the-way fishing hole is the horseback ride from Gumboot Lake to Toad Lake. It's a day's ride back and forth through some high country above Siskiyou Lake that at points is breathtaking.

With fishing season just ahead for the high mountain lakes and streams, I'm already looking at fishing gear. It's not that I don't already have a tackle box filled with all kinds of tantalizing toys and bait to dangle in front of the fish. It's just that fish eggs get old and there's always something new out on the market to fill an empty slot in the tackle tray.

Fishing line and fine test leader really does age and needs replacing now and then. My dad's idea of replacing "now and then" proved to be not enough now and then times, especially when the fish broke the rotten line.

He'd say, "well, I guess I should have changed the line, huh?"

And that expression was always followed by, "Oh well, there's plenty more fish out there."

Then, he'd go to the store before the next trip and buy the line and replace all the reels with it.

So, because I haven't been fishing for about three years, I best check the line on my rods and reels.

I say it's good to use 6 pound test for the high lakes with 2-3 pound leader on the end followed by a slick, tiny Castmaster or other enticing lure that wiggles through the water when reeled back to the rod from whence it was cast.

A fly and a bubble works well on some of the high country lakes, but if you fly fish, your style alone will tell how many fish you net - unless of course the fish aren't interested that day.

Now that we have our tackle box untangled and lines replaced, time to check out the hiding places fish seem to think are safe.

"Not from my rod and reel," you say. Well, I have found simplicity is often the best rule when it comes to fishing.

One hundred years later, fish still seem to like crickets, grasshoppers, salmon eggs and worms and thick skinned HOTDOGS!

It doesn't matter what brand you choose, but the thick skinned hotdogs stay on the hook best, I've found. Oh, yes, fish like cheese, too. You need microscopic netting to keep it on the hook, though.

The only lake fishing I like is for bass or kamaloop trout. Kamaloops seem to like the Shasta Sandwich, a few red eggs and a marshmallow, three feet from a sinker. The line is attached to a slider sinker with a bobber that indicates the hit - that moment the fish strikes at the bait.

The sinker stays on the lake floor while the fish leaves with the bait and the bobber says "I gotcha."

Tug back firmly and you have a fish.

Kamaloops are fun to catch. They fight like troopers. You know you have caught a batch of kamaloops when the bottom of the boat is glistening with their shiny scales that are easily removed with the slightest motion.

Jigging for crappie can be fun at the lake, but you have to go where the crappie are. They like to hang close to Shasta Dam in the corners or off the grey rocks on the east side. Just sit in the boat with you favorite snacks and drinks and a hat then move the pole up and down with whatever jig lure you have and bingo, you'll have fish before you know it.

These tips really do work, but remember I'm a fair weather above the water fisher-woman and sometimes you do better in bad weather.

My theory is, fish or no fish, half the fun is in the outing itself.