The ponds on Bruin Ranch are absolutely teeming with largemouth!
The place is home to some unbelievable hunting and warm water fishing opportunities…and the most interesting aspect of the whole deal is that you hopefully will get a chance to experience the place for yourself if the fine folks at Placer Land Trust can make some magic happen…
Think you'd like to cast here?
Bruin Ranch is coming up for sale and the landowner has given PLT the first shot at purchasing it. According to PLT’s Executive Director, Jeff Darlington, they’ve got until the end of the year to come up with some serious cash, but if they can pull it off, PLT will preserve the land and make it public… opening up some seriously sweet outdoor adventures for everybody.
To get a glimpse into what anglers might get to enjoy at the ranch, Darlington and I took a quick field trip to sample the opportunities. Purely for research purposes, of course! Here’s what we found…
We didn't catch any monsters, but fish like this one Darlington's holding were nearly an every cast proposition
Of the dozen or so ponds, this one really produced for us...
We didn't spend much time with the smaller ponds, but we saw fish in all of 'em.
We caught fish on Senkos, rip baits and soft plastic jerk baits
DOA jerk shad rigged weedless and weightess were tough to beat!
We didn't taget them, but the 'gills in he pond were plenty hungry!
Darlington...FISH ON...Again!
The scenery here is awesome!
Though the fish were all 1-3 pounders, I did see one that would have easily gone 11-12 pounds!!
Heck, just riding around on the Ranger was worth the price of admission!
How you can help
If you’d rather see this epic spot preserved as a place for folks like you and I to pursue outdoor recreation and not turned into homes (it’s zones or something like 900 single family dwellings), give Placer Land Trust a call: (530) 887-9222 or hit the website.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
i really enjoyed the fishing trip to bruin ranch ponds. i would love to go in the springtime,or wgever you can get it together for a fishing trip. my son might also be interested…
thanking you in advance,
ron langford sr.
Awesome news! When will it be open for public access?
It may not be open for a couple years as there is a lot of work and planning involved before people can be allowed to roam free.
We will be hosting special this spring, one of which will be a fishing tour so if you are interested contact Placer Land Trust and get signed up for the tour. Space will be limited as none of us want to deal with overcrowding and crossed lines. ;)
Awesome Justin! I would love to sign up for that tour and bring my three children, 6,8,10, two boys and a girl + my wife. But I did not find anywhere on the site to sign up for the fishing tour. Can you provide a direct link or do I need to call?
Thank You,
Steve
Steve, we would love to have you and the family there. Just give me a call and I’ll get you on the list. 530-887-9222
1,773 acres of Bruin Ranch Preserved!
12/29/2010
Placer Land Trust and The Trust for Public Land teamed up with Placer County, the State of California, and the local community to acquire and permanently protect Bruin Ranch, 1,773 acres of oak woodlands located outside of Auburn.
http://www.placerlandtrust.org/news-detail.aspx?title=1%2c773+acres+of+Bruin+Ranch+Preserved!&newsID=50
Indeed, Ash!
We are planning on taking some folks out to hit the ponds this spring. While the Preserve is not open to the public yet, we are committed to helping everyone enjoy this place. So until public access is granted, we will be holding special public tours and you can bet your life that the first outing I’m planning is an “aquatic bioassessment” of the ponds and river…. ;)
man that place looks amazing!!!
You’re killin’ me JD! Everytime I go to Bruin Ranch for work purposes I am drawn to the ponds and lament the fact I never remember to bring a rod so that I may perform aquatic bioassessments. Your article confims my suspicion regarding Micropterus salmoides population densities in the Bruin Ranch ponds. ;)
Glad I could be of some help!! :)
Hey JD, Is the Bruin Ranch and those ponds, etc. Open to the public?
Nope, not yet…but Placer Land Trust is getting really close!
Right on JD! I loved the FYI in your post. Maybe we will get up there some time? We love nature and have fished the beauty and streams in that part of the world, and admire those most interesting BUTTES on a few of our travels. Tim loves the Fall runs and goes more than me with the men folk and that is just fine, as I got my things to do too. And one memorable time Tim and I spent together up there was our first honeymoon in 1989, in the area Auburn area of California… Still have the photos of Tim and I in front of some of the town signs as we drove through the low mountains and hung out in for a few days after our ceremony- Most memorable one for us was of course the town sign at “Rough and Ready” California- cool and very historic little village, and yes so the sign says , so true as a couple starting out on our marriage journeys….. all good mostly and the rest just keeps truckin along so to speak! This week we are in Santa Cruz CA celebrating with our kids and friends our eldest daughters high school graduation and off to college soon journeys :). Take care and will give a fishing update as Tim arrives tonight for the rest of our vacation and of course rods are awaiting as a lovely beach and ocean right in front of our lodging. Happy Trails- oh and by the way Tim and buddies caught about 80#s of Halibut and Bass this last couple of weeks on his buddies boat out of the Oyster Point Marina in South SF. Fathers Day tournament next week, will keep you posted on that days catch… but thinking it is looking good for now on the SF Bay, at least from my standpoint and my friends and family and neighbors whom have all enjoyed the whole fish, tacos, Steamed Fish with Black Bean Sauce and yes some whom revere and relish in the Fish Head Soups as well, I will only describe our one neighbor whom as we don’t speak the same talking language looked like Santa Claus had arrived with a gift out of the blue that made her day very merry :)Happy Trails to all!!
“Purely for research purposes”… Love it! Of course! Is it safe to assume, that if Placer Land Trust is able to get this peace of land, that it will be open to the public for ALL outdoor recreation? Not just hiking & equestrian. In other words; Can I take my kids up there and fish those ponds?
Steve – we are definitely planning to make fishing open to the public. And its a great place for kids. We’ve got a ways to go (more $$ needed) but we’re well on our way. Help us spread the word about Placer Land Trust’s campaign to save this place for everyone! http://www.placerlandtrust.org – Donate Now.