Fishing Sandy Wool

Located in the hills of Milpitas, Sandy Wool Lake is one of the very few remaining lakes still stocked with trout by the DFG in the South Bay. As such, the lake gets a ton of pressure and can be very crowded, especially after fish plants.

About the Lake

Sandy Wool is more of a pond than anything else. The main attraction here are the trout plants from November to April (see here for recent plants) - after the stocking truck makes its visits, the trout fishing is quite decent and the fishermen who get there quickly get to take home a stringer of fish. After a few days, however, it’ll feel like you’re fishing a warm, murky bathtub. People do well here with Powerbait as well as Kastmasters and other lures. I’ve personally had a lot of luck throwing nightcrawlers. My experience is that the trout usually are not far from shore - most fishermen here don’t seem to realize that though. I think most spots on the lake here work ok, but many fisherman swear by the cove opposite the dam at the base of the hill (which often gets so crowded it turns into combat fishing). I think the general rule is that as long as people near you are catching fish, you are in a good spot. If not, move to somewhere on the lake where people are catching fish.

On occasion, the DFG or the local park management stocks catfish. I’ve done well here using shrimp and cut bait, but I’m sure other classic catfish baits will work too. They seem to bite in similar spots as the trout.

There are also a few resident bass and carp. I haven’t seen many people going for them though.

There are many cormorants and large birds here. Fishermen here often gripe over the birds catching and gulping down many of the precious trout planted by the DFG. It does seem like the trout disappear pretty quickly here, although it might just be due to how many fishermen pull up with lawn chairs after a plant.

There also is a kids’ fishing pond down the road which used to get stocked back in the day, but people still catch some big carp.

Notes

The lake is located inside Ed Levin County Park. A vehicle entry fee is charged, at the time this article was written $6.

There is a dog park next to the lake. Many people go paragliding off the hills that form the backdrop of Sandy Wool Lake.

Official website: Santa Clara County

Check out my Bay Area trout fishing guide.

Recommended Gear

For the trout:

Acme Kastmaster, 1/8 oz

One of my favorite lures for trout fishing, very useful for covering a lot of water and finding where the active fish are. It's a very aerodynamic lure that can be casted quite far on light line. I've had the most success on stop-and-go, erratic retrieves. Use gold Kastmasters on sunny days or in murky water. Use silver Kastmasters on cloudy days or clear water. Kastmasters can be somewhat expensive - South Bend also sells Kastaways which are somewhat cheaper but can't say I've personally used them.

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Thomas Buoyant, 1/4 or 1/6 oz

A Kastmaster alternative. It casts a somewhat smaller distance, but the spoon has a slightly different fluttering action that seems to sometimes entice more hits.

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Panther Martin, 1/16 oz

A classic trout spinner. I like a retrieve with many erratic jerks with these spinners, to let the blade flutter as much as possible. Traditionally the gold blade with black body and yellow spots has been the most effective for me, but the other colors should also work.

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Mini jig, 1/16 or 1/32 oz

A small tube that can be twitched in the water to entice wary trout. Keep your rod tip high, and wiggle the lure in the middle of the water column. Can be very effective, especially if you can see the fish. Can be hard to cast far, unless you're using very light line (2 - 4 lb)

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Powerbait

A must-have trout bait. Take a small bit of the dough, and mold it around a size 14-16 treble hook on a sliding sinker rig. Cast the bait out and just let it sit. It can smell kinda bad, so be ready to vigorously clean your hands afterward. I've linked the garlic flavor, but the corn and original scents work just as well. I personally don't think the color matters a whole lot, but some people swear by chartreuse.

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Powerbait Micetails

A less messy version of Powerbait, which is basically a piece of soft plastic infused with the Powerbait flavoring. I prefer the micetails in moving water, as they have a more natural appearance and drift more naturally.

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