In the winter of 2023, Northern California was hit with major storms and floods. My fishing partner Gerrod Winkler and I had to come up with a plan B because our usual Delta river spots were blown out. It was January, so we had to split up to target new water because the spring bite was fast approaching. We opted out of the smaller venues like park lakes and city ponds because we have no interest in recaptured fish, and in my opinion, larger venues are future proof as the sport grows. Gerrod chose to target larger Bay Area and central Valley Lakes while I chose to focus on the Seirra Nevada lakes and reservoirs. Large lakes in Northern California are ripe with unexplored Big Carp waters with 24/7 365 days a year fishing access.