On The Hunt For
Big Davis ‘Bows
Lake Davis is one of the storied
cathedrals of northern California
trout fishing lore. The lake’s story is
compelling and punctuated with pike
and poisonings, destruction renewal
and the rebirth of one of the West’s
epic rainbow fisheries.
After weeks of COVID 19 lockdown
Wes Ward and I were ready to fish. We
watched the situation at Davis closely.
When we got word that the launch
ramps were open it was all systems
go for an overnight trout-venture in
late April.
We had a fair bit of experience
fishing the lake during the fall, but
neither of us had hit it in the spring.
We knew the action could be epic,
but we had no concrete expectations
beyond the promise of adventure!
...continued
6:28 am- One final gear check before sliding the
Hobie Pro Angler onto Davis’s trout rich waters. Water
Temperature: 47. Air Temperature 30. Forecast: Mostly
clear with a few scattered clouds and light wind. Moon:
Waxing Crescent coming out of a new moon phase.
6:50 am-A Trigger Spoon Jr. is running 15
feet deep off a hybrid leadcore rig and an orange
trolling fly is running just under the surface on rod
No. 2 as sunrise explodes over the Sierra Crest.
7:01 am-Success comes early when a
14-inch brown trout blitzes an orange and
chrome Trigger Spoon Jr. running off one of
Cal’s signature series yellow leadcore rods.
Note: Trigger Spoon Jr’s are deadly for both
large trophy size trout and pansize planters.
Anytime the situation calls for a compact
spoon and a presentation in the 1.3 to 2 mph
range the Trigger Spoon Jr is a great choice.