FRESHWATER
10 Oct 23 , 2020 VOL . 39 • ISS . 22
FRESHWATER REPORTS :
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EAGLE LAKE cont .
sure to ask the folks at the Eagle Lake RV Park about the Fish Sniffer special .
No RV , no problem ! Dave at Heritage Land has a full menu of rental cabins available both large and small . Heck you can even the Fish Sniffer ’ s Paul Kneeland ’ s rustic Spalding cabin .
If you ’ d like a guided trip on Eagle Lake , both Tim Noxon of Fish Traveler Guide Service and Bryan Roccucci of Big Daddy ’ s Guide Service will put you on the fish .
EASTERN SIERRA
Lake Crowley Kicks Out Big Numbers Of Trout !
BISHOP - Smoke in the sky one day and crystal clear the next is what has been happening around here . Many concerned anglers have been phoning in and inquiring about the air quality . We have not had a day yet that we have deemed unfit to go out and fish in . Even on the days when the smoke comes in heavy it is not much worse than being at a campground with campfires burning all around . It can often look much worse than it really is .
Crowley Lake has been as good as it gets , meaning 50 plus fish days on all species , with a heavy emphasis on cutthroat trout catches . The lake level continues to drop and the fish will migrate away from the shallows with the changing water levels . Both ends of the lake have been producing great numbers of fish of mixed sizes .
Somedays the quality is better than others but it has been extremely consistent fishing on fish from 16 – 23 ″. The majority of fish have been caught right over the mud bottoms and feeding heavily on midges . The hatches have been exploding currently and the algae drifts in from time to time .
Cleaning your flies and leader is important in getting bites so keep an eye on that when the algae rolls in . You will get fish right on the bottom and all the way up to the surface so vary those depths with your flies . Streamer tuggers are getting into some nice fish too and going bigger with their flies now that the perch fry have grown . It can be good to mix it up with both setups at this time of year .
The Upper Owens River has been good recently nymphing with the usual flies , but we haven ’ t seen anything of size just yet . There are some hatchery and wild fish still
Join us for a unique experience that will keep your family coming back year after year !
Dave hit Lake Don Pedro with Kyle Wise and landed several trout including these huge rainbows .
Photo courtesy of KYLE WISE , Blue Oaks . milling around in the deepest pools , and as the water starts to chill down nightly , these fish will start to transition into fall feeding mode . A few hoppers are still on the scene , and you can still get takes casting them to the banks for a little while longer .
Otherwise , nymphs and dry dropper rigs in sizes 16 -20 will get the job done . We will be keeping a close eye out for an early push of larger fish from Crowley Lake moving in here in the coming weeks .
- Tom Loe , Sierra Drifters Guide Service .
FEATHER RIVER
Salmon Fishing Perks Up Below Thermalito Afterbay Outlet
OROVILLE - The salmon fishing on the Feather River is by no means hot , but the fishing has definitely improved .
“ The salmon are stacking up there both above and below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet ,” reported Tim Boggs of Elkhorn Outdoors ..” I have heard of 5-8 fish days on some of the boats . Use K-14s for the
Salmon • Trout • Kokanee • Striper
best success on the upper Feather .”
“ The fishing is still hit and miss , but more fish are being caught now ,” said Mike at Johnson ’ s Bait and Tackle in Yuba City . “ Boaters and shore anglers are catching salmon from the outlet all of the way to Boyd ’ s Pump on the Feather .”
“ Boaters are trolling with spinners and using jigs ,” said Mike . “ The fish range from 5 to 35 pounds . One angler , Aaron , brought in a 32 pounder from the Feather .”
Few anglers are targeting striped bass and channel catfish . Catfish offer the best prospects for boaters and bank anglers fishing in the evenings and early in the morning . Toss out mackerel , chicken liver , anchovies and other cut baits for maximum success .
Department of Water Resources releases from Lake Oroville to the Feather River are now 2,100 cfs .
FOLSOM LAKE
Black Bass Challenge Anglers
FOLSOM – Black bass fishing is tough at Folsom Lake , but anglers should see improved fishing as the fish move into their fall pattern .
“ We had to work for our fish on our last trip to Folsom ,” said Don Paganelli of Paganelli ’ s Bass Fishing Experience . “ The three of us caught and released a dozen fish , all largemouths , to 1-1 / 2 pounds .”
“ We drop shotted with Robo Worms in Aaron ’ s Magic and shad patterns at 20 to 30 feet deep in the South Fork and main body ,” said Paganelli . “ There was no reaction bite that day .”
King salmon fishing at Folsom is “ pretty consistent ,” reported Craig Newton at Willfish Bait and Tackle in Auburn .
“ Boaters fishing in the South Fork channel and at the dam are picking up salmon in the 16 to 18 inch range ,” said Newton . “ Some rainbows are also being caught . The fish are hitting Speedy Shiners , hoochies and Brad ’ s Cut Plugs behind dodgers at 65 to 75 feet in the river channel ”
A 5 mile per hour speed limit throughout Folsom Lake will go into effect when the reservoir reaches elevation 400 ’. The lake level was 405.93 feet at press time . The lake is holding 444,336 acre feet of water , 45 percent of capacity and 71 percent of average . The water temperature was 75 degrees at press time .
Boaters need to use caution while boating on Folsom , as the lake is changing elevation on a daily basis , according to the Folsom Lake Marina . By State law there is always a 5 mph speed limit within 200 ’ of shore . The Granite Bay , Folsom Point and the Hobie Cove ramp at Brown ’ s Ravine are open .
The lake temperature was 77 degrees at press time . Folsom Lake is holding 420,189 feet of water , 43 percent of capacity and 76 percent of average .
- Dan Bacher
KLAMATH / TRINITY RIVERS
Fishermen Harvest Jacks , Release Adult Salmon
REQUA – Fishing in the lower Klamath remains productive for jack salmon and steelhead , although the take of adult Chinooks is prohibited , since the lower river quota has been met .
“ Jacks are still being harvested on the river , with nearly 400 jacks caught and a similar number of adults released above the Highway 101 Bridge over the past week ,” the CDFW reported .
Anglers met the Lower Klamath River adult fall Chinook salmon quota below the Highway 96 Bridge near Weitchpec for the 2020 season on Monday , September 14 .
That triggered the closure of the adult Chinook salmon fishery on the main stem of the Klamath River from the Highway 96 Bridge to the mouth of the Klamath River at the Pacific Ocean . The fishery at the mouth of the Klamath was closed on Sept . 8 and will remain closed to all fishing for the rest of the calendar year .
The rest of the lower main stem of the Klamath River below the Highway 96 Bridge at Weitchpec will remain open to the harvest of jack ( 2-year-old ) Chinook
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3914
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