BISHOP, CALIF. AREA:
Sabrina Lake: Rick and Patti Apted of the Lake Sabrina Boat Landing (760-873-7425): Fishing picked up this week, once the rain stopped. We got over a half inch of rain and the lake rose 3-4 inches. YIPPEE! Once again, fishing the Dingleberry Inlet with Salmon eggs, worms and Power Bait produced a large number of limits. Trolling with flashers and a worm seemed to be working for those who just couldn't stay in one place. Those just a drifting were using worms and Power Bait as were the shore anglers. DFG stocked the lake Thursday with pan-size fish and a few fish tipping the scales at 2 pounds.
BLUE LAKES AREA, CALIF: Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (530-694-2930): Not a lot of people in this neck of the woods last weekend. Lower Blue is still doing well. Both lakes had a pretty good sized plant by DFG for the holiday weekend. There were a few fish caught.
CAPLES LAKE, CALIF: Doug Busey reported that the Caples Lake Resort has opened its second ramp and you can now launch larger boats. The fishermen are catching lots of limits.
CARSON RIVERS, CALIF:
East Carson River: Todd Sodaro and Chad Machado of the Carson River Resort (877-694-2229): Desiree Harnar, age 16, of Carson City caught a 5-pound, 12-ounce rainbow on Salmon eggs, Sean Morgan of Stockton caught a 5-pound, 10-ounce rainbow on Salmon eggs and Jason Tyra caught a 5-pound, 3-ounce rainbow on Salmon eggs. We are staying open through the winter due to the year-round season on the section below Hangman's Bridge.
West Carson River: Dave Kirby: Max Fladby, age 10, of Valencia caught a stringer of rainbows on Salmon eggs on Sunday. Michael Johnson of Lakewood caught a 3.75 pound rainbow on Salmon eggs at Pickett's Junction.
CONVICT LAKE, CALIF: Launa Strickland at the Convict Lake Resort (800-992-2260): Fishing was great this week! We saw quite a few Rainbows in the 4-6 pound range and full stringers weighing up to 6 pounds or more also. So much for the full moon - bad fishing excuse! Nightcrawlers and Power Bait are the Hot Tickets with most of the action happening at the Inlet and along the South Shore. The big fish of the week was a 6-pound, 6-ounce beauty on sherbet Power Bait on the South Shore.
CROWLEY LAKE AREA, CALIF: Steve Osterman of Performance Anglers of Mammoth Lakes (760) 924-2181:
Crowley Lake: The hot bite in the North Arm has cooled off, but Crooked Creek and McGee Bay have been fishing well. Stevie's Wonder in gray/black has been a dominate fly of late. Lot's of perch minnows showing up. Use small Matukas or Zonkers on full sink lines.
Hot Creek: Water flow is 7 CFS. Time for 6x -7x leaders and small flies. Use a dry/dropper combination. Good action on Trico Duns early, then Trico spinners followed by BWO's, PMD's and Caddis on the surface. Small WD-40's, Pheasant Tails and Brassies for the dropper.
DAVIS LAKE, CALIF: The lake, its shorelines, all its tributaries, all land upslope of these water bodies to the ridge tops of the Freeman Creek watershed, and all campgrounds, boat launches, and day use sites in the Davis Lake Recreation Area are now closed, as of Tuesday, Sept. 4, for the eradication of Northern Pike. The closure will remain in effect until the tributaries and Davis Lake are found to be free of rotenone constituents.
FRENCHMAN RESERVOIR, CALIF: Wiggin's Trading Post at Chilcoot, Calif. (530-993-4683): Bank fishing is great off the rocks at Snallygaster. Cast out to the deeper water. Nightcrawlers are working the best. Bank fishing has also been good at the dam. Go deep with nightcrawlers or Chartreuse Power Bait.
HEENAN LAKE, CALIF: Doug Busey said that fishermen reported catching 188 cutthroat trout on the Friday Opening Day. The trout ran 12-16 inches, with one reported at about 5-6 pounds. Saturday, the fishing slowed down. He fished from a float tube and caught 3 fish on a gold Kastmaster lure and a black Woolly Bugger fly.
HINKSON SLOUGH, NEV: Elmer Bull of Yerington reported that the month of September is a good time to fish for bass with either rubber worms or spinner baits.
INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR, CALIF: Doug Busey reported that the weeds are going down and that the reservoir is fishable. You will bring in moss but you will catch fish.
JUNE LAKE LOOP, CALIF: Steven Osterman: Current flow in Rush Creek is 16 CFS. Try Pheasant Tail Nymphs, flash back Hares Ears and black ants. The section of stream below U.S. 395 to Mono Lake providing some good dry fly opportunities with Royal Wullf's, Sierra Brite Dot's and Elk Hair Caddis. Fishing has picked up in Grant Lake near the mouth of Rush Creek. Try Spruce flies, Mohair Leeches and black Woolly Buggers.
LAHONTAN RESERVOIR, NEV: Missy Swain and Shirley at Burke's Market at Silver Springs (775-577-2750): Lots of people are catching lots of White Bass. We encourage you to fish from a float tube due to the low water levels. The water is super low. Be careful if launching from the beaches. People have been getting stuck at Beach Nos. 4-6-8.
MAMMOTH LAKES BASIN, CALIF: Steven Osterman: Pretty crowded for the Labor Day Troutstock Festival with heavy stocking from DFG and Alpers Ranch. For streamers try the Clown Berg available at Rick's Sports Center.
OWENS RIVER, CALIF: Steven Osterman:
Upper: Water flow 101 CFS. The river is fishing well and the slight increase in flow has helped. Above the Benton Crossing Bridge, pheasant tails will do. Try a stimulator or elk hair caddis on the surface with a bead head zebra midge as a dropper. Some nice fish showing up below the monument just above Crowley Lake. The fish have become much more selective and you better get a real good drift. Basic Nymph patterns like Hares Ears and Pheasant Tails will do. Try a Stimulator or Elk Hair Caddis on the surface with a bead head Zebra Midge as a dropper.
Lower: Water flow is currently 452 CFS. Fishing is pretty tough now due to the high flows.
SACRAMENTO RIVER: Kirk Portocarrero of Outdoor Adventures Sport Fishing, Redding, Calif. (800-670-4448):
Salmon: Fishing is up and down at the moment, one or two salmon per boat, but they are BIG salmon. The salmon being caught now are 30 plus, a few Kings over 30 pounds already. Lots of Salmon in the water. Numbers of salmon passing over the dam increasing daily. Salmon fishing should turn on soon. Looks like we are expecting a late run again. Look to later months, November & December, to be prime.
Rainbow: Fly fishing fair to good. Drifting from Redding to Anderson. Late afternoons, evenings best bet. Nice size trout. Average day's catch: 12-25 trout. Flies that are working well are Fox's Poopahs, Prince Nymphs, Gidgets and Micro May flies.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, CALIF: Dave Jacobs (Professional Guide Service) (800-355-3113):
Salmon fishing has been poor this past week with anglers reporting 0-2 fish per boat. Back bouncing sardine wrapped Kwikfish lures in the morning and switching over to roe and a Quickie puff ball in the mid morning and afternoon have been the best producers . Best fishing has been from Balls Ferry downstream towards Chico. Side drifting roe and a Quickie puff ball has also produced nice salmon. Salmon have been averaging 18-26 pounds with larger fish weighing in at 30-40 pounds. Big fish of the week was a 31 pound Salmon caught by Don Airola from San Jose California while out with Dave Jacobs on Sept. 3.
SHASTA LAKE, CALIF: Kirk Portocarrero: Fishing is awesome. Catching nice king salmon and rainbow trout. Fishing is hot, limits! Trolling, shad pattern lures in the main body of the lake.
LAKE TAHOE - North Shore:
Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters and Tahoe Trophy Trout at South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (530-544-6552): I've been very busy. We have been trolling 100-280 feet deep. We locate the fish on the fish finder and then troll in a "Figure Eight" pattern, bouncing the bottom. I've been fishing at Cal-Neva, Dollar Point and Sugar Pine Points.
LAKE TAHOE - South Shore: Gene St. Denis: I've been fishing 50-200 feet deep at Ski Run Shelf, Camp Richardson and the Tahoe Keys. Trolling with silver Herring Dodger flasher blades and minnows. Bouncing off the bottom in a serpentine pattern.
LAKE TAHOE - East Shore: Gene St. Denis: Trolling for Mackinaw 60-150 feet deep with flashers and minnows.
WALKER RIVERS, CALIF:
East Walker: Steve Osterman: The flow in the river is down to 88 CFS. Prince Nymphs, WD-40's, Flashback Pheasant Tails, Sparkle Caddis Pupa, stimulators and E/C Caddis. Mid day water temp's are 70 +. Be sure to not over play fish and return them quickly.
WILDHORSE RESERVOIR, NEV: Dennis Dunn, Mark, Rocket and Scott at the Wild Horse Resort (775) 758-6472: We have had a big trout die-off due to the low water, algae and the warm temperatures. I walked about a mile along the shoreline and saw lots of dead rainbows, up to 23 inches and some perch, but I did not see any browns.