LAKE ALMANOR, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): As of Oct. 2: Bank anglers using baits like crickets, mealworms and roe, found trout by the dam, in Big Springs and the Hamilton Branch area as did trolling setups. The fall fishing is taking off with cooler nights and mornings. Look to areas with springs for action.
BLUE LAKES AREA, CALIF: Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (530-694-2930): We had about an inch of snow at the store. The Blue Lakes road is still open but I don't know for how long.
BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, CALIF: The Trout Fitter in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (760) 924-3676: As of Oct. 4: No recent reports on how the Reservoir is fishing. Should be a good time to catch a monster brown. The water level is very low but the temps are coming down. You want to be fishing by the dam in 8-15 ft. of water. For bait, try Gulp in Rainbow Candy or Chunky Chartreuse and nightcrawlers. For lures, try 1/4 oz. Kastmasters in silver/Chartreuse tape or silver/orange, Thunder Bolts in Perch or gold and CD-3 Rapalas in Perch or Rainbow. Trollers have been sticking some nice Browns in the evening with large Rapalas and spoons by the dam. Even try casting large Rapalas off the dam. Don't forget about fly and bubble with Perch fry patterns such as Olive Matukas and Hornburgs along weed lines.
BUCK'S LAKE, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): As of Oct. 2: Brooks, browns and rainbows are still close to the bottom in shallow water areas of Mill and Bucks creeks. Fishing pressure has slowed and anglers are finding fish to 15 inches here.
CARSON RIVERS, CALIF:
East Carson River: Todd Sodaro and Chad Machado of the Carson River Resort (877-694-2229): Fishing is still doing good. Lots of pan fryers but no big fish. The water is the same as it has been for the last two months. 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: The river is super low and I had no fishing reports.
CONVICT LAKE, CALIF: Launa Strickland at the Convict Lake Resort (800-992-2260): Wow! Another Great Week of Fishing! The Big Fish just keep coming in! John O'Shea of Seal Beach caught the Big Fish of The Week, bringing in a 7 lb. 8 oz. Rainbow trout on his 68th birthday! John used corn yellow Power Bait on the South Shore. Everything still seems to be working all over the lake. The Secret this week is the gold/red Thomas Buoyant and gold/red Thomas Cyclone. Most of the big ones are coming from the inlet, especially in the early morning, but we saw several 4-5 pounders coming from the South Shore, North Shore and Jetty.
CONVICT LAKE, CALIF: The Trout Fitter in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (760) 924-3676): As of Oct. 4: Reports remain consistent this week with good size fish being caught. The word is out that Alpers has stocked some Browns in the lake last week. The Southwest corner or the inlet has been the hot spots for most of the year. Berkeley Gulp in Chunky Cheese or Rainbow Candy and Nitro Eggs in Rainbow. For Lures, try 1/4 oz. Kastmasters in silver/blue or Brook Trout, 1/4 oz. Thomas Buoyant in copper or silver/blue and Blue Fox spinners in silver.
CROWLEY LAKE AREA, CALIF: Steve Osterman of Performance Anglers of Mammoth Lakes (760) 924-2181:
Crowley Lake: The lake level continues to lower and fishing conditions seem to change by the day. McGee Bay and Hilton Bay have been the most consistent areas. Streamer fishing with full sink lines. Try black/red Zebra Midges, Stevie's Wonder black/gray for Midging and streamer fishing with full sink lines with olive Matukas, Zonkers and purple Woolly Buggers.
Hot Creek: Water flow is 5 CFS. Same old small flies and fine tippet. Low water and lots of weeds. Try small black Caddis, E/C Caddis, Hoppers and foam Beetles.
CROWLEY LAKE, CALIF: The Trout Fitter in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (760) 924-3676): As of Oct. 4: Crowley Lake has started to turn on in McGee Bay over the last couple of days. Sandy and Alligator Point are producing some nice fish. Green Banks up to the first few six bays has had some good concentrations of fish as well. Lots of these fish are cruising the 8-15 ft. range not far off shore. For lures, try 1/8 oz. Kastmasters in silver/orange or gold/Chartreuse tape. Cyclones in Perch or gold/red or Jake's Spin-A-Lure in gold. Trout Trap Stingers under a bobber or by themselves in pearl/red or pearl/orange. Trollers have been picking some nice browns off Chalk Bluffs or Sandy Point with 3-6 colors. Fly-bubble rigs with Leech patterns are a good bet this time of year. Get those flies close to bottom with good movement and hold on.
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 for the eradication of Northern Pike. This closure will remain in effect until the tributaries and Davis Lake are found to be free of rotenone constituents.
EAGLE LAKE, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): As of Oct. 2: Fish have moved into the Spalding Bay area in greater concentrations with a good morning bite but don't write off the afternoon. Trolling inside the bay from the tip of Pelican Point down to the Spalding launch ramp in 6-12 feet, fish the surface before the sun hits the water. Then move out to 9-12 feet and set your baits from 2-8 feet down. Sepp's brown or amber 2-inch grubs or nightcrawlers have been the preferred choices.
FRENCHMAN RESERVOIR, CALIF: Wiggin's Trading Post at Chilcoot, Calif. (530-993-4683): Anglers fishing off shore at Lunker Point and the dam are reporting catching limits of rainbows (14-16 inches). Nightcrawlers are working best or try various lures such as a gold Dick Nite. Trolling continues to be good through the Narrows with nightcrawlers and flashers. The campgrounds will be closing this week, but dry camping is allowed in the unlocked areas.
HEENAN LAKE, CALIF: Dave Kirby reported: Two fishermen said they fished on Sunday. They did not catch any fish but had several strikes.
HEENAN LAKE, CALIF: Todd Sodaro reported: We had a fly fishing group from California over the weekend. They stayed at the Resort and fished Heenan. They caught and released a total of 110 Cutthroat, with the largest being 26 inches. They were using black Woolly Bugger with a bead head and Prince Nymph flies.
INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR, CALIF: Dave Kirby reported it was OK over the weekend. Not many fishermen but everyone was catching 1-2 fish. One limit of 5 rainbows.
JUNE LAKE LOOP, CALIF: Steven Osterman: Recent snow and high winds limited fishing last week.
JUNE LAKE LOOP, CALIF: The Trout Fitter in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (760) 924-3676: As of Oct. 4: Gull still seems to be the top hitter right now. Gull has been the best lake for Alpers and may be even a Cutthroat, if you're lucky. For numbers, try Grant by the inlet or Silver by the outlet. The big browns in Grant should be in pre-spawn mode and feeding aggressively. Berkeley Gulp in orange pulp or Chunky Cheese and worms, 4-7 ft. under a bobber. For lures, try 1/4 oz. Kastmasters in silver or Cutthroat , CD-3 Rapalas in gold and silver, Thunderbolts in silver or gold and 1/4 oz. Roostertails in black or yellow. Don't forget about the Trout Traps in Roe or Firecracker when you're out in a boat. Berkeley Power Trout Worms in orange/peel or pink with a drop shot rig. Fly and bubble with a Woolly Bugger or Matuka is also very deadly in the fall.
LAHONTAN RESERVOIR, NEV: Missy Swain and Shirley at Burke's Market at Silver Springs (775-577-2750): Same as last week: We advise you not to launch a boat, and encourage you to fish from shore over by the dam.
MAMMOTH LAKES BASIN, CALIF: Steven Osterman: Recent snow and high winds limited fishing last week.
MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIF: The Trout Fitter in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (760) 924-3676: As of Oct. 4: Really good reports this week from all three Twin Lakes. The browns are getting very active along with the holdover rainbows. Lake George has had some nice size fish come out of it as well. Lake Mamie seems to be on the slow side. Mary by the Barretts Landing or the outlet has been fishing good to great at times. Sierra Gold in gold or Rainbow and Berkeley Gulp in Chunky Cheese or Chunky Chartreuse. For lures, try 1/6 oz. Panther/Martin In black/yellow dots, Jake's Spin-a-Lure in gold, 1/4 oz. Cyclone in gold/red or silver/blue and CD-3 Rapala in Brook Trout or gold. Trollers getting down 4-6 colors with Needlefish, Rapalas and Tasmanian Devils are hooking some. Try using the Berkeley Trout Worms 4-7 feet under a bobber next to weed lines or dropoffs at Upper Twin Lake.
OWENS RIVER, CALIF: Steven Osterman:
Upper Owens: Water flow 84 CFS. Fishing is good. Most standard Nymph patterns are working well. Some dry fly action with small Adams or BWO's. The crowds on the river have been overwhelming.
Lower Owens: Water flow is 323 CFS. Some limited fishing opportunities available. Try Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Caddis Larva and Cased Caddis with lots of weight.
PYRAMID LAKE, NEV: Valerie, Linda and Patsy at Crosby's Lodge at (775) 476-0400: The biggest fish of the week was an 8-pound, 6-ounce (28 inches) Cutthroat caught by Jeff Morris of Reno. He was in a boat at Pelican Point. The wind has been a problem but it is not bad today (Monday).
PYRAMID LAKE, NEV: George and Carla Molino of the Pyramid Lake Store at (775) 476-0555: George (Cutthroat Charters) has been going out almost every day. The weather has been miserable or slightly miserable. Yesterday, the weather was fair but there was a south wind. Most people have been catching a couple of fish. If you catch 6, you are doing good. If you catch 9, you are doing excellent. The boats and the lure fishermen are taking it on the chin. The best fishing has been for a handful of fly fishermen with foam Beetles.
PYRAMID LAKE, NEV: Tim Wilson of the Pyramid Lake Marina and RV Park at (775) 476-1156: We still have wind but it is not as bad as it was. It has been creating havoc with the fishermen, especially the boaters. Lot of fish are being caught in the slot limit. The boaters are going deep (80-120 feet) and also catching fish at 40-50 feet. They are using the standard colors of Apex, Flatfish and Rapala lures.
PYRAMID LAKE, NEV: Chris and Jeri Grellman of Sparks of Hog Charters (358-5199): Chris was super sick for 9 straight days and we did not get out fishing. He is much better and we will be back out soon. He is going to be the guest speaker at the Ormsby Sportsmen's Association meeting in Carson City on Oct. 16.
SACRAMENTO RIVER: Kirk Portocarrero of Outdoor Adventures Sport Fishing, Redding, Calif. (800-670-4448):
Salmon: Fishing finally picking up. Kirk and client's catching 2-5 salmon per day now, some salmon over 40 pounds. A good rain or two will bring more salmon up river for November. Using Flatfish lures, green and chrome. Sunday produced several Salmon over 30 pounds, great fight on lightweight tackle.
Rainbow: Fly fishing is fair to good. Drifting from Redding to Anderson, late afternoons, evenings best bet. Nice size trout, average day's catch 8-18 trout. Flies that are working well Fox's Poopahs, Prince Nymphs and Pheasant Tails.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, CALIF: Dave Jacobs (Professional Guide Service) (800-355-3113):
Salmon: Fishing from Balls Ferry downstream near Chico has been spotty at best with some days better salmon scores than others. Anglers can expect 2 or more salmon a day with some days higher scores of 4 or more. The further you fish upstream towards the Barge Hole, anglers can expect higher groups of salmon with more boating pressure and much older and darker fish. Anglers can also expect more foul hooked than fair hooked fish in the Barge Hole area. Moving farther downstream you will find less fishing pressure and fewer salmon but the anglers do find are fresher higher quality salmon. Fishing pressure has been light from Bend Bridge downstream towards Chico. 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 bets . Salmon have been averaging 18-26 lbs. with larger fish weighing in at 30-40 lbs.
Trout: Fishing from Redding downstream towards Red Bluff has been good this week for wild rainbow trout 1-2 pounds with larger wild rainbows to 3 pounds occasionally boated. Best bets have been side drifted small hand tied Glo Bugs in various egg color patterns. Some hatchery and wild Steelhead have begun to show in the Lower River with most Steelhead averaging 2-4 pounds with larger Steelhead 5 pounds or better. Redding to Anderson has been good for trout and Anderson downstream has been better for trout and Steelhead with very clear water conditions being experienced up in the Redding area with slightly more colored up water the further angler's move downstream. More and more Steelhead should show everyday through November.
SHASTA LAKE, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): As of Oct. 2: Trout have been averaging depths from 20 to 110 feet down but 50 -100 feet have been the best range. They are scattered so you have to stack you downriggers with a Shuttle Hawk and just use as many lures as you can legally use. As the fish do move up, go no more than 20 feet down and try the Paddle Tails or Hum Dingers in Shad patterns for both salmon and trout in the usual spots like Jones, No Name or Toupee islands, Dry Creek and the dam.
LAKE TAHOE - North Shore: Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters and Tahoe Trophy Trout at South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (530-544-6552): The wind came up today (Tuesday) and it is howling. The fishing has been very good to excellent. Limits for everyone. Largest was 12 pounds. We have been trolling 50-240 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 and Camp Richardson. Trolling with silver Herring Dodger flasher blades and minnows. Bouncing off the bottom in a serpentine pattern. Macks are small, 2-7 pounds.
LAKE TAHOE - East Shore: Gene St. Denis: Trolling for Mackinaw 60-150 feet deep with flashers and minnows at the Cave Rock Shelf. Some fishermen are toplining along the shore.
VIRGINIA LAKES, CALIF: Carolyn Webb of the Virginia Lakes Resort: Fishing has been no less than terrific, but stop in and ask what the trout are hitting. Little Virginia got the very first load of brown trout ever raised on Conway Ranch by IAG (Inland Aquaculture Group) also known as Tim Alpers. DFG also put in about 600 pounds of trout including his regular "Alpers" beauties. The lakes are loaded with wonderful surprises, so don't miss the opportunity to get into some great action. Salmon eggs, Power Worms, salmon peach Power Bait and inflated nightcrawlers will get you into fish. For the fly boys, try some black Matukas, black Woolly Buggers with flash, and even dark rust with a bead head. Ever hear of a Liberace? Look it up and get some, it's a good choice for this week.
WALKER RIVERS, CALIF: Steve Osterman:
East Walker River: The water flow has dropped to 45 CFS. The lower flow has created some tough fishing conditions. Prince Nymphs, WD-40's, flashback Pheasant Tails, sparkle Caddis Pupa, Stimulators and E/C Caddis. Water temps are cooling and the fish are a little more active.
WILDHORSE RESERVOIR, NEV: Dennis Dunn, Mark, Rocket and Scott at the Wild Horse Resort (775) 758-6472: The weather is beautiful, it is 50 degrees (Monday morning). We have not had a lot of fishermen but they are catching trout and they are football size. NDOW has been restocking the reservoir. When we had that fish die off, it did not affect the Rainbows, Perch, Channel Catfish and Bass. It only seemed to affect the crossbreeds like Cutbows and Bowcutts.