ALMANOR LAKE, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): There had been a good bite early on until about 7:30 and then another window opens from 9:30 to 11 and later some days. Below the REC. 2 area there was still some algae, rainbows to 3 pounds were taken in the area on a No. 7 Rapala, with a gold and florescent red color pattern, in the top 15 feet. This same set-up worked well in the Red Bank area, where a nice 6 1/2-pound trout was taken. Bait anglers caught some fish on small pieces of roe and jigs in the Rec. 2 area, as well as on the west shore jetties, Big Springs and in Hamilton Branch.
BISHOP, CALIF. AREA:
Sabrina Lake: Rick and Patti Apted of the Lake Sabrina Boat Landing (760-873-7425): Nothing could describe the colors in Bishop Creek Canyon. Reds, Oranges, Yellows, Golds, Lemon-Lime AND THEN THE blue, blue of the sky with the big, fluffy white clouds - absolutely spectacular! It's a good thing the colors are so awesome around the lake, cuz the catching is still on the slow side - so while you're not catching - the sights are breathtaking.
Fishing the inlets with nightcrawlers, Power Bait or Salmon eggs removed a few limits from the lake along with trolling lead core line using flashers and nightcrawlers or Woolly Buggers. Those catching off the shore were using Power Bait and nightcrawlers. The best is still-drift fishing using nightcrawlers or Power Bait (and you can feast on the surroundings). Steve Hankammer of Westminster took his eyes off the scenery for a bit when he landed a 7-1/4-pound whopper on a Gold Kastmaster.
Temperatures rose this week to the high 60s for the highs and low 40s for the lows. It's going to cool some with maybe a storm toward the end of the week - remember it will be October. The campgrounds tend to be a bit on the cooler side as they sit in the lower pockets where the cold drops into.
The following campgrounds have closed for the season: Willow and Mountain Glen on the South Lake side. Camp Sabrina, Big Trees and North Lake on the Sabrina side.
The remainder are expected to stay open until October 30 with Bitterbrush Campground (the first campground you hit coming up the hill - the new one) staying open all year round with NO potable water during the winter.
BLUE LAKES AREA, CALIF: Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (530-694-2930): They are starting to wind down for the season. The campgrounds are now closed. Upper and Lower Blue were both OK over the weekend, with some limits, mostly from float tubes or small boats, fishing deeper water with worms or lures.
BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, CALIF: Randy Picton (760-932-7001): The Reservoir remains very good to excellent for all types of fisher folks-- boaters, floaters, and shore.
Cold nighttime temperatures have lowered the water temps and the big guns are active again.
Mixed bags of browns and rainbows up to 6 pounds this last week mostly from the narrows to the dam.
Try crawlers and or floating bait, fast sink line with perch, Matukas, or Woolly Worms.
Trollers try Rapalas, Buoyant, or Needlefish behind small flashers.
CARSON RIVERS, CALIF: West Carson River: Dave Kirby reported: The water is low and clear. Saw a number of planters taken over the weekend. Work the deeper holes.
DAVIS LAKE, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): Rainbow action picking up as temperatures drop, and greater angling pressure is rising fast. Honker and Lightning Tree best for shore fishers, Jenkins to points northwest for fly casters, and from north of the island to the dam best for trollers.
EAGLE LAKE, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): Trout are definitely making their move north, from the deeper, southern basin. Fish are being caught at Pelican Point, the Youth Camp and as far north as Rocky Point, at the entrance to Bucks Bay. The fish are on the move so don't count on catching them day after day in the same spot. There are still large fish (3 pounds plus) being caught at the south end also, off the Gallatin Marina Jetty. The same hit and miss pattern applies there.
FEATHER RIVER, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): A few stripers were still being caught below Shanghai, but Steelhead fishing has been getting more attention lately from Gridley up into the Low Flow Section. Matthew's and Outhouse riffles have been two of the better spots. Most are small but an occasional 5-8 pounder is being caught on roe, nightcrawlers, spinners and flies.
FRENCHMAN RESERVOIR, CALIF: Wiggin's Trading Post at Chilcoot, Calif. (530-993-4683): Fishing has been good for the most part. Early morning or early evening seem to be the most productive times. Trollers have been doing their best, fishing through the Narrows with large brown, yellow or olive colored flies. Bank fishing is good at the dam, using rainbow Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Baby crawlers are doing well, also. The north end seems to be doing well.
FRENCHMAN RESERVOIR, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): Bank fishers have been getting into good rainbow action on the north and east sides of the lake. Nightcrawlers have been the best bait bet. Trollers have been scoring pretty much all around the lake pulling 'crawlers and a variety of lures.
HEENAN LAKE, CALIF: Dave Kirby reported the fishing is not doing well due to the warm water temps. the surface temp is still over 60 degrees.
INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR, CALIF: Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (530-694-2930): Last week, a fly fisherman in a float tube made a bad cast into a grassy area with a Woolly Bugger fly and caught a 7-pound black bass. He fought it for 15 minutes before releasing it.
RED LAKE, CALIF: Dave Kirby: The water is still murky, but some limits were caught over the weekend, using Daredevil and Kastmaster lures from float tubes.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): Trout fishing continued to improve as the water cooled. Waders picked up trout on small dark caddis patterns and a few larger trout coming out of the lake were caught at the lower end of the river. Fish short lines with plenty of weight.
SILVER LAKE, CALIF: Dave Kirby reported fish are being caught and there are lots of fishermen.
SHASTA LAKE, CALIF: Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500): Mike Peterson from Phil's Props in Redding said anglers were reporting an improved bass bite, as a few more of the larger fish were being taken again. They are still using jigs and darter-heads, but the morning bite on spinners in the shallows, has also been reliable. Troll for trout in 20 to 30 feet, as any deeper than that and you'll start picking up bass. Trout went to 17 inches, on blue/silver or black/white Hum Dingers and droppers. The better areas were also the usual ones in the main body, Digger Bay, Dry Creek and from Toupee Island down to the dam.
LAKE TAHOE - North Shore: Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters at South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (530-544-6552): Fishing has been excellent, the absolute best in a couple of years. The Macks are averaging 4-6 pounds, with the biggest going up to 14 pounds. Every trip there is a 7-8 pounder or bigger. Getting limits for everyone within 1.5 to 3 hours. I have been trolling 80-220 feet deep. We locate the fish on the fish finder and then troll Dodgers and a live minnow in a "Figure Eight" pattern. I've been trolling at Dollar Point and Cal/Neva Point, Dollar Point and Sugar Pine Point.
TOPAZ LAKE: Chuck and Linda Fields at the Topaz Lake Marina (775-266-3550): The lake closed to fishing on Sept. 30 and will remain closed until Jan. 1, 2009.
VIRGINIA LAKES, CALIF: Carolyn Webb of the Virginia Lakes Resort: Another great week of fishing at Virginia Lakes, you can count the cars in the parking lot on a daily basis and know that the fishing is good. Especially those that get here before a.m.. We had another great week of warm fishing weather, which probably contributes to the numbers of anglers on and around the water.
Nightcrawlers are still holding at number one with pink Power Worms, then Salmon eggs coming around the stretch. Some lures are doing well, red/gold Thomas Buoyant and the small gold Kastmaster. Float tubers hit an all -time high on the lake yesterday at 24 with 1 boat. Fortunately there were not that many shore anglers to collide with.
On September 27, Riley Cotton, age 6, of Nevada City caught a nice 2 lb 9 oz Alpers on Salmon eggs. Also Giovanni Moreno, age 10, of Hawthorne, CA caught a nice 2 lb 8 oz Alpers on rainbow glitter Power Bait, and this was his first time fishing and he caught all the fish. Andrew Gibbons of Highland caught a 4 lb 3 oz Alpers on Zeke's Pink and Ellen Yano of Castro Valley caught a 3 lb 3 oz on a fly with 5x tippet and she landed it herself.
Aspens are now in their "golden" stage and will soon be heading for the auburns, rusts and gold, which should happen within a week, for those who want to take some photos in between their fishing.
Flies for the week were olive Woolly Buggers, green/orange emerging Nymph, Sowbug, light brown RS2, black beetles, black ants, black gnats/red tail and the gray hackle peacock. Dragonfly Nymphs, blue Damsel, tan hoppers (everywhere) and loads of dry action.
Spider columns are starting to come off the pines which means that Fall is seriously here and next week soft hackle march browns in orange and yellow will be hitting anywhere there are pines close to the water.
The weather is supposed to change starting Sunday with some light wind to gusts and probably moisture on Monday with very unsettled weather for a couple days then returning to the warming of fall.
PS - If you read the article in the Western Outdoor News, not all of it is true, and the information that is in quotes is not all together accurate, what I gave the Editor is in the shaded area with my name on it. What I said is I didn't want to discourage float tubers with the fee, but that we have a serious parking problem. Remember don't believe everything you read, ask me first, I'll give you the straight information, the way I report the fishing report.
WALKER LAKE, NEV: Norm Budden, Don Hettrick, Marty Martinez and Bob McCulloch, all of Carson City, fished in their chest waders last Thursday at the south end of the lake. McCulloch had the largest fish of the day with a 2.5 pound Cutthroat. Martinez had new chest waders, would not go into the water deeper than his ankles and got skunked.
WILDHORSE RESERVOIR, NEV: Dennis Dunn at the Wild Horse Resort (775) 758-6472: The fishing is good in the reservoir for perch and rainbows, but it is extra red hot in the Oywhee River below the dam. There are several thousand 2-3 pound rainbows in that stretch of water. You need to come up here and enjoy some great fishing.