FRESHWATER
8 Oct 23 , 2020 VOL . 39 • ISS . 22
FRESHWATER REPORTS :
CONTINUED FROM PG 7
COLLINS LAKE cont .
It ’ s only now , ten days later that things at the lake seem to be returning to a sense of normalcy , if you can call any part of 2020 normal .
Channing Venegas came down the hill for some fishing and two day in row reeled in huge catfish caught up in the north channel on nothing more than hotdogs . The larger of the two maxed out our certified 20lb scale !
Usually catfish activity will continue as long as the lake is low and warm .
Thanks to Manny Navarro of Lincoln who sent in photos of a beautiful bass he brought in on Monday using Chatter Bait just shy of where Channing ’ s cats were caught .
Bass will be spread out all over the lake this time of year , so on the one hand they can be hard to nail down . On the other hand you just might pick one up in any cove or corner or even out in open water !
Trout remain generally slow , with some folks at the beginning of September having success down at 35ft before sunrise . Somehow Mike and Deborah ( pictured below ) bucked the trend and managed to reel in a limit using PowerBait by the dam .
There was a brief spark of action midweek when the smoke was the heaviest , a couple of guys reported a double limit one day and another limit the next day . Christian Peck of Vacaville also reported a limit on a spinner by the dam .
Yesterday , as smoke cleared entirely , and apparently only for the day , the trout traffic took a dive and for all the boats trolling the blues skies I saw only a solitary two pounder . Your mileage may vary .
We ’ re praying for our friends & neighbors who continue to be affected by fire and evacuations . We ’ re keeping a close eye on winds and while Red Flag
3922
Shown with optional equipment .
Manny landed and released this 5-pound largemouth while fishing at Collins Lake on a smoky September day .
Photo courtesy of the COLLINS LAKE RECREATION AREA , Oregon House .
conditions have cleared for the moment in the lower foothills we ’ re holding off on permitting open fires ( wood campfire & charcoal ) while local fire resources are still strained to their limits .
Thanks for joining us in supporting our first responders !
- Ed Palma
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DAVIS LAKE
Rainbows , Browns Lead Fall Angling Parade
PORTOLA – Trollers are experiencing the most consistent trout fishing at Lake Davis , although shore anglers and fly fishermen are picking up fish also .
“ Most trollers are catching limits or just shy of limits of trout ,” said Jeanne Graham at the J & J Grizzly Country Store . “ The trollers are fishing at 6 to 18 feet deep in the creek channel with Wooly Buggers in cinnamon , brown and olive , Baby Simons in flame and copper , Wee Dick Nites in coper / red and Needlefish in frog .”
“ Most of the fish are rainbows , with some browns mixed in . The fish range in size from 14 to 22 inches long ,” said Graham .
Bank fishing is very challenging now with the abundance of weed growth around the lake , so Graham has heard few reports of trout success from shore anglers lately .
Fly fishermen using float tubes that get out beyond the weed beds are catching some quality trout on an array of fly
• Trout
• Bass
• Crappie
• Bluegill
• Catfish
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800-286-0576 www . collinslake . com
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patterns . The water temperature is cooling down ; it was 62 to 64 degrees at press time .
Since most anglers are concentrating on trout , few have reported on the bass or catfish action . If you want largemouth bass , fish the upper end of the lake , particularly in the weeds in Mosquito Slough . Use Senkos , jigs , swimbaits and other lures .
For brown bullhead catfish , you should toss out worms or PowerBait in Catfish Cove or other areas throughout the lake . The fish average 1-1 / 2 to 2 pounds each .
Lake Davis is holding 53,811 acre feet of water , 65 percent of capacity and 94 percent of average .
- Dan Bacher
DON PEDRO LAKE
Trollers Battle Quality Rainbows
PORTOLA – Trout trollers are beginning to arrive at the lake , and spoons on a fast-troll at depths to 65 feet are bringing up quality rainbows along with the occasional king salmon .
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing was on the lake this week , and he reported solid action for quality rainbow trout to 4 pounds with spoons .
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported a tremendous amount of shad in the lake , and the rainbows are found at depths around 50 feet with Speedy Shiner spoons .
Bass fishing remains challenging as the largemouth bass have yet to perk up in the warm water , and the population of spotted bass is less than at nearby New Melones or McClure . The lake held at 70 percent of capacity .
- Dave Hurley
EAGLE LAKE
Fly & Grub Trollers Score Well !
SPALDING - Eagle Lake is virtually the same temperature from top to bottom and the trout fishing is really ramping up as a result .
“ I fished Eagle Lake for 3 days with my brother Mark and we landed a total of 17 trout from about 2 pounds to 4.5 pounds . We kept three fish to eat and let the rest of the rainbows go . The water temperature was about 63 degrees on the surface and the thermocline is gone ,” reported Rex Stanford of Sacramento .
“ We started out trolling fast with Speedy
Shiners and only got one bite . We slowed down and started pulling Cal Kellogg ’ s FHS grubs and trolling flies and started hooking up almost immediately . We worked a variety of depths off the Eagle ’ s Nest and caught trout from the surface to 32 feet deep ,” related Stanford .
“ Pink grubs and pink and white flies worked the best , but we got fish on white flies , glow grubs and olive green grubs too ,” Stanford concluded .
If you plan on taking your RV to Eagle Lake this summer or fall be
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