FRESHWATER REPORTS :

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CLEAR LAKE cont .

consistent action at Clear Lake at this time , since the bass and crappie fishing is tough , due to the abundance of threadfin shad that the fish are gorging upon throughout the lake

“ Anglers are experiencing the top catfish action in the Clear Lake Keys by Clark ’ s Island , but they are hooking them in an array of other spots around the lake ,” said Kyle Island . “ On my last trip with a friend in a boat , I landed a 14 lb . catfish while using live minnows at night from 8 p . m . to midnight . We caught three crappie also .”

Other solid catfish baits include nightcrawlers and cut baits such as mackerel , anchovies , chicken liver and hot dogs . Good shore fishing spots include the Clear Lake State Park and the County Park . Fishing at night is best , but the whiskerfish can also be hooked in the daytime .

For largemouth bass , fishermen should employ drop shot rigs , Senkos , buzzbaits and spinnerbaits . You can hook bluegill on redworms and mealworms off docks around the lake . Expect the bass , crappie and bluegill fishing to pick up as the water temperature cools down with the arrival of cooler nights .

COLLINS LAKE

Anglers Get Ready For Trout Anglers Challenge

OREGON HOUSE – Looking for some fishing fun the whole family can enjoy ? Then you will want to be part of what has become the most fun and exciting trout fishing series in the west , the NorCal Trout Anglers Challenge . Designed for both boat and shore anglers , this series allows families to enjoy an inexpensive and fun day on the water .

So get ready for the NorCal Trout

Anglers Challenge event at Collins Lake on November 7-8 , 2020 . The event is open to all anglers : The event will run from Nov 7 at 5:30 AM PST to Nov 8 at 2 PM PST .

The trout fishing has been tough lately , but the fishing is expected to pick up when the water temperature cools down .

Gena Rush caught a 2-1 / 4 pound spotted bass and a 2 pound trout while trolling on a recent trip with Cal Kellogg , her

Felix headed out to Folsom for some early fall bass action and caught 6 fish including these beauties .

Photo courtesy of FELIX SILVA , Folsom .

husband and the Fish Sniffer Editor . “ The trout hit a chrome and blue Mag Lip and the bass hit a Trigger Spoon ,” he said .

“ The fishing was slow ,” Kellogg stated . “ The problem was that there was a ton of bait on the bottom . Most of the fish were full of bait . It has to cool off so the bait will scatter . When the bait scatters , it ’ s game on !”

The lake level is 45 feet from full and the surface temperature is 73 ° F

For more information about the NorCal Trout Anglers Challenge , go to : Anglerspress . com / component / dtregister

DAVIS LAKE

Trollers Score Quality Rainbows

PORTOLA – The water temperature at Lake Davis has cooled down to 58 degrees and trout fishing for trollers has shifted into high gear .

“ Boaters are experiencing the top fishing while trolling at 6 to 18 feet in the main creek channel ,” said Jeanne Graham at the J & J Grizzly Country Store . “ Most anglers are catching their limits . The best flies to troll are cinnamon Woolly Buggers , while the top lures are Baby Simons and Rapalas . Most of the fish are in the 17 to 24 inch class .”

If you want to catch trout on a fly rod , she recommended fishing from a float tube beyond the weed beds . Cinnamon Woolly Buggers and midge patterns are producing the most consistent action .

Bank fishing is very tough throughout the lake because of the weeds that choke the shoreline . “ You need to chuck your bait out behind the weed lines to reach the trout ,” said Graham . “ Your best bet is to use a heavy sinker to get your PowerBait or nightcrawler to the fish .”

Most anglers are focusing on trout at this time , so Graham hasn ’ t heard of any reports on largemouth bass or catfish success on the lake lately .

Lake Davis is holding 52,968 acre feet of water , 64 percent of capacity and 93 percent of average .

- Dan Bacher

DON PEDRO LAKE

Trollers Score Quality Rainbows

LA GRANGE – While the largemouth and spotted bass bite remains very slow at Don Pedro , trout trollers are finding limits of a mixed grade of rainbow ranging from recent planters to holdovers . Shad schools are thick and abundant in the open water , and this is most likely keeping the bass from moving into the shorelines .

Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has been focusing upon the rainbows at Don Pedro recently , and he said , “ There was a plant from the Department of Fish and Wildlife on October 10th , and there are a number of 10- to 14-inch rainbows in the lake . The challenge is keeping the smaller fish off while targeting the holdovers .”

“ The good thing is that the king salmon bite has improved , and we found kings to 7 pounds this past week . Although the

CONTINUED ON PG 16 downrigger ball and other gear , but the kicker motor wouldn ’ t go into forward gear . Somehow the linkage slipped and would only go into neutral or reverse . We had to troll all day Saturday and Sunday with the 200 hp Evinrude . It trolls down to about 2.7 mph , so we could fish

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CAMPING

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our faster baits . We hit our favorite spots from the gooseneck all the way to Bass Cove . We threw the tackle boxes at them all day and never caught a trout ! We did catch some nice 2.5-pound smallmouth ! Mark and Rich caught 2 trout all day – they were top dogs in our cabin . Everyone we talked to at Sugarloaf had 1 , 2 or zero fish . They

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( LONG & SHORT TERM )

3805 were just not biting . Didn ’ t see much bait anywhere , except right on the bottom in 200 feet of water . Sunday the weather had cleared and was colder first thing in the morning . John and I decided to try upstream at the Barsi ’ s Bridge area – made 2 passes and caught 2 very small bass . Moved to the main lake and fished all over for nothing . Finally went to the dam and fished out of Centimudi and I caught a skinny 18-inch rainbow on a red / black / white Hot Ticket spoon at 25 feet . Made 3 other passes with no more bites . Trolled out and across the dam and turned north toward Dry Creek and John caught another skinny 18-inch rainbow on a large size watermelon Speedy Shiner at 70 feet deep . That was it . Barsi and Steve caught 1 trout each day , Kurt and Joe had zero for both days and left early . Kalinowski and Crispi caught 2 trout both days and weighed in but didn ’ t get in the money . At the final weigh in we were not surprised to see few anglers checking in . Some of the very best fishermen I know were skunked on Sunday ! Brett Brady of Bare Bones Guide

WINNERS

1st Place – Ron Hufford & Brett Brady – 19.24 lbs . 2nd Place – Charlie Davies & Richard Avery – 18.26 lbs . 3rd Place – Carlos Gonzalez , David Aguya & Tony Whiteside – 17.6 lbs . 4th Place – Nick Flanagan & Spencer Park – 17.09 lbs . 5th Place – Chris & Butch Jacobsen – 14.74 lbs . 6th Place – Brandon Copleman & Chris Hoagland – 13.27 lbs . 7th Place – Doug Philpott & Greg Yost – 12.76 lbs . 8th Place – Kenny McDonald & Steve McSwain – 11.49 lbs . 9th Place – Nick Brito & Mark Duvall – 11.43 lbs . 10th Place – Chad & Bernadean Terrell – 11.13 lbs . 11th Place – John Lico , Jack Schultz & Gary Coe – 11.0 lbs . 12th Place – Kirk & Jerilyn Emge – 9.18 lbs . 13th Place – Pat & Jim Griffith – 8.79 lbs . 14th Place – Kevin & Karla Smith – 8.68 lbs . 15th Place – Jim Brittain & Jason Tidwell – 8.15 lbs .

Shasta Lake is one of the state ’ s premier fisheries , but trout action can be tough during the summer to fall transition . Photo by PAUL KNEELAND , Fish Sniffer Staff .

Service and partner Ron Hufford won it again – they were zooming around and fishing on points only – didn ’ t waste time trolling in the big water like most of the rest of us . With weights of 8.99 lbs . on Saturday and 10.25 lbs . on Sunday , their total was a whopping 19.24 lbs . for the derby ! As always , we had a great time fishing this derby , in spite of the tough fishing . All the folks in Lakehead who put on the derby are very friendly and want everyone to have a good time . We stayed at the comfortable Sugarloaf Cottages Resort . They offer 16 comfortable cabins right on the lake , with one , two or 3 bedrooms , full kitchens with utensils and dishes , comfortable beds and bedding , and great patios with barbeques overlooking the lake . For more information , call ( 800 ) 953-4432 or go to www . shastacabins . com . For more information on the Fall Trout Derby , as well as the spring Trout & Salmon Derby , contact Harold at Sugarloaf Cottages or the Basshole Bar & Grill at ( 530 ) 238-2170 .