Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
September 15, 2008
3. Watersheds –
Top trout lakes hold promise, but watch that fishing line
The San Francisco Chronicle- 9/14/08
By Tom Stienstra
On a warm, late-summer afternoon this past week, we made our first scout trip for the approaching fall trout season in Northern California. We went through all the good-luck rituals required and in a few hours had 20 strikes, landed about 15, kept a few for the smoker and the frying pan, and released several beauties.
It's just a start. This was at the headwaters of Iron Canyon, named by field scout Tom Hedtke, who released a 20-inch native rainbow trout and 16-inch brown on this trip. Our good luck has launched hopes that the upcoming season will be great at many lakes.
The key is water temperature. At mountain lakes, when the water temperature drops to 63 degrees, then falls to 56, the trout come alive for one last feeding binge before winter. It stays good at most lakes until it hits 48, when the fish stop attacking lures and flies, and instead prefer slow-fished nightcrawlers, as the trout mellow into winter mode.
Another key this year is the weight of your fishing line. With no rain since May, mountain lakes are very clear and the trout are line-shy. Use as light line as possible. On our trip, one rod set up with fresh 4-pound Maxima ultra-green out-caught two rods with 6- and 8-pound line (and near-invisible fluorocarbon leaders) 15-to-5.
Here's my forecast for the best trout lakes in the mountains and in the Bay Area:
Mountain lakes
1. Lake Davis, Plumas County: All the planets seem aligned for a sensational bite at Lake Davis. Since being poisoned a year ago to rid it of pike, Lake Davis' aquatic food chain has been rebuilt and Fish and Game has stocked nearly a million trout. At 5,775 feet, the cool nights of late September and October will put those fish on the bite before winter takes over. I think it will be likely for skilled trollers to catch 20, 30 trout per day, catch-and-release. My favorite lures at Davis are the fire-tiger-colored Needlefish and Rapala, set to run 3 and 8 feet deep, respectively, off a downrigger, so it looks as if the Rapala is chasing the Needlefish (the cat-and-mouse technique). Grizzly Store, (530) 832-0270, dillardguidedfishing.com.
2. Eagle Lake, Lassen County: Trout averaging 16 to 20 inches, with a genuine sprinkling in the 4- to 6-pound class, make Eagle Lake the best bet for big trout in California in the fall. The colder it gets, the better it is. That brings the trout to shallow waters. The key here is that the big trout swim in and out of the tules along the shore. You can troll Needlefish, best in rainbow or bikini colors, with a red eye affixed at the head, along the tules near the landing strip, cinder area and northwest shore and north shore of the lake. Another trick is to use slip bobbers and a threaded nightcrawler for bait, then cast right breaks in the tules. Eagle Lake General Store, (530) 825-2191, eaglelakestore.com; Heritage cabin/house rentals, (530) 825-2131, eaglelakeheritage.com.
3. Convict Lake, Inyo County: This is my favorite lake in the Eastern Sierra. When the aspens turn, the granite slopes surrounding this lake turn yellow, gold and orange, a spectacular display of color. This beauty is almost as good as the fishing. A chance at some huge brown trout, and rainbow trout are the mix of a steady bite of 11- to 14-inchers. I used a gold/black-jointed Rebel and a gold/red Humdinger, set up and trolled with the cat-and-mouse technique. I've seen browns in the 10-pound class here in the fall, and landed a 24-inch rainbow that broke one of the hooks on my Rebel. Convict Lake Resort, (800) 992-2260 or convictlakeresort.com.
4. Lake Almanor, Plumas County: Most people do not catch a lot of trout here, but there is a chance at the biggest trout of your life. In one three-hour stretch, brother Rambob and I hooked five over five pounds, and then I lost a lake-record 24-pound brown trout at the boat that's had me howling at the moon (I know it was 24 pounds because field scout Hal Jansen caught, weighed and released the fish right near where I hooked it). On calm, cold mornings, what works best is to troll the eastern edge of the channel at the north end of the lake. On windy days, instead troll the channel adjacent to shore at Bailey Creek. The north shore of the Peninsula can be good, too. Plumas County Visitors Bureau (800) 326-2247, plumascounty.org; Sports Nut, Chester, (530) 258-3327.
5. Lake Crowley, Inyo County: If you make the long drive to fish Convict Lake, nearby Crowley is a must-do as well. When the nights turn cold, the lake's population of big brown trout will migrate to the head of the lake, just outside the mouth of the Owens River. Alligator Point, for instance, can be a good spot. We'll drift from the mouth of the Owens along the underwater river channel with a weighted nightcrawler (so it drifts near the bottom) or rainbow-trout-colored, jointed Rapala. This may sound crazy (and nobody else does it here), but I have caught some big browns by running large, fluorescent-colored Flatfish off a downrigger right on the edge of the river channel, near the bottom. Fish Camp is open through Oct. 31. Crowley Lake Fish Camp, (760) 935-4301, crowleylakefishcamp.com.
Bay Area lakes
1. Los Vaqueros, Livermore: Unlike other lakes in the Bay Area, Los Vaqueros is stocked year-round, with 2,500 pounds of trout planted every other week. To jump-start the fall season, the lake received a double stock at the beginning of September. The lake is 97 percent full and being dropped a bit to make space for fall rains. Surface temp is 70 degrees, so the start of the fall bite is only a few weeks off. (925) 371-2628, norcalfishing.com.
2. Del Valle Res., Livermore: Fish and Game stocked Del Valle this past week with a surprise plant of 1,000 pounds, all 12- to 14-inchers averaging a pound, on top of a park district plant of 1,000 pounds of catfish. The park district's bonus trout plants will start in mid-October. Water temp still warm, 74 degrees, and the lake is 80 percent full. (888) 327-2757, ebparks.org.
3. Lafayette Res., Lafayette: This lake has its own micro climate, and as a small lake, can cool quickly when the weather turns. That is what we're waiting for now, with the water temp quite warm, still in the mid-70s. For now, plants are projected to start the third or fourth week of October. (925) 284-9669, ebmud.com.
4. Lake Chabot, San Leandro: Fish and Game made its first trout plant of the season last week and the park district will start adding to that next week. The water temp is in the low 70s, so it will only get better. The lake is about 70 percent full. (510) 247-2526, norcalfishing.com.
5. San Pablo Res., El Sobrante: The first trout plants of the fall season are projected for the third week of the month, just prior to the state's free fishing day, Sept. 27, when no fishing license is required. The water temp is still in the low 70s and the lake is about 60 percent full. San Pablo, which closes in the offseason, will be open through Oct. 31. (510) 223-1661, norcalfishing.com.
Weekly notebook online at sfgate.com/sports/outdoors.
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