Sometimes It's Not About The Catching...

I relish quiet mornings like these at Lake Davis, it's cold, the air has a sweet smell to it, and you get to see one of the greatest shows on earth - Watching a lake come to life and welcoming a new day.  The fog rises off the lake dancing and swirling as it evaporates into thin air.  The angler above knows these joys, he may have caught a rainbow or two, but right now he takes it all in and sips off his mug of hot coffee, and soaks in the suns beaming rays of warmth.  The next time you are out on your favorite water and are not doing so well in the catching department, take a minute, breathe in the fresh autumn air, and think what it would be like to not be able to have these simple pleasures in life.  Smile and know that mother earth will always be at your side, like any good mother would do for her children.  Respect.

Fishing Report - Lake Davis

I took my Dad and my trout dog Madison up to Lake Davis for some fun with our finned friends.  When we got on the water there was already some chop and a breeze out of the north west, and it was a cold wind.  Fog hovered over the water and was lifting into some magical plumes.  Water temps are 57-60 degrees.  The blood midge hatch that was so profuse last week was almost non existent today.  I think that north wind put them down, a few were seen at around 9:00am emerging.  The lake was quiet and not many anglers on the water.  I'll admit, it was slow today, maybe the full moon had something to do with it.  We C&R 13 fish in 4 hours trolling flies at a depth of 6 feet, and the rainbows measured 16-20 inches.  The north end of the lake proved to have more schools of active feeding fish.  The coolest thing we saw today was the huge flocks of Sand Hill cranes making their migration south to the central valley of California.  You can hear them before you can see them, and they are so high up they only appear as specks against the cobalt blue sky.  Waterfowl of all types are showing up at the lake as of late, and the Coot are really tearing up the weeds in certain bays.  I'll be back up at the lake in the morning and If I hook into a hog I will surely post a picture of it.  Fall is here - Let the games begin!

On a side note I have been featured in the fishing report for our local newspaper by Feather Publishing, The fishing report has been taken over by Michael Condon who is a long time fly fisherman from Plumas County, he is doing a great job and anglers are stoked on his accurate reports!  You can view it here;

http://www.plumasnews.com/index.php/sports/7370-fishing-report-for-the-week-of-9222010 

Fishing Report - Lake Davis - GAME ON!!!

I have not been on the lake since the end of July and with these brisk cold mornings I knew it was any day now that the lake would turn on.  I got on the water at 7:30am and headed to the bays north of Jenkins Point.  My good friend Pete was already fishing and as I anchored he was into a fish.  It was a beautiful morning, flat calm and many fish rising to emerging blood midge.  Water temps were at 59 degrees and rose to 62 when I got off the water at noon.  Int. lines to 4x was the ticket and blood midge pupa, PT's, and Wiggle Tails in brown all produced fish in 8-13 feet of water.  I did not fish that much but rather went all over the lake and tried different areas and scoped out the scene - The bite is definitely on as I hooked 5 fish with minimal effort.  The trout are clean of parasites and just have scars from them.  Rainbows were 16-22" and fought very well.  The lake has turned over as well, meaning the cold water is on top and the warm water is deeper.  There was light fishing pressure on the west side of the lake but many trollers lurked in the deeper water down by the island.  I trolled flies for 25 minutes at a depth of 4-6 feet down using Jay Fair trolling flies in brown and hooked 5 fish - Proof again that the fall gorge has started.  I would rate the lake as good, and a hunch that this fall could be stellar.  Please check back on a weekly basis as I will do my best to inform you all of the changing conditions on the lake.

The Funeral

I was going through some old photos this afternoon and came across this gem.  This is the day before the 1st treatment of Lake Davis to eradicate the Northern Pike problem, and one of the nicest rainbows I have taken from the lake.  This bad boy went 24.5 inches and 5.5 pounds.  My close friends and I had a funeral that day, we placed a headstone marker complete with two pike hanging off it in the Mosquito Slough area.  We prayed, and kissed the lake good bye before heading home with limits of fish - We thought it was best if these fish saw the smoker instead of the rotenone.  The rainbow took a pistol pete, which is a wooly bugger with a gold prop on the front.

Middle Fork Feather River Fishing Report

The Middle Fork Feather river is shifting into the great fall fishing it is known for.  Water temps are 55 degrees in the morning and rising to 64 degrees by evening.  There is a huge Blue Wing Olive spinner fall from 9 - 11am.  Spent patterns in a size 16 casted to rising fish will get results.  For mid day fishing, a hopper with a bead head flashback pheasant tail dropper is the ticket.  Wild rainbows 6-14" will take either fly.  The evening fishing is the best from 6pm till dark.  Pale Evening Duns in a size 14 is the fly to have on the end of your tippet.  There are also some fresh BWO duns, and Yellow Sallie stoneflies thrown in the mix as well.  Make sure you fish the last hour of light - It is the magic hour and many fish are coming to the surface, especially the tail outs of large pools.

I had the pleasure of sharing the river with Diane and Sig of the Bay Area last Wednesday and Thursday. The girls had a great time learning new tactics, and exploring the secluded runs and riffles the Middle Fork has to offer.  They also had good things to say about their stay at the 20 Mile House Bed and Breakfast http://thetwentymilehouse.com/ - Check it out!  The Isonychia mayfly has yet to appear but it should be any day now, A hatch I really look forward to.  Now is a great time to get out on the MFFR and experience some dry fly heaven!