Just like last June, extreme and unusual weather slammed the region with big wind, rain, and snow in eastern Plumas County. An unfortunate angler capsized his boat last Friday at Lake Davis and lost everything, luckily he was wearing a PFD and made it to shore safely. The cooler weather dropped water temperatures briefly but they will be rising in the week to come, currently at both lakes the water temps are 60 to 64 degrees.
The straight scoop at Lake Davis is the damsel hatch began around the first of the month, and warmer days provided a better hatch. There is more fish than you think keyed in on the damsels, and to play the game off the bank you need superior skills in stalking, casting, and presentations. So many anglers are ill equipped for such a challenge. Slapping the water while false casting, charging the water while wading, and repetitive casting to a certain area will put fish down, and spook them away.
If you spend a day with me, I can teach you how to hunt
shallow water trout and be successful like my workshop I provided for members
of the Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers on just that. Callibaetis hatches have been
thick and a few fish have been caught using the adult imitation. Same story at
Lake Davis for 2017, fewer fish in the lake, but they are huge, some real toads
have been picked up ranging from 20 to 26”, and up to 6 pounds. With this
approaching heat wave, all hatches will intensify and the Hexagenia will
finally make an appearance. Fishing pressure has been light due to fly anglers
getting a big goose egg for the day.
Frenchman’s
Lake has been fishing incredibly well with big numbers to the boat. Last
Saturday during the Stillwater Outings hosted by Rob Anderson and myself, our guests
boated 62 fish to the “Lilly Bob” in six hours using indicator rigs, and
stripping buggers and wiggle tails in olive. Big midge hatches at the lake, and
not really anything else, just a few callibaetis mayflies, and sparse
populations of emerging damsels.
Lots more fly anglers have been fishing here then at Lake
Davis, and most of those anglers coming in from the Reno area. There have been
some brief periods of skinny water sight fishing to rising fish. Last Monday at
Frenchman’s was one of the coldest days guiding I can remember, 2 inches of
snow and a stiff north wind has us shaking all day long, but we were catching
lots of fish and that will keep an angler warm on a frigid day.
It’s go time at both lakes, just remember to bring your “A”
game at Lake Davis, and finding the right depth at any given time at Frenchman’s
will reward you in big numbers. See you on the water…
Mule's Ear flowers provide a color spot on the Little Truckee River
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