The last week at Frenchman's Lake has seen many different conditions. This past Friday was extremely cold with a few inches of fresh snow, the first snowfall of the season did not last long except on north facing areas in the region. With the snow and the cold front that moved through, there were gusty winds as well. A few days later, unseasonably warm temperatures along with plenty of sunshine provided for gorgeous days. Highs have been in the mid 70's, with light breezes.
It's been so warm out that water temperatures climbed back up a little from 55 to 57 degrees. Fishing pressure has been up and down, mostly tubers and not many anglers working the shoreline. I like being on the bank because I can observe conditions much better and obtain a better understanding of what's going on.
The Eagle Lake rainbows have been eating well and putting on some girth. The
strain is an angry trout, and they fight really aggressively. Some days have been off
the charts, while others just ok. If you're not hooking up, move to a different
location. Everyday is different, change up your stripping speed until one
works. Yesterday it was fast, today just a crawl.
Big
population of snails available for the fish, and sparse callibaetis and blood
midge hatches. The trout are spooky when glassy conditions exist, they'll get
more grabby when there is a ripple on the water. The wind can be your friend at times. Burnt orange, olive, and black
are the best colors for buggers and wiggle tails right now. Sheep Creek specials tied on
a 2457 makes a great snail imitation.
Mornings
and evenings have been the most productive, and the afternoons seem have a slight lull in the action. There has also been some dry fly opportunities when the wind lays down in the evening. Heave it and leave it with a twitch actually has been better than beating the water with repetitive casts trying to chase rise forms.
EL rainbows have not been leader shy at all, you can use rope (3x) while stripping, and 4x when fishing dry flies. There are times, like dark cloudy days or evenings when a fly angler can get away with 2x. An advantage when stripping fast and the takes are violent.
More warm weather though the weekend, then a slight cool down with much colder temperatures at night in the high 20's. Chance of rain around the 4th of November, but still a little too early to tell. I'll be up in Redding starting tomorrow for the big Trout Unlimited California meeting representing the Truckee TU chapter #103. I'm looking forward to meeting new people who have a vision to conserve and protect what's left of our salmon, steelhead, and wild trout.
I'll be bringing my boat back down to Nevada City for the winter in a few weeks. It's always a gamble to wait until the latest time to do so, wait too long and towing a boat over the summit with snowy conditions is not fun, and very nerve racking. I'll still be offering walk and wade trips which can be very successful if the ice does not come on too early. I've got open dates on my calendar for November if you're interested in being guided at Frenchman's Lake, hit me up at 530.228.0487 and let's go fishing!
See you on the water...
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