It's so awesome to be
back on water at Lake Davis. When you're away from something you love for a
period of time you kind of forget just how beautiful it can be. After a thick
blanket of fog burned off in the morning, sunshine and blue skies returned once
again. What makes this lake so special to me is just how gorgeous the landscape
is, and the bird life. Lots of game birds, namely Mallard ducks were huddled
down in secluded coves. The coot are back, and the California gulls and white
pelicans were stationed in their usual spots on the shoreline. Western grebes
and pie billed grebes trolled the surface for food and dived underwater for
pumkinseed and bass minnows. It's definitely fall as flocks of Sand Hill cranes
were migrating overhead for the greater Central Valley, and willows,
cottonwood, and aspen trees showed signs of the beginning of autumn colors. So
impressive.
What a difference a few cold storms can do for Lake Davis as
water temperatures have dropped considerably in the last week. The current
surface water temps are 59 in the morning rising to 61 in the afternoon. With
below freezing temperatures at night they will continue to plummet. Fishing was
better than expected with a mixture of Eagle Lake rainbows planted in spring,
and larger athletes up to 20 inches. Fishing pressure was extremely light and
so quiet you could hear a blood midge hatch. Grasshopper campground will close
October 15th, but Lightning Tree campground will be open until the snows of
winter engulf the lake.
The trout are spread out, and with the drop in water
temperatures they are abandoning their summer homes and searching for new areas
to feed and fatten up for winter. No newly planted brown trout were caught but
it's only a matter of time. From 9am to noontime, there is a good blood midge
hatch in a size 14, and sparse amounts of the last brood of Callibaetis
mayflies. Right now, covering water with an intermediate line and stripping Jay
Fair buggers, wiggle tails, and trolling flies in brown, rust, burnt orange,
dark olive, and black is your best bet. We caught our fish in water that was 10
to 23 feet deep, 3 to 5 feet down. I didn't see any rise forms next to the
bank, but that will change very soon.
Every week will get better from here on out, and the fishing
should peak near the end of October. If you fish the Lake, please take a few
minutes out of your time and go to J&J Grizzly store and give them a
fishing report, good or bad. It will be very appreciated. I'm excited to see
what transpires in the coming weeks, maybe we'll see days of old return once
again. I'll be up at the lake quite a bit, so if you see me, say hello, and
let's swap some fish stories. See you out there...
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