Lake Davis & Frenchman's Lake Fishing Report 5/31/2017

With Lake Davis being 13 feet higher than last fall it has been very tough locating fish in the usual spots. The behavior of the resident rainbows has been very odd. A large population of them is in deeper water, 20 to 30 feet down in the main channel of Grizzly creek by the big island. Out of reach for fly anglers, but the trolling meat hunters are being successful, and unfortunately keeping everything they catch. 

Water temperatures are between 60 and 63 degrees. There is a ton of food available for the trout. Last week the carpenter ants littered the water’s surface yet not one single rising fish, again very odd behavior. Damsels have started to hatch but not in big numbers yet, the migration will be late this year as with other hatches. Other aquatics in the mix are blood midges, callibaetis mayflies, snails, and smaller chironomids. 

Fishing is very slow at this time but conditions should change once the damsel hatch kicks into high gear. All the boat ramps are open, and there is good access all over the lake. There are very little spots from the shoreline to fish from so make sure you bring a personal floating device, you’ll have more opportunities to choose from. I will say that the future looks bright with the amount of water that is in the lake and the change in management policy from DFW putting in more catchable trout, and less fingerlings.

Frenchman’s Lake has been fishing a bit better, like Lake Davis, it too is full to brim and still spilling over. Fish are scattered and in all levels of the water column. Water temperatures here are 61 to 63 degrees. Not very many hatches at all right now, just lots of small chironomids, and the occasional callibaetis mayfly. 

Stripping buggers and wiggle tails with a sink tip or an intermediate line has been effective, and the bobber rig is equally successful. Keep in mind that water skiing and jet skis are allowed at Frenchman’s, it can be noisy and crowded. You’ll do better if you can find secluded coves, and softer water. There is no dock at the main boat ramp, but Lunker point does have a dock in the water. Look for conditions to improve in the weeks to come at both lakes. See you on the water...

Tent Caterpillars among the sagebrush of Lake Davis 

Lake Davis Stillwater Outings 2017 w/ Baiocchi's Troutfitters & Reno Fly Fishing Outfitters

We have a few more spots to fill before our popular Lake Davis Outings are full! 

The outings will be a 2 and a half day event that will cover advanced stillwater techniques, proper rigging, shoreline wading, as well as float tube, pontoon boat, and small pram techniques. There will be plenty of free time to practice and catch some of those big beautiful rainbows at Lake Davis. More than a clinic, these outings provide a great social atmosphere where you’ll meet other fly anglers who share the same enthusiasm as you do when it comes to fly fishing.

We will be spending the weekend sharing some of our proven techniques on how to fish Lake Davis and also teaching anglers the techniques to use on all western stillwaters. We will cover everything from early morning sight fishing the shoreline, to deep water nymphing in the middle of the day, and how to best approach the evening Hexagenia hatch. Also covered will be leader set ups for all stillwater applications, entomology (damsels, midges, callibaetis, backswimmers, scuds), equipment requirements, flies, locations, and watercraft. Lake Davis is the perfect venue to sharpen your stillwater skills and practice some of our advanced techniques.

Stillwater Outing Schedule:

Friday afternoon – check-in and rod set up and rigging, dinner at the camp, our detailed PowerPoint presentation on how to approach Lake Davis in the spring and summer months, and an intro to the weekend’s events.

Saturday & Sunday – Two full days of fishing and learning new techniques on the lake with Jon and Rob, including lunch both days and dinner Saturday night.

Dates: June 9-11 & 16-18

Fee: $325

Limited to 14 anglers.

For more detailed information, click HERE

To secure your spot contact me at 530.228.0487, or email at baiocchstroutfitters@yahoo.com

Giving Back to the Lower Yuba River - SYRCL Hammon Bar Restoration Project

Volunteering my time is important to me on local rivers and fisheries that I guide on. Today I worked with staff from the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) on the Hammon Grove Willow Restoration Project, as I did last year, but the task at hand today was different. With the six major high water events this past winter, including two at over 80,000 cubes, gravel, cobblestones, and finer material was moved throughout the system. Today was all about relocating and tagging the plots of different species of willows and cottonwoods.

Team leader Courtney Hudson, Restoration Coordinator, used advanced GPS and a detailed map to find the remaining plots to be tagged, while Anna Schwyter, River Monitoring Coordinator, matched each plot with the correct id number tag. My job was the installation technician.

We worked great together as a team and affixed the proper tag to each plot. You would be blown away with the amount of material that was spread over Hammon Bar, some of the willows and cottonwoods that we measured last year were half the size due to being submerged by the new added material. 

So why are willows and cottonwoods so important to the Lower Yuba River? They capture woody debris which in turn controls silt, plus provides salmon, steelhead, and trout fingerlings with cover to hide from predators during higher flows. In some cases, they also provide adult fish with the same type of helpful habitat. Birds, adult aquatic insects, beavers, and rattlesnakes also benefit from the foliage.  

Courtney will be on site for the next three weeks collecting data at Hammon Bar, volunteers are needed and she sure would appreciate any help. You can contact her at 530.265.5961 ext. 216. If you have the time and want to give back to the river you love, give her a call and lend a hand.

http://yubariver.org/

I had a great time being next to the Yuba River and can't thank Courtney and Anna enough for the awesome company and good times. We saw deer, turkey, a bald eagle, snowy egrets, a blue heron, mergansers, songbirds, rabbits, and of course the turkey vulture posse riding the thermals. Absolutely beautiful. As far as the river conditions go, the water clarity is a nice steelhead green with about 2 to 3 feet of visibility, flows were at 9,500 cfs, and not one aquatic insect to be found, I surely thought we would see a golden stone, or some caddis fluttering about. Oh well, maybe next time...

Truckee River Fishing Report 5/3/2017

Gigantic flows are still the norm on the Truckee River and with this brief heat wave they will increase even more. The flows at Glenshire are at 2,900 cubes, and down in the canyon they are at 5,500 cfs. You’ll see minor spikes with water levels in the late afternoon into the evening from the melting snowpack. Water temps are 46 to 48 degrees. Fishing pressure has been moderate, rafters and kayakers are floating down in big numbers on the weekends. Some days have been very productive while others have been slow with no rhyme or reason. 

Finding the slow and deep zones next to the bank is still the only option. There is really no need to wade off the bank, besides it’s a safety issue now. A guide friend lost his footing yesterday and went into the drink, he could not touch bottom, and the cold water took his breath away. He managed to save his rod and more importantly, his life. Wearing an inflatable PFD is not a bad idea, especially for those who are less mobile.

We are losing lots of flies due to all the new woody debris that is in the system. The regular high water flies are still producing with an emphasis on worms and stones. We’ve been picking up a few fish on flashback pheasant tails as there are a few March browns hatching. The girth on the resident wild trout is amazing, even the smaller fish have full protruding bellies. They are eating quite well. Whether you are tight lining or using an indo, setting the hook quickly will help you avoid getting snagged up. I recommend you set the hook often when you feel any resistance while tight lining, and for those indicator rigs, set on every little movement the bobber makes. Don’t just wait for it to go totally under the surface of the water. 

A weak storm system will roll into this weekend with a 60% chance of showers on Saturday, and rain/snow likely into the night, with a chance of rain/snow on Sunday. Air temperatures will be much cooler. I will be guiding exclusively at Lake Davis and Frenchman’s reservoir in the weeks to come. We are still waiting for the Forest Service to plow the Honker Cove boat ramp and parking lot. Fishing the stillwaters will be important in the northern Sierra until the runoff tapers off, which could be in a month or so, lots of snow to still melt at the higher elevations. If you’re interested in a stillwater trip, I’m only a phone call or an email away. 530.228.0487 / baiocchistroutfitters@yahoo.com. Be safe out there!