Eagle Lake Report - The Wrath of Freezing Fog!



First off the straight scoop.  After a slow November the trend has creeped into December.  With not very many fish actively working the shallows, bank fishing has been slow.  Water temps are running 34.5 to 40 degrees.  Fish that have been caught have been perfect specimens running 2.5-4 pounds.  Not many chubs around but stomach contents revealed scuds.  Effective flies were brown/olive scuds #12, and Jay Fair wiggle tails in dark fiery cinnamon.  The trout are really battling hard and I suggest using 3x tippet, 2x if your are stripping a chub.  Air temps are running around 15 degrees to high 30's / low 40's, expect freezing fog in the mornings - Any amount of wind will only make it colder.  Bank fishing should pick up once the full moon phase passes.  There is a new ramp on the west side of the south marina just past the general store and the breaker wall.  There is no dock, and it's prone to wind but it drops off quickly into deep water. 

On Thursday we fished late from 12-3pm.  Right away I had two fish.  The wind was right in our face but that's why a 7wt is the rod of choice here.  Tony hooked one and we kept casting but never got another bump.

EAGLE LAKE CHROME.

DOG FIGHT!

Friday morning brought the dreaded death fog - It's beyond cold.  Even the smallest of fire can bring relief.

We burned what we could find but the rocky points don't have much, a dead duck gave the fire a little fat to juice it up a bit.  I'm bringing out some oak and pitch wood next time!



STRIPPING FLIES COATED IN DEATH FOG.



Once the fog starts lifting and the sun pierces through the cold you can instantly feel the warmth, and the ice in your guides begin to soften.  This makes so happy!

Saturday brought the same conditions as Friday but with no wind.  It was perfect conditions for large rainbows to come in and sip in the skinny water, but only a few showed themselves.

These are the remains of a native American fish camp.  Back in the day the natives would build rock circles about three feet high, then lay pine branches over the top much like a tee pee for shelter.  The pile of rocks in the lower center of the picture is the oven they used to cook meals.  The history of this lake is just as amazing as the fishing there.

The best news from the whole trip was that the scuds have increased their populations in the shallows!  Many areas were infested with scuds.  I'm heading back up next Friday so I'll let you all know how it goes this time around.  I know one thing...It's gonna be cold!

Baiocchi's Troutfitters Swag Now Available!

My new store is now open!  You can purchase hoodies, t-shirts, hats, stainless steel water bottles, coffee mugs, and stickers with my logo.  Fly our colors the next time you go fishing!.  Click on the link and check it out!  http://www.cafepress.com/baiocchistroutfitters

 

Eagle Lake Fishing Report

I spent a few days up at the pond to celebrate my 46th birthday, do some scouting, and fish.  Tuesday and Wed. the weather was very nice and sunny, and the nights not too cold.  We fished the south basin and had T's boat to use as a high speed taxi to jump from shoal to shoal.  Water temps ran from 44 degrees in the morning warming to 50 by mid day. 

                    5AM - Wader up, coffee made, rods rigged.  One cold boat ride coming up!

Fog greeted us once it got light, there is no two ways about it - The fog sucks.  It's cold and it gives one the sense of vertigo, your balance is off, and it is hard to see rising fish.  A few fish came in for about a half hour and then they were gone though we did get a few taps and LDR's.

About 10:30am the fog began to break and our friend the sun was so much appreciated!  We fished about several areas but the fish never came into the shallows.  We marked a ton of fish hangin out on the first ledge 12-20 feet down.  The game we like to fish is when the trout come into the skinny water and show themselves,  But an angler in a tube or boat can have a good shot at these deeper fish using an indicator or a good sinking line.

 Snow geese were really on the move for the central valley, they were flying day and night.  We estimated about 3- 4 thousand birds flying over Eagle Lake in a 24 hour period.

There is nothing like having a good trout dog in the crew, the ever observant Lyle looking for sippers.

                                                                            We had a good simple camp...

                                                        The boat was right there ready to go at O Dark thirty...

And the fire was blazing and kickin out heat.  When you camp at Eagle Lake bring more wood than you think you need - Once that sun goes away it's cold!

Thursday brought a powerful fast approaching cold front and big wind right out of the chute at O Dark.  This was not a camera day.  We fished the Circus Grounds and T had one on until it spit the hook.  We then fished another shoal by Slough Point, the wind was pushing chub minnows up against rock spines leaving them disorientated and the fish took full advantage of this.  In the next hour and a half I hooked 6 landing three on the Jay Fair "Searching" fly (see above) in brown with copper flash and the chub minnow version, with a white tail, pearl body, and a olive wing with a few strands of pearl krystal flash.  The wind became stronger and we could have still fished but we were looking at a rodeo of a boat ride back to camp.  By the time we were packed up and done shuttling it was raining lightly to a heavy mist with big black angry clouds to the west.  This storm is much needed to put the fear of winter into these trout and get them in the shallows for good.  I'll be back up in a week and I really can't wait to fish my favorite still water!



                               Enjoy the radiant heat of pitchwood

Featured Guide in Fly Fishing & Tying Journal

I'm proud to announce I've been featured in Fly Fishing & Tying Journal magazine in their "Guide Profile" column.  It's a short interview that reveals my favorite flies, favorite destinations, and a little bit about myself.  I'm very honored to be included in such a fine publication!  Though the article is not available on line, you can find it at most fly shops.  Special thanks to Dave Kilhefner of FF&T magazine for making this happen.  You can treat yourself to a subscription by following this link; http://www.amatobooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=FTJ-MAG&Category_Code=MAGAZINE_SUBSF

My New Home

After care taking for my dad for 14 years I've relocated him to the Napa Valley, and now that I'm free I've made up my mind to live at a lower elevation during the cold winter months.  Ever since high school I've chased the storms around the world in search of powder.  In fact I have devoted 32 years of my life to snowboarding, 10 of those being a top professional.  I'm done with owning a home at 5,000 ft.  All the plowing, the blowing, and the shoveling can suck hind tit for all I care!

I now call Nevada City my home and things are good.  I've got my sweet heart, my heeler by my side, and a good solid house.  There's something strange here, there are actual services!  Anything I want can be found here and I don't have to go to Reno or Quincy!  There is water to fish, and Donner Summit is 40 minutes away to get my pow fix.  I'll still be guiding in Plumas, Lassen, and Sierra counties from May until the rivers close and the lakes ice up - When you have spent hundreds upon hundreds of days on water you know, walking away just can't be done during fishing season.  Nope, you just look to the future and hope for the best....... 

Sight Fishing Season Is Open At Lake Davis!

The fishing at Lake Davis is getting ready to peak, and with this cherry weather we've been having it does not get any better!  It's so good that in the last week the fish are foraging in ankle deep water as they hunt the shoreline for an unlucky crawdad.  You can actually "see" the fish move right in front of you, and your fly has got to hit on the head as their vision is so short and narrow in 6" of water.   Keys to successful sight fishing is keeping the sun at your back, staying low, and as little movement as possible.  The fall sun is so productive for this kind of fishing, it is lower in the sky and illuminates the side of the fish like a neon sign.

Quiet coves like this one above have been the most productive, it pays to watch the shoreline closely for rising fish.  The trout are now getting active in the middle of the day, I saw my first riser at 10:30am.  I C&R 5 trout today, and 4 of them were sight fished to - To see the take 10 feet in front of you is such a rush!

The color of the fish this fall are the best I've seen in a number of years!  Today they liked the Sheep Creek special in a #10.

I love driving up to the lake in fall and being greeted by this old growth stand of aspens.  The glow they radiate is awesome.  The leaves are starting to fall and these colors will be gone soon - Get it while you can!

Another rare find on the banks of Grizzly Creek, a beautiful little member of the harebell family, called Calico Flower, or Downingia.

 

Lake Davis Fishing Report - Big Changes!

I went up to the lake yesterday to check conditions after last weeks snow storm, I was greeted by 26 degree temps and freezing fog on the water.  The roads are fine and all the snow is gone.  I fished Cow south and got to my favorite point.  Water temps at 8:30am were 50.3 degrees rising to 55.6 by 1pm.  No bug activity, and very few risers.  The pods of rainbows I had been fishing to using the dry, are gone.  Fished a Sheep Creek special in a size 10 for an hour and not a bump.



Madison soaked in the warmth of the sun but was not pleased by my lack of catching.  He reminded me that after the first rain the fish smell that new sweet water and like to gang up in the north end of the lake - We were gone!

I did more scouting today than fishing, and the fish are on the move after the storm.  I C&R 4 rainbows in 25 minutes on the Sheep Creek special.  fish ranged from 16-17 inches and were clean - No parasites.  Give the fish a week or so to adapt to the new water temps and the fishing will only improve.  I was going to fish today but this surprise rain storm halted my trip, but there are many days left to get out there and touch a few fish.

Lake Davis News Flash! The Fall Bite Is On!

After getting two good reports from my friend Pete, I headed up to the lake to find out for myself.  It's been a while since I've taken my heeler Madison up for some fun.  He loves this lake more than anything else (except beef), so without him knowing I loaded the truck up and we were gone.  After the first cattle guard crossing he knew all to damn well where we were going!  I fished the Cow Creek area and there was not a soul in sight, bliss silence, and not a puff of wind - Complete glass.  I just walked the bank and looked for risers, and there was plenty of targets.  The rainbows would be in pods and singles just cruising around in 3-8 feet of water down the shoreline.  The surface water temps at 10am were 61.2 and by noon were at 65.5.  Calibaetis mayflies #16 were present in both duns and spinners.  Blood midge #14 were hatching as was a #18 tan midge.

 I fished the dry today, a #14 blood midge emerger that floats well, yet sits flush in the film.  I hooked 6 fish, and missed 2.  It was fun fishing today, working to a single fish until you got a take.  All my fish were clean today with lots of color ranging from 16-19".  They are red hot torpedo's when hooked, blistering runs like days of old!  I'm finding cleaner fish in the skinny water and fish with parasites out in deeper open water - ?  From here on out till the lake ices over there will be some incredible fishing!  Look for the peak to be around the last week of Oct.  I hope many of you can get out and take advantage of the fall fishing here at Lake Davis - It's special.

Middle Fork Feather River Report

Today I had the pleasure of guiding Jack and Rich, high school buddies who are now retired and love to fish.  Our original plan was to fish the Camp Layman area but as I crossed the bridge I was shocked to see coffee colored water!  The insane thunderstorms last evening must have caused a land slide in the Jamison creek watershed as the water was clear above the confluence.  So we drove back to Graeagle and just fished in town.  There was a good BWO spinerfall, tons of midge, and a few caddis thrown in the mix.  No sign of the Isonychia mayfly yet.  Water temps ran 60 - 62.5 degrees from 9am to 1:30pm.  With lower water temps the fishing has improved drastically with many rising trout in all types of water.

Jack with a nice MF Cuttbow, yes that's right, a hybrid Rainbow/Cutthroat trout!  This is the first one I have ever seen here on this river.  Effective flies today were BWO egg laying soft hackle #16, bead head PT flashback #16, and club sandwich hoppers #8 in tan and grey.  The fish are really keyed in on the hoppers right now, we saw plenty of aggressive takes!



This was a rare find, the velvety stickseed wild flower.  So minute your average bear would just walk on by, but up close they show you their glory.  Fall is gaining strength here in the Sierras, and for the fly angler it is the best time of year.  Enjoy!

Tying The Loop Wing BWO Dry Fly

Scientific Names for the BWO include; Family Baetidae, genera Baetis, Diphetor, Acentrella, Plauditus; Family Ephemerellidae, genus Attenella.  Common Names: Blue-winged olive, tiny olive, BWO, and pseudo cleon.  These tiny mayflies are rarely absent from the river. Fishable hatches can begin as early as February and continue through June, then start up again in September and last until really cold weather sets in.  This year because of our unusual spring and summer I saw hatches all season long here on the MFFR.

Nymphs live in almost all types of running water, but slow to moderate runs hold the largest populations. Nymphs have a habit of purposefully drifting short distances in the current to find a new home (behavioral drift); sunrise and sunset are the prime times for this activity.  In the far West, the best hatches occur on overcast or drizzly days. While slow runs can be good places to fish, some of the best fishing is in back eddies, where little duns are helpless caught in the swirling waters and sticky foam.

Emerger patterns are especially useful during the hatch. When fishing a massive hatch, you might try a dun or cripple pattern that is slightly darker or of different size than the natural.  Spinner falls are important, so you should always carry a few patterns during the blue-winged olive season. Some spinners actually swim or crawl below the water to lay their eggs, so swinging sub-surface soft hackles is a smart choice.  The BWO is your friend no matter how small the hatch is!

A few notes when tying this fly.  Place a very small ball of dubbing before you tie in the tails, this will allow them to "perk up".  Keep the body slender and dub with tight wraps.  For the wing, form it by twisting it slightly and tie it in like a parachute wing.  Then take your bodkin and pull the loop into the correct size and shape - then tie off with tighter wraps.  A very small drop of glue at the base of the wing after the hackle is tied in makes it bomb proof.

RECIPE:

Hook:  Tiemco 101 #16-22.
Thread:  Olive 8/0 uni thread.
Tail:  Two micro fibbets in olive.
Body:  Super fine olive or brown/olive dubbing.
Wing:  Dun colored Z-lon.
Hackle:  Grizzly, wrapped parachute style.

Middle Fork Feather River Report

The MFFR is fishing well but the river is in it's Summer time flows, water temps are in the low 60's in the morning and nearing 70 degrees in the heat of the day.  Fishing early in the morning and late in the evening is your best bet.  Also find shady areas of the river, and fish below feeder creeks that are still providing cold water.  Many fish can be found on the bottom of deep holes keeping cool as well.  There is a decent blue wing olive spinner fall in the am and swinging egg laying adult soft hackles in the riffles has been very productive.  In the evening you can expect caddis in sizes 12-18, and there is a good hatch of pale evening duns size 12.



Steve from Danville, CA enjoyed a secluded part of the Middle Fork this past Saturday, he was all smiles watching his son Eric get into a few. All types of rigs are working now, swinging, high stick nymphing, dry flies, and a hopper with a dropper. Small flies are producing better than the bigger patterns. The hoppers are out and the fish are just starting to key in on them, and don't forget about ant patterns! In the coming months we have two special hatches to look forward to the Isonychia mayfly, and the Oct. Caddis.  Look for a creekin report later this week and best of luck to you out there!

The "Blazing Star" wildflower on the banks of the MFFR.



"What?" "You didn't bring your fly rod!"

That was the response from a few friends when I told them I went to the North Yuba River and the Lakes Basin area without bringing any fishing gear.  I've been guiding and fishing so much that sometimes I need to get away spend some quality time with my sweetie the biologist.  I have so much fun with her identifying bugs, flowers, trees, and so much more.

By not fishing and seeing all this juicy water around me I get the "stoke" back, salivating like a rabid dog looking to kill.  The North Yuba is a real gem and if you have never fished it - Just do it!

I've visited many mountain ranges in North America but the Sierras are some of my favorites with their sharp sawtooth silhouettes.  The Sierra Buttes are breath taking and oh so beautiful!

As I get older I've come to appreciate the finer things in life, like wildflowers.  Each one is so unique requiring different habitats, soils, and the right amount of sunlight.  With all the water we had over last winter and spring there is still so many flowers to see.



If you have never been to the Mills Peak Lookout it's a must do!  The view is out of this world.  From the tower one can see Mt. Lassen, Graeagle, Mohawk Valley, the Sierra Valley, the Sierra Buttes, the Nevada border peaks, and Gold Lake just to name a few landmarks.  Located off the Gold Lake highway it is a 3 mile drive up a good gravel road to the summit, and while your in the area check out the "Red Fir nature trail" - A very impressive old growth stand of "Snow Trees".

"Yep, I didn't bring my rod, but I had so much fun just being out there in the thick of it!"

Pro Guide Direct

I am sharing this gear list with you as it has products that I recommend and you might find useful and fun to have on your future trips. Having lived and fished in the Northern California area for the last 38 years, I feel very confident in these products and I know you will, too.

http://gearlist.proguidedirect.com/RegistryDisplay.cfm?cid=602&id=16142

I also want you to know that Pro Guide Direct helps support me by giving back a percentage of every sale to my business. By purchasing products through Pro Guide Direct you are helping support my guide service, so that I can continue to guide you, your friends and family, and keeping the dream alive. Thank you for your support!

If you have any questions please let me know baiocchistroutfitters@yahoo.com. I look forward to sharing some quality time with you on the water!

Jon Baiocchi.

Where Magic Lives

As you approach your favorite cove on a special stillwater time stops.  Your the only person there, nobody on shore, and no other boats on the horizon.  The lake has turned to glass and as the evening fades colors of light shine like a mirror back at you.  The hatches have started, blood midge, caddis, and the white winged sulfur mayflies.  Pods of rainbows are beginning to rise now.  There are so many fish you don't even know where to cast.  The bugs become thicker, in your eyes, nose, and mouth.  The only sounds are the hum of wings, and splashy rises from fish taking emergers.  Now the fish are rising right next to the boat completely oblivious to you.  They could care less.  You've hooked several rainbows on the dry fly and keep casting until it's so dark, you can't see the fly anymore.  The moon rises above the mountains, glowing, and as you look around still hearing the fish rise you say to yourself, "This is where magic lives..."

Website Updated!

I've updated my website and added a few special pages that offer even more services to the fly fishing community: http://www.baiocchistroutfitters.com/.  When a person or business treats me right and goes the extra distance I like to share that with other people so they can receive the same benefits as I did.  My web designer Christine Elder http://christineelder.com/ is one of those.  Christine created all of my business marketing materials including my website, logo, business cards, brochure, and car door magnets.  She also walked me through the process of promoting my business through a blog so I could update it on my own, anytime.  Her attention to detail and savvy advice are priceless!  If your're looking to increase sales and exposure for your own business I highly recommend Christine - She takes it to the next level and beyond!  For more information on her services and to contact her please use the link above.

MFFR Fishing Report



The Middle Fork Feather River is in great shape for trout fishing from Clio all the way down to the wild zone.  I guided Matthew in the Graeagle area yesterday and the water temps ranged from 63-66 degrees from 9am to 1pm.  The upper section of the river above Two Rivers is stabilizing into the normal summer time flows but as the weeks progress we will see warmer water temps.  The fish will seek out feeder creeks, and shady areas traveling many miles to seek out cooler water temps and the perfect home.  There are so many bugs out right from dawn until dusk.  Mornings are showing a BWO spinnerfall (size 18), mixed in with caddis (sizes 12-18), and my favorite summer time hatch the little green stonefly.  This stoner should not be confused with the yellow sally stonefly, it is a special stonefly in that it hatches mid stream and does not crawl on a rock to split it's exoskeleton.  They are a size 12 with a lime green body and clear wings, the most effective way to fish this hatch is with the nymph.  Evenings are producing hatches of yellow sallies (size 16), caddis as mentioned above, and a few golden stone adults (size 6) ovipositing.

Matthew displaying a typical wild rainbow from the MFFR, this was his first time fishing a river and learning the varied methods that catch trout.  He's a real troutstalker when it comes to stillwaters as he caught and released a 4 pound brown out of the Graeagle mill pond on Sunday!  He did well yesterday with a hopper and a caddis emerger dropper, stripping a black wooley bugger, and high stick nymphing with the little green stonefly.  The river is going to fish well mornings and evenings all the way to the fall season.  Summer is fading fast so come on up and enjoy a beautiful day on the MFFR!