Lake Davis / Frenchman's Res. Presentation 12/11

On December 11th I will be featuring my Lake Davis and Frenchman's Reservoir power point presentation at the Russian River Fly Fishers general meeting. I'll walk you around on my virtual tour and explain access areas, entomology, gear requirements, specialized techniques, tactics, and how the fly angler approaches the different seasons. Vibrant colorful photographs, maps, and diagrams gives the audience clear and useful information for their next trip at Lake Davis and Frenchman's Res.

Insider tips, and current information will also be shared like the new Hexagenia mayfly hatch, and increasing populations of the snails that are making this fishery one of the healthiest still waters in the North state. Attendance is free and visitors are always welcome. For more information go here; Russian River Fly Fishers club meetings

I encourage those fly anglers in the area to come see my presentation if you're seriously interested in learning about these two fine still waters, and the skills need to be successful in fishing them! 

November Love at Lake Davis

How I love those warm early November days in the Northern Sierra on a gorgeous and productive still water. Just being in the realm of it all, living large, and taking in some much needed therapy of an aggressive feeding rainbow trout taking your fly with reckless abandon. It's hard to describe the feeling I get when I watch rookies and novices have an epic day on the water at Lake Davis, There is a rush to it, yet there is also satisfaction in sharing the knowledge to see them be successful. Learning the subtle take and the strip set is vital, it's a feeling that is acquired through countless takes, and fall still water is the perfect time to feel and learn the grab.

The lake has been fishing extremely well, and all the access areas from the middle lake to the extreme North have been productive if you can find the fish. Water temps this last week ran 41-50 degrees. Most anglers are having great success with a wide variety of different presentations. The last two weeks has been excellent for my guests who racked up some pretty big numbers that make us look greedy, but when the catchings good you got to get all you can!

Here are a few more shots of of some seriously stoked still water fly guys; Honest clean happiness.

     

Ray and Tom from Amador Flyfishers were super stoked!

Weather for the upcoming week is looking good after this weak system passes through with a 10-20% chance of of isolated showers, there is colder temperatures coming our way with lows in the mid 20's and highs reaching 45-50 degrees. Be warned, the ice and snow is coming and with it constant changing conditions on how much shore ice we get and which coves will begin to ice up, as well as reliable access. 

The trout will begin to migrate to the southern lake as we enter late November into December. Hot orange wiggle tails can be deadly as the water temps decline. Weather will be the deciding force from now until ice up. There is still plenty of game left at the lake if you can seek out, adjust, and adapt. 

   Late Season Still Water Trips Available Now!

As late falls sets in on Lake Davis there is a point I have to put the boat away. But for those of you who are in good shape and willing to hike to different sections of the lake there can be some prime opportunities and some great fishing; right of the bank. It's a whole different game than my regular trips, we bring packs filled with gear, hot food, and whatever it takes to cast to a willing rainbow. Please email me here for inquiries if you're seriously interested in a still water trout adventure! You know you want it, you want to feel the grab...Here are a few shots from last year's action; 

Flats Fire - Autumn Still Water Trout in Moving Pictures

Here it is, the latest project from Ken Hanley and I. "Flats Fire" captures what Autumn still water fly fishing is really all about!

So Sweet!

  

Pumpkin Trout Insanity

Ghosts, goblins, and witches are the standard when it comes to Halloween, so what is it about this last day of October that has produced the most incredible fishing I have ever experienced? Only those in the afterlife have the answer I suppose. The two significant days that revolve around in my mind and give me flashes of grand display from time to time would be the McCloud River in 98 presenting the October Caddis dry to so many large trout it could never be duplicated. The other was when a close fishing buddy and I found an active feeding pod off Pelican Point at Eagle Lake in 2001, a hundred plus fish gave us game for 3 days and the biggest catch rates I have ever seen on the pond. Days on the water like these may not ever happen again. Days like these are golden memories that will never be forgotten.

It happened again this past Halloween on the pristine waters of Lake Davis. Absolute magic. Myself and a regular guest of mine headed out into the cold air filled with patches of freezing fog to the hunting grounds. Normally I do not fish when on a guide trip but this man insisted I do so. Conditions were perfect, a very warm and windless day and by luck a mega pod of rainbows I had found the previous day was waiting for our offerings. The pod was suspended in 2-6 feet of water in the upper column taking advantage of the most comfortable water temps and weed beds that held a vast amount of aquatic insects. Finding fish in these amounts of numbers do not happen often, in fact it is a rarity.

Mark from San Jose slayed them on Halloween.

The catching was so silly that if one of us did not get a bump or a hook up in 5 minutes we would be shocked. I don't want to say it got boring but after a while we started to tie on flies just to see what they would not take. The trout took them all with no questions asked. It was utterly amazing! When the day was done 97 fish were touched with 48 to the net! My thumb looked like raw hamburger from releasing so many trout. Teeth. It was yet again another day where I question myself and say “Did that just really happen?”  “Really?”

I think Halloween just may be my favorite holiday if this sort of fishing keeps happening. Our good luck had a lot to do with a small snow storm and front that graced the lake. It got the trout’s attention for sure and sparked a feeding frenzy that has kept up since then. With water temps now running 41-49 degrees it won’t be long before the ice takes hold and winter sets in. Only the hardy need apply now so man up and get out there, the grabs are waiting.

Oh, by the way, a few shots from yesterday. Though the clarity of water was very dirty from the previous day’s wind, we did find a few clearings. The trout were still there…

Neil from Reno with his biggest fish ever on a fly rod, way to go buddy!

Ricky from Calistoga stoked on his first Lake Davis rainbow!

Gypsy Tour 2013 - Week 4

Four weeks on the road sharing the knowledge of our classic still waters and it never gets old. Once I show my guests the skinny water game of cat and mouse with a large rainbow, they're literately hooked for life. A stalked trout off the bank is worth 10 on the bobber. There is no comparison. Some days are better than others and when the planets align themselves and perfect conditions exist it's like magic.

Mark from San Jose with a nice rainbow from Lake Davis - Look at those shoulders!

Lake Davis has been the main venue, and we finally got some of those warm windless days that dreams are made of. With calm days the trout are very spooky and using longer leaders with perfect presentations is a must. Slapping the water in front of you repeatedly is not good, a few false casts and let it fly to your destination. Water temps are now running 44 in the morning warming to 53 in the afternoon. Mornings are a bit slow but once the shallow water warms to 50 degrees, it's game on. Pressure has been heavy and you can blame that on me and this blog. It's hard for me not to share, being selfish and greedy is not what I'm all about. Helping the local economy and seeing other anglers enjoy themselves in beautiful surroundings is. 

Dave from Walnut Creek with a slab.

As for flies the most effective pattern in the last week has been a Jay Fair dark fiery cinnamon wiggle tail with a rust tail, #12. I've been hammering certain coves and let me tell you those trout are really getting tired of me and my guests. Refusals? Even during the silly season? You bet! My good friend Gene showed me a fly that I have duplicated and it gets the grab from those picky rainbows. The key is tying your wiggle tail more sparse and using some Spirit River UV2 dubbing. Also adding a little lead above the hook point will allow the fly to drop ass down so that tail comes straight up on the pause. Use a fixed loop knot when tying on your fly for even more action.

Bob from Oakland getting revenge at Lake Davis after a disappointing trip at Eagle Lake.

The fishing at Lake Davis has slowed down in the last week, my first two guesses are heavy pressure and the full moon having a drastic effect. But conditions are changing; Snow. A front finally came in and with it some big wind. Gusts so strong it ripped my business magnets off the sides of my truck while driving though the Sierra Valley yesterday while I was dodging tree limbs, tumble weeds, and heavy debris. I think with a little snow on the banks those trout just might get the clue that more is on the way and will feed even more aggressively in the weeks to come. We'll see...

Photo by Val Aubrey of eaglelakefishing.net

During my Gypsy tour I spent 5 days guiding at Eagle Lake, a lake I know very well and have spent countless days roaming the banks for the now elusive Eagle Lake Rainbow. In all my years I have never seen the pond fish so poorly. 

The current low water levels have completely changed the behavior of the trout, Tui Chub minnows, and has decimated the habitat of the freshwater shrimp. Add to that a full moon, calm conditions, and what I believe are very low populations of trout, and you have some rough conditions. It was so bad that I took my guests from two separate bookings to Lake Davis the next day so they could remember what it was like to feel the grab from a hungry rainbow. It's so sad...and many of my colleagues have agreed we may never see Eagle Lake recover the water levels of days gone by in our life time. Help is on the way though and some actions by state and federal agencies have started to go in motion, not to mention the Eagle Lake Guardians. Time will tell, but will it be too late?

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of working once again with Ken Hanley of Pacific Extremes on a still water project I've been looking so forward to. We both wanted to capture the essence of stalking trout on the flats at Lake Davis. We got lucky! Beautiful windless weather allowed us to capture stunning fall color mirrored in the fertile waters. The short video is still being edited but once it is done you can see it here or on Ken's website. I hope everyone of you has an opportunity to cross paths with Ken in the future, his enthusiasm and love for fly fishing is so inspiring! What a good dude!

The fall colors peaked as well this week and the drive up Lake Davis road from Portola was mind blowing. When the sun is just right the aspens, cottonwoods, and willows glow like coals from a well stoked fire. Here is a little eye candy for you;

Another two weeks on the road with trips awaits me. I want to thank all my guests and friends who have helped me along the way on this great journey, I'm so lucky to have you in my camp and appreciate your kindness from the bottom of my heart. After the fall still water season is done I'm eagerly looking forward to spending some quality time in my home office in Nevada City writing new articles, tying flies, and unleashing some new projects for 2014. 

Life is grand.....

Fall Magic Continues at Lake Davis

When I walk the rich shoreline of Lake Davis in fall I’m a bit over whelmed at the heart stopping sights and sounds that wrap around my body and over take my soul. It’s one of the finest pleasures I have ever experienced since being on this big blue marble. Diving ducks chirping away, glassy water, and rise forms in the distance. You think to yourself at times and ask “Did time stop?" “Is this for real?" When I’m in the thick of it I have to pinch myself and focus at the task at hand. Sometimes it doesn't happen. I’m known at times to be quite content sitting on a grassy bank and studying a promising shallow water flat of weed beds and active feeding rainbows and their behavior. An awakening. 

The last week brought a small cold front through the area and the next two days after fishing was a little off for many but not all anglers. Even with a North wind on the 15^th I was able to get my guests into a small wind break that offered a soft window of water and rising trout. Sight fishing and casting to targets in shallow water is the most exciting thing you can do with a fly rod, it’s a must experience and a complex craft that should be learned by all still water fly anglers. 

I was finally able to share my still water passion with the “Da Dean” of guides, Frank R. Pisciotta of the legendary Thy Rod & Staff guide service in Truckee, Ca. on the 17^th with his buddy Steve from Carson City, Nv. It was a windless and warm day once the chilly 28 degree morning passed with at times just a ripple of a breeze on certain sections of your established cove. It was perfect. Targets and large rainbows were very close at times, up to 10 feet away.  The takes were subtle that day and pinpoint casting accuracy with a good clue on which direction the fish was traveling was the key to success. As a spotter it’s so much fun to locate a riser, track it, and direct my guest into the perfect cast that gets the grab.  At times you celebrate like your favorite team won the World Series! So rewarding….so memorable – the best!

It was great to see friends out on the water like Mario and Mike. An honest  hand shake, a laugh or two, and a few looks at some proto flies, and some large trout to hand. What it’s really all about.

So what’s the latest on the lake? Water temps are just a tad cooler than my last post, 45-53 from morning to afternoon. Fish are still a bit scattered and many not leaving their weed beds on the west shore from Jenkins to Cow Creek. The North end of the lake has had a steady increase in some very big pods moving around and if you are able to cover water effectively like a technician you can achieve some great fishing. New trout are showing up in small numbers everyday but nowhere near any sort of a dense population and silly stupid big number days yet. Stomach samplings have shown small scuds size 20 in a light to medium olive in large amounts. I've even noticed them on my waders after a few skinny water sessions. Small mixed chironomids size 24 – 16, size 12 red flying ants, and backswimmers rounded out the sampling.

Since we’re speaking trout food at Lake Davis look at this rare find, a freshly hatched Hexagenia October dun! Does this bug want me or what? Great…..Haunted by the Hex.

So getting back to fishing, all styles are working well. The personal water craft with 2 rigged rods consisting of a floating and clear camo intermediate line is your best approach. Cover water. Flies this week that produced were many from first hand reports from other anglers, the trout are hungry, aggressive, and getting dumber by the day – so many patterns producing. For me and my guests the UV2 Sheep Creek Special on the short scud hook has caught 70 percent of the fish in shallow water, while burnt orange, brown, and rust wiggle tails and leech patterns have accounted for the rest. Finding the fish and making smart presentations are more important than the pattern right now. Black, burnt orange, and hot orange has been extremely good the last 5 days. Vary your retrieves from slow to fast until you find the combination that gets the take. Check your fly on every presentation for weeds, coot activity has been extremely high and there is many floating weeds and grass to get hung up on. Be smart out there and willing to adapt to changing conditions. 

More fabulous weather in the forecast for the next week. Fall colors, big trout, and special memories await you at Lake Davis and many other Sierra waters. Consume…