NORCAL FRESH REPORTS

Published: Sep 01, 2010 ONE MORE REASON TO HIT EAGLE LAKE besides the trout: Labor Day fundraiser Clear Lake, Berryessa kokes good, Almanor ‘Grand Slam’...

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SOCAL ROBIN WADE FRESH STORIES Fishing continues to produce limits of big fish By Robin Wade/WON Staff Writer SPALDING TRACT —  Although the trout are in transition again, now that cooler nights and weather are starting to drop the water temperatures at Eagle Lake, fishing continues to produce limits of big fish. This coming holiday weekend Project Eagle Lake Trout will hold its last fundraiser of the season, too, at the Eagle Lake RV Park. The event features their popular horseshoe contests starting at 11, a great feast and Eagle Lake trout fishing seminars by Eagle Lake’s top guides as well as a few surprises and a great raffle. The general festivities start at 1 p.m.. Each guide will be raffling off a 1-day trip during the seminars as well. “We’re seeing changing conditions again,” said Tim Noxon from Fish Traveler Guide Service. “The weather was a good 20 degrees cooler during the day this past week. It will warm back up, but the nights will continue to stay cooler,” he said. “I’ve been starting out early in the shallows and then going out into deeper waters,” he said. “In the deeper waters we are still in 50 feet and set at 25 to 30 feet deep in the south basin of the lake. But due to cooling weather and lows in the high 30s at night, the trout are already migrating northwards into shallower water in the middle basin. “By the end of week, we had limits fishing from 6 to 12 feet deep with downriggers set at 4 to 6 feet deep,” Noxon said. “We had nice fish from 2 to 3 pounds and reports of several 4 pounders caught in the shallow waters as well.” Fishing locations on the west side were from Pelican Point south to Slough Point. “When you’re fishing in the shallows it’s important to troll at least 150 feet behind your boat or use a slide planer, because noise and motion spooks these fish in shallower waters,” he said. Best baits this past week included Sep’s brown grubs, olive colored trolling flies and nightcrawlers. “Bobber fishing slowed due to cooler weather and the scattering of both trout and baits,” said Ron Beck of Flying Eagle Guide Service and Taxidermy. “It took longer when bobber fishing and was better in 10 feet with trolling flies in the shallow waters but fish are scattered from 30 to 3 feet.” Almanor ‘Grand Slam’ a sign things are looking up! By Robin Wade/WON Staff Writer CHESTER— Lake Almanor fishing is starting to pick back up, as evidenced by this past week’s “grand slam” that included rainbow and brown trout, salmon, bass and even Sacramento perch on more than one trip. “I had three trips this past week and had what we call the ‘Almanor grand slam’ on all three,” said fishing guide Roger Keeling. “Sometimes we were even catching trout while trolling for bass. I used a combination of trolling worms, a lure for bass and trout (No. 1 pearl bikini Needlefish) and ultra-light lea core with three colors out,” Keeling said. The trick is to keep different set ups ready to go. “You can’t be messing around and changing set ups when the bite changes, you have to be ready. If the weather continues to cool, we should have a good fall bite and it may come a little earlier. If so, try the west side. Gradual warming back up next week may stall the onslaught of a fall bite, but when it comes the fish will be closer to the surface. Sometimes you can already see the trout pushing the bait up to the surface. If you are fishing deeper but see fish surface, try throwing a lure.” Keeling said 30 feet is still where he’s fishing, but the sporadic pushes are starting. “Some of the best fishing of the year should start to be on hand as recreational boaters are all but gone, waters are cooling and the bite will only improve after the full moon phase is behind us.” The main bite is still in a summer pattern, with deeper fish 30 to 40 feet, but if you have both deep trolling rods set up as well as surface set ups with lures ready to go, you may get a grand slam, too.  Berryessa kokes good for one more month By Robin Wade/WON Staff Writer NAPA  — Kokanee fishing at Lake Berryessa is far from over, but the days are numbered. Now is the time to get out there while the “getting’s good.” Kokes ranged between 171⁄2 to 21 inches long and the best water was out where the two channels come together. “Our best day this past week was Wednesday,” said Troy Barr from T-Roy’s Guides Service. “ We were on the fishing grounds just after 6 a.m. and right off the bat we had a fish on and it was nonstop for 3 hours. We put 15 fish in the box that measured between 171⁄2 and 21 inches long by 9 a.m.,” Barr said. “These fish have moved off structure and are in deep water,” he said. “Our best setups on Wednesday were 5.5 RMT dodgers in Hyper Plaid and Bahama, behind them we used Uncle Larry’s Blue Tiger, Mad Temptation, Copper Pop and Assassin Spinners in pink purple and pink splatter. The hot two lures in the first hour were pink Apex and green Apex behind the 5.5 Hyper Plaid,” he said. His best depths were 66 to 75 feet in the morning, but as it warmed up his last fish came from 80 feet at 9 a.m. “Friday’s trip we went to the same place but used different lures,” he said. “They didn’t want spinners; it was a 5.5 RMT Hyper Plaid with a green Apex, sliver/green Apex and a pink one trolled from 75 to 85 feet deep they wanted. The fishing was a little slower due to the pressure change but we got the work done with his limits and part of mine by 10 a.m.” “I see the season going till the end of September with a mixed bag of chrome fish, mature fish and next year’s 14- to 15-inch fish. It looks like another good year to come here as well.” Help may be on the way at Clear Lake By Robin Wade/WON Staff Writer KELSEYVILLE    — The good news is that there have been cooler overnight and daytime temperatures here at Clear Lake. Saturday’s high was only in the high 70s and this morning (Sunday) it was only 58 degrees here. These cooling temperatures are knocking down the algae. It isn’t gone, but for right now at least, it is clearing up. “The water temperature has been down in the low 70s in the morning with clarity anywhere from zero to 4 feet and the weeds are starting to drop down, too,” said bass guide Ross England. “We are optimistically waiting for these cooler temperatures to start the topwater bite that has been missing all summer. Hopefully this weather will get something started,” he said. Bass fishing remained pretty much the same. A few anglers who really knew what they were doing were putting 10 to 15 fish in the boat for a day of fishing. The fish are running 2.75 to 3.25 pounds pretty consistently though. But there were also still a number of anglers who were struggling to put a limit of fish in the boat. “Anglers should keep moving and looking for schools of bait with their electronics. Once located, there are catchable fish somewhere near. Night fishing hasn’t really been any better for the most part. The weekly evening turkey shoot has been producing a number of fish in the 6- and 7-pound range, so even though the numbers have not been great, there was still some size being caught.” The deeper water of the Rattlesnake and Redbud arms as well as the mid lake section of the Narrows were the more productive areas. Fish are being caught in shallow water out to water as deep as 25 feet.