Fish Traveler Guide Service
Fishing Report for Eagle Lake, CA

Post Date: Sunday, June 23, 2013

Howdy Folks,

GOOD NEWS: 

1.      In my last report I mentioned the size of Eagle Lake Trout we had caught to date were on the small size.  The bigger more “standard size” Eagle Lake Trout have started showing up in numbers in our catches over the last 10 days.

2.      Surface water temperature has cooled from 70 degrees down to 63 in the last 10                 days.  The trout should continue to feed in shallow water for the next 3 weeks or so.  When I’m trolling, we catch more and bigger fish when this is the case.

Trolling:                                                        

The trolling bite is pretty good, especially early.  If the water is flat and the sun is bright, the bite slows way down after the sun has been on the water for an hour or so.  Go early.

We are trolling pumpkinseed grubs in water 6-12 feet deep with the downriggers set at 4-5 feet deep.  As I mentioned above, we are catching bigger fish now.  There are still some small ones mixed in but the bigger fish are there too.  I’d say about 1/3 of the fish we are landing while trolling are 3lbs+.  Toll the west side of the lake below Pelican Pt all the way down to Shrimp Island.

Fly Fishing:                                                                                                        

One day real good, the next slow.  On “real good” days we hook, land, and release 20 fish. On a slow day 6-7.  With the moon full, we have been experiencing more “drive bys”.  Your indicator will twitch and go down for a second and then the fish is gone.  The bite should pick up as the moon wanes.  We are anchoring in 10-11 feet of water and nymphing over rock piles.  The fish we are catching when fly fishing are ALL very nice fish averaging 3lbs+.  Fly fishing should be good through the end of June.  After that, the water will be too warm for the fish to be feeding in shallow water.

Bobber Fishing:

Sill not so hot.  Not many folks are bobber fishing because the trolling is pretty good.  If  I was to guess, I’d say anchor up in the same areas we are trolling (mentioned above) and set a threaded night crawler at 7 feet deep.  Go early because the bobber bite is over when the sun hits the water.

Launching

I am no longer launching at the Spalding Launch Ramp.  The only boats I’ve seen launching there are “jets”. 

The launch ramp at the southern marina at Gallatin Marina is open and will be useable for the entire season.  Travel time between Spalding and the southern launch ramp is 25 minutes.  I am launching at Gallatin now.

Good Luck.  And do not hesitate to contact me if you need help with anything here at Eagle Lake.

Tim Noxon

Fish Traveler Guide Service

530-825-3524 residence

916-201-4648 cell

tnoxon@gmail.com

www.fishtraveler.com

 

 

Fish Traveler Guide Service
Fishing Report for Eagle Lake, CA

Post Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Howdy Folks,

We had a few days of very warm temperatures here at Eagle Lake this past week, with daytime temperatures in the low 90’s and the mid 50’s at night.  The surface water temperature quickly warmed to 70 degrees.  Then on Sunday and Monday, June 9 and 10, we had heavy showers.  I believe we got about 3 inches of rain between Sunday night and Monday afternoon.  Today, Tuesday, June 11, the water temperature had dropped to 65F.  We caught fish all week long trolling and fly fishing.

I’ve been waiting to report this to see if it would change but the season is now in its third week so HEADS UP:

  The average size of the fish we’ve caught since the beginning of the season while trolling is down by about ½ to ¾ of a pound PER FISH from last year.  We are catching a bunch of fish in the 1-1.5 lb range (and releasing most of them).  On the average, we are putting at least one fish in the 3lb+ range in the box every other outing while trolling.  When fly fishing we are hooking and releasing bigger fish with plenty of fish in the 2 lb range and a few in the 3lb+ range.

I don’t know why we are catching so many little fish.  I don’t know either, if the size of the fish will increase as the season wears on.  I will keep you posted as long as I am here at Eagle Lake. 

Trolling:                                                        

 Trolling is good.  I trolled three days this past week and we boated 28 fish.  (We released most of them keeping only a few.)  We are still trolling the west side of the lake south of Pelican Pt over rock piles and bottom structure.  Pumpkinseed grubs 125 feet behind the boat at 5 feet deep in water 6-12 feet deep have been the ticket. 

This area has been producing all season long.  It has also produced the biggest fish we have landed this season (3lb+ fish as reported above).  The fish we are keeping have bright red/orange flesh and are loaded up on shrimp and snails.  The water temperature has cooled so the fish should be in the shallows for 2-3 more weeks.

Fly Fishing:

I fly fished two days this past week.  We are nymph fishing under an indicator in 8-11 feet of water with a two fly rig.  Had a great day Thursday, June 6 with 17 fish caught and released in 4 hours of fishing. We also missed at least 8 or 10 “takedowns”.  Saturday, the fly fishing slowed way down for us and our score was only 6 fish.  We were in the middle of a heat wave up here at Eagle Lake.  That’s my excuse anyway. 

The fly fishing should be good through the end of June.  After that, the water will be too warm for the fish to be feeding in shallow water.

Bobber Fishing:

Bobber fishing is picking up a bit.  (Most folks are still catching their fish trolling.) Best bobber spots have been the Youth Camp and on the west size of the lake, south of Pelican Pt.  There are numerous points between Pelican Pt and Shrimp Island off which fish can be caught bobber fishing early in the morning. Anchor off these points in 10-15 feet of water and set your threaded night crawler at 7 feet deep. 

Launching

I launched my 19 foot Arima at the Spalding Launch Ramp this week without a problem.  The water you have to cover on the way out to the main lake is very low.  The lowest readings I am getting on my scope are 1.3 feet.  Elevate your motor, or go in and out on your kicker motor.

The launch ramp at the southern marina at Gallatin Marina is open and will be useable for the entire season.  Travel time between Spalding and the southern launch ramp is 25 minutes.

Good Luck.  And do not hesitate to contact me if you need help with anything here at Eagle Lake.

Tim Noxon

Fish Traveler Guide Service

530-825-3524 residence

916-201-4648 cell

tnoxon@gmail.com

www.fishtraveler.com

 

 

Fish Traveler Guide Service
Fishing Report for Eagle Lake, CA

Post Date: Monday, June 3, 2013

Howdy Folks,

After a good opening weekend, the wind began to blow last Monday and blew through Tuesday.  The lake water visibility was reduced and cloudy water conditions slowed the bite way down.  While trolling in shallow water, (5-12 feet) I could see my downrigger ball at 5 feet but not a 6.  The water had cleared somewhat by Thursday and the fishing began to SLOWLY pick back up.

Water temps as of today were 59 degrees on the surface.

 

Trolling:                                                        

On Friday, May 31, we fished the same areas we did on opening weekend, south of Pelican Pt on the west side in water 5-12 feet deep.  Still running pumpkinseed grubs on the downriggers at 4-5 feet.  We managed only 6 fish to 2.5lbs.  Tried flies and small spoons but the grubs still caught all the fish. 

Saturday, June 1,  in the same areas, same baits, same depths, (with clearer water), we couldn’t keep the fish off our baits.  I quit counting at 20 but I am sure we caught a least and even 2 dozen.  The largest fish of the day was a 3lb, 9oz beauty caught by Russ Burnette of San Diego, CA. (pic attached below)  We had several fish in the 2lb plus range and quite a few little ones in the 1.5lb range.  The bite lasted from the time we dropped the lines in at 6:00 AM until 9:45.  We were blessed with a little cloud cover and a medium chop on the water throughout the morning which, I believe, helped keep the fish actively feeding. We released all fish except 4 that ate the baits and would not have survived.

The fish that I cleaned were loaded with snails which is what I would expect when fishing shallow rock piles and structure.  I set the baits 4 feet deep on the downriggers and leave them there.  That way you don’t snag the bottom as often.  I try not to get into water any shallower than 5 feet.   The fish will come up from deeper water to eat the baits. HOWEVER, clear water helps.

 Fly Fishing:

Thursday, May 30, we went on our first fly fishing trip of the season.  We anchored up in 10-11 feet of water south of Shrimp Island on rock piles and fished a foot off the bottom.  In 4 hours of fishing we caught and released 15 fish to a little over 3 lbs for 2 anglers.  The water is still pretty cloudy in this area of the south basin of Eagle Lake.  I expect the scores to increase as the water clears.

 

Bobber Fishing:

Bobber fishing is still tough so no one is trying.  I don’t have anything further to report this week on this method.

Launching

I launched my 19 foot Arima at the Spalding Launch Ramp this week without a problem.  The water you have to cover on the way out to the main lake is very low.  The lowest readings I am getting on my scope are 1.3 feet.  Elevate your motor, or go in and out on your kicker motor.

The launch ramp at the southern marina at Gallatin Marina is open and will be useable for the entire season.  Travel time between Spalding and the southern launch ramp is 25 minutes.

Good Luck.  And do not hesitate to contact me if you need help with anything here at Eagle Lake.

Tim Noxon

Fish Traveler Guide Service

530-825-3524 residence

916-201-4648 cell

tnoxon@gmail.com

www.fishtraveler.com

 

Fish Traveler Guide Service, Eagle Lake Fishing Report for Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Fish Traveler Guide Service
Fishing Report for Eagle Lake, CA

Post Date: Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Howdy Folks,

Yes Eagle Lake has water and plenty of fish.  Opening Day was Saturday, May 25.  We fished Saturday and Sunday and had no problem hooking a fish about every 15-20 minutes. Both days we practiced catch and release and hooked up and brought to the boat about 15 fish.  Our biggest fish of the weekend was a 3lb, 5oz beauty caught by Bill Soderlund of Susanville on Saturday. 

Water temperature in the middle basin where we fished was 57 degrees F on the surface, about perfect for Eagle Lake Trout.  The extended weather forecast calls for night time temperatures to be in the mid 30’s to low 40’s so the water temperatures should remain favorable for good shallow water fishing for a few weeks.

Trolling:

We started fishing on Saturday on the west side of the lake just south of Pelican Pt and followed the buoy line down past the “Broccoli Tree”.  This area was very productive so we stayed there and also fished there Sunday. 

We trolled pumpkinseed grubs set on the downriggers at 4 feet deep, 125 feet behind the boat. There is good “structure” here and the fish were in it with water depths ranging between 6 and 12 feet deep.  The fish we kept to fill our limits were loaded with snails and their flesh was bright orange. 

Other anglers I talked to that fished the same area also caught fish on night crawlers and orange, orange/yellow trolling flies.  Some anglers were setting their trolled baits deeper, i.e. a foot off the bottom.  They were catching fish but also the bottom frequently.  I set the baits at 4 feet deep and leave them there.  Often I will be in 12 feet of water, but the structure here changes the water depth constantly.  The fish with “come up” to hit the trolled baits and you won’t have to deal with “hanging up” on the bottom.

Further south, trollers caught fish between Shrimp Island and Wildcat Pt trolling grubs in various colors and red and gold spoons.

For the next few weeks until the surface temperatures rise above 65 degrees, trolling should be good early in the morning in shallower water.  As I stated above, work water with some structure (rock piles) and drop offs.  The fish should be there feeding on minnows, snails, and shrimp.  Grubs, trolling flies, night crawlers, and trolling spoons should be effective.

 

Fly Fishing:

I did not talk to anyone who was fly fishing this weekend.  My fish fly fishing trips will begin this week and I will have a fly fishing report next week.

 

 Bobber Fishing:

“Tough” was the word I got on bobber fishing opening weekend.  Successful anglers went bobber fishing early and then switched over to trolling to catch their fish.  As the water warms, bobber fishing should pick up.

Launching

Launching is available at the Spalding Launch Ramp as evidenced by the “full” parking lot over the opening weekend.  The water you have to cover on the way out to the main lake is very low.  No one that I know of was NOT able to launch from the Spalding ramp.  Elevate your motor, or go in and out on your kicker motor.

I used the launch ramp at the southern marina at Gallatin Beach.  It is a 25 minute run from Spalding and launching will be available there all season.  Access at the bottom of the ramp includes a turnaround so you can drive straight down and turn around at the bottom of the ramp and then back your boat in.  There is a courtesy dock so you can launch, pull your boat around to the far side of the dock to get it out of the way for the next party ready to launch.  There is also plenty of parking. 

Good Luck.  And do not hesitate to contact me if you need help with anything here at Eagle Lake.

Tim Noxon

Fish Traveler Guide Service

530-825-3524 residence

916-201-4648 cell

tnoxon@gmail.com

www.fishtraveler.com

 

Fish Traveler Guide Service, Eagle Lake Fishing Report for Sunday, July 22, 2012

Fish Traveler Guide Service Fishing Report for Eagle Lake, CA Post Date: Sunday, July 22, 2012 Howdy Folks, Well I didn’t write a report last week. In a way it is a good thing I didn’t because I would have said something I would have had to retract in this week’s report. Explanation: I would have reported that the “fish have finally moved to deeper water for the summer months.” The weather warmed up significantly the week of July 8. Both the day and night time temperatures were above normal. The surface water temperature warmed up to almost 70 degrees and the fish finally moved out of the “shallows”. We had been catching fish bobber fishing in 10 feet of water with night crawlers set at 6-7 feet deep on the west side of the lake. By Saturday, July 14, the fish had moved to deeper water on the east side of the lake. We followed them. Still bobber fishing, we began anchoring up in 55 feet of water and running our crawlers at 30 feet deep. The bite was fast and furious with most boats limiting within and hour of anchoring up. Then the weather cooled again. The deep bobber bite quit and we moved our boats and bobbers back to the west side; back into 10 feet of water with our crawlers set at 6-7 feet deep. Trolling: Very slow. I have switched over to bobber fishing until the trolling bite gets back in gear. The Tui Chub minnow hatch should improve the trolling bite. Normally this happens around the end of July. Fly Fishing: Very few anglers fly fishing. Still some fish being caught on flies nymphing in 10-11 feet of water. Average this last week was 3 hook ups per rod per outing. Bobber Fishing: Your best bet to catch fish right now is with crawlers under a bobber. As mentioned above, we have moved back to the west side of the lake. The surface temperature has dropped from almost 70 down to 67 degrees. Anchor up off points from Pelican Pt south to Wildcat Pt in 10 feet of water. We could be “shifting” back to the east side of the lake any day. Once the water warms up a couple of degrees, the fish will move again. On the east side, anchor up in 50-60 feet of water and set your crawlers at 30 feet deep. Best areas on the east side are from Miners Bay south to Eagle’s Nest. THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT WILL PREVENT YOU FROM CATCHING FISH WHILE BOBBER FISHING, IS NOT BEING ANCHORED UP, BAITED UP, AND CASTING YOUR LINES INTO THE WATER AS SOON AS IT IS LEGAL. (ONE HOUR BEFORE SUNRISE) This means you will be “running” your boat in the dark. If you are not familiar with Eagle Lake, hire a guide. Launching: We are still launching without a problem at the Spalding Launch Ramp. The lake level is receding but the channel from the launch ramp out to the main body of the lake is navigable. The Spalding Community Service District has marked a “channel” for leaving and returning to the docks. The lowest reading I am seeing on my depth finder while leaving and returning to the Spalding Boat Launch is 1.3 feet. There is a good launch ramp at the south end of the lake at Gallatin Marina that should be usable all season. Drive time from Spalding to this ramp is around 25 minutes. Good Luck. And, do not hesitate to contact me if you need help with anything here at Eagle Lake. Tim Noxon Fish Traveler Guide Service 530-825-3524 residence 916-201-4648 cell tnoxon@gmail.com www.fishtraveler.com

Fish Traveler Guide Service Fishing Report for Eagle Lake, CA Post Date: Monday, July 9, 2012 Howdy Folks, Well the water is still warming and the fish are transitioning to the deeper sections in the southern basin. Surface water temperature is approaching 69 degrees and the moving fish are scattered. Trolling is tough and the areas where we have been catching them bobber fishing are “petering out”. Trolling: As mentioned above, the water is warming and the fish are on the move. There are still some fish on structure in shallow water (7-12 feet deep) south of Pelican Pt along the buoy line and down about ¼ mile past the Broccoli Tree. Troll night crawlers and watermelon and pumpkinseed grubs 6-7 feet deep. This bite is early and shuts down after the sun hits the water. With the fish on the move, it is hard to find a consistent area to troll. The following are the best I can offer at this time until the fish “get settled”.: Off Shrimp Island in around 50 feet of water troll the same offerings mentioned above and add red and gold or red and white spoons. Troll from 7-20 feet deep or wherever your fish finder locates schools of fish. Like I said, they are all over the place. Further south at Wildcat Pt, troll in 8-30 feet of water early. Move to deeper water as the sun gets higher. Same baits. At Miners Bay on the east side of the lake, troll the same baits. This is deeper water, 45-60 feet deep. Watch your fish finder, but I would start with baits set at 7-20 feet deep. Fly Fishing: Still some fish being caught on flies nymphing in 10-11 feet of water. Average this last week was 3-5 hook ups per rod. Bobber Fishing: Bobber fishing was still pretty good most of this past week anchored in 10 feet of water south of Pelican Pt on the west side. It did slow down somewhat over the weekend. This is an early bite, over by 6:30 A.M. Set your threaded night crawler 5-7 feet deep. Once the fish finish their transition to deeper water we will be “bobbering” in 50-60 feet of water with threaded night crawlers set at 25-30 feet deep. Historically the summer hot spots for bobber fishing have been south of Shrimp Is on the west side, and Eagle’s Nest, and Miner’s Bay on the east side. Launching: We are still launching without a problem at the Spalding Launch Ramp. The lake level is receding but the channel from the launch ramp out to the main body of the lake is navigable. The Spalding Community Service District has marked a “channel” for leaving and returning to the docks. The lowest reading I am seeing on my depth finder while leaving and returning to the Spalding Boat Launch is 1.6 feet. There is a good launch ramp at the south end of the lake at Gallatin Marina that should be usable all season. Drive time from Spalding to this ramp is around 25 minutes. Good Luck. And, do not hesitate to contact me if you need help with anything here at Eagle Lake. Tim Noxon Fish Traveler Guide Service 530-825-3524 residence 916-201-4648 cell tnoxon@gmail.com www.fishtraveler.com

Fish Traveler Guide Service Fishing Report for Eagle Lake, CA Post Date: Monday, July 2, 2012 Howdy Folks, No report last week and this week’s is late. I only fished Mon, Tues, and Wed last week then ran to Sacramento to play music. Back to the lake for fishing Wed, Thur, and Fri this past week. Then busy with the Project Eagle Lake Trout Fundraiser on June 30 held at the R.V. Park in Spalding. OK so now for the fishing: Pretty good fishing the past two weeks. Trolling, Bobber Fishing and Fly Fishing were all good. However, yesterday and today, were worrisome. The bobber fishing held up with limits the rule. You must launch around 4:30-4:45 AM and be fishing by 5AM. The bobber bite is over by 6:30AM. Yesterday and today the fly fishing and trolling fell flat on its face. I can only speculate that the rising water temps are starting to scatter the fish and moving them out of the shallow water where we have been catching them since the opener (May 26). We are also dealing with a full moon which can put a halt on things. Trolling: The surface water temperature has risen to 65-66 degrees. Trolling was good through last Sat (June 29). Pumpkinseed and watermelon grubs and Tui Chub flies were good trolling baits fished 5-6 feet deep from Pelican Pt down to Slough Pt on the west side. The same baits trolled in the same areas Sun and Mon produced slow results, (1-2 fish per boat). The trolling bite in deeper water, 48-52 feet between Slough Pt and Wildcat Pt on the west side has also slowed. Fly Fishing: We caught plenty of fish nymphing in 10-11 feet of water up until Sat. Sat and Sun this past weekend turned slow. We only had 5 fish to the boat, Sat and 2 on Sun. This shallow water nymphing will shut off once the water gets too warm. In years past we have caught plenty of fish using this method until mid July. Have to wait and see what happens over the next week. We could get some cooler weather and the fish could move back into the shallows. Bobber Fishing: Bobber fishing is still good in 10 feet of water south of Pelican Pt on the west side. This is an early bite, over by 6:30 A.M. Set your threaded night crawler 5-7 feet deep. Launching: I am estimating launching at the Spalding Ramp will be possible for another 3 weeks. The Spalding Community Service District has marked a “channel” for leaving and returning to the docks. The lowest reading I am seeing on my depth finder while leaving and returning to the Spalding Boat Launch is 1.6 feet. There is a good launch ramp at the south end of the lake at Gallatin Marina that should be usable all season. Drive time from Spalding to this ramp is around 25 minutes. If you are driving down there early in the dark, watch out for deer. One of my friends hit one this week. Good Luck. And do not hesitate to contact me if you need help with anything here at Eagle Lake. Tim Noxon Fish Traveler Guide Service 530-825-3524 residence 916-201-4648 cell tnoxon@gmail.com www.fishtraveler.com