Howdy Folks,
Opening Day, 2010, fishing on Eagle Lake was very solid for most anglers. There was a little wind, creating a light chop on the water, so the bite stayed with us all morning. With the surface water temperature hovering between 49-50 degrees in most areas of the lake, the fish were scattered. The "key" was to move around until you found a concentration of fish. Once they found fish, most trollers were successful using their preferred methods and baits. Those anglers that didn't "look around" were not as successful in filling out their limits of Eagle Lake Trout.
On my boat we moved twice before we found a concentration of fish to work. We ended up south of Pelican Pt. on the west side of the lake in 12-14 feet of water. Here we trolled Sep's amber and brown grubs at 6-8 feet deep on down riggers 125 feet behind the boat. The action was not red hot but the area produced a bite or hook up about every 10-15 minutes, enough to keep us interested. Between 6:30 and 9:30 A.M., we boxed 7 Eagle Lake Trout between 2-3.5 lbs out of this area. We also lost a fish at the boat and missed several other strikes.
Several times I trolled in closer to the shoreline, into 6-8 feet of water where I like to set my trolled baits a foot off the bottom. Nothing! The fish were biting in deeper water about half way between the surface and the bottom.
Other methods and locations that produced fish on opening day:
*Off Black Mt trolling north and south with Rainbow Runners, 6-10 feet deep.
*Trolling east and west between Gallatin Beach and Wildcat Pt, Sep's watermelon grubs.
*Shrimp Island, trolling flies, top 10 feet of water.
The stomach contents of the fished I cleaned was very encouraging. First, the fish were very healthy, bright, silver footballs. They were completely loaded with snails and a few minnows. I know this was only day one of the season, but it appears the food chain at this point is abundant.
Launching at the Spalding Launch Ramp was no problem. The launch area was dredged last November and the water depths between the launch ramp and the lake's main body is 3.5-5 feet deep and wide enough for two boats to navigate simultaneously in either direction.
As mentioned above, we landed fish on our boat between 2-3.5 lbs. The biggest fish I heard weighed in on the opener was 4.2 lbs.
If you need help, info, or if I can answer any questions on camping, RVing, or fishing at Eagle Lake, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Tim Noxon
Fish Traveler Guide Service
Eagle Lake, Ca
530-825-3524 (res)
916-201-4648 (cell)
tnoxon@gmail.com
www.fishtraveler.com
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