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