North Basin: 66.72 F from 59 to 61 degrees F; pH Level: 9.47 on 6-20-08; Dissolved O2: 65-70% Middle Basin: 66.56 F from 58.28 F to; pH Level: 9.47; Dissolved O2: 65-72% South Basin: 63 F from 58 to 60.1 degrees F to 25 feet; pH Level: 9.31; 75 to 80% O2. The thermalcline is starting to show significantly, but lines are still loose and somewhat mixed. The south basin temp is 63 degrees from the surface to 25 feet, at 30 ft deep the temp drops to 61. O2 is perfect despite warming temps.

Algae and Surface Weed Locations
Southwest winds have helped clean up areas of the lake that were inundated with algae. However, it did simply just move it around. The middle of the south basin has several bands as well as several crossing the Miners Point ledges and Frank Morgan Summit. Areas farther south have been much cleaner but we are expecting northerly winds for the next couple of days that will move some particulate algae farther south.

Trollers finding good water 12 to 25 feet deep are working for limits after sunrise. I would estimate the average angler is getting 1 fish per rod, two rod stamps will get you a limit but flat calm water after sunrise will make the fish very sluggish. Be sure to keep your lines clean, even particulate algae on your bait or lures will repel fish instantly.

We often will find that when the algae does start blooming one day can fish a lot better than the next. Trollers....just keep a bait rod handy, you may need to switch tactics.

When driving through the algae keep your eyes on your water pump stream....in-boards watch your engine temperatures. This algae can and does plug up intakes. Honda Outboards are very susceptible to plugging up due in part to very small water jackets, ports and connectors on the water pump tubing. Check and clean any three-way T connector, common area of blockages.

The "Reel" Weather
Sorry folks, I have been out of town and even though I can take my laptop with me and use my cell phone as a modem to upload to my site, I don't believe in updating my fishing report by guessing.

We are definitely seeing smoke from fires burning elsewhere (fortunately for us) which was thick enough to limit visibility to about a mile yesterday. But, evening winds shifted from the south to the north and helped increase visibility by morning. The breeze didn't clean up all the smoke though, so if you have any asthma or other breathing problems bring what you might need as we may see more.

Despite a haze this morning, skies are clear. We briefly hit a high temp of 80 before it settled down to 78 for the afternoon. The northeast wind is keeping it comfortable but has reached a few gusts pushing 10 mph. Our low temperature this morning was a balmy 42 degrees (mid to high 30's last week).

Wednesday we have a 20% chance of thunderstorms, a high temp of 83, a low of 42. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Things are expected to heat up starting Friday and by the weekend our forecast high temps are in the 90's. A chance of precipitation in the form of thunderstorms is also predicted but no percentage at this time. Many things have to come together to create the "barn burners". Humidity, dew point and temperature are the key.

Best Fishing Locations and Depths
Most folks are working hard for fish this week. Expect the waning moon to improve the bite. Fish are moving and many have crossed over the south side of Miners Point Ledges already.

If anything affects the trolling bite on this lake, flat water after sunrise is it. But trollers are contending with algae here and there. It can grow immensely during a warm calm day and one day your fishing hole is clean and the next day dirty. The fishing can and does get tough....just know that the fish are also looking for clean water, they don't like it either. During the annual algae bloom which is just starting, fishing can get tough. But generally that is because fishermen get limited on open areas of water to fish. Trollers will have to find clear water. Trollers, be prepared to change tactics and go to still fishing as the bloom gets underway. Bait fisherman have it a little better however, they are not immune to a bad bite during the algae bloom and buggered up bait repels fish just as much as a dirty, slimmed up lure. But, does the algae bloom affect the bite? Yes, it can. The fish get pretty lethargic once the algae really gets going and can't help but breath some of the particles in through their gills. It can put them off the bite for a couple weeks when it gets bad. We do see bands of clear water and fish do seem to seek the clearer areas out. But it can take a lot of looking. The bloom is an indication that the lake beginning to "turn" for summer. See above for official water test information.

The Youth Camp to the Biology Station still has fish but has slowed down considerably for the average fisherman. Still fishing seems to be producing more fish quicker than trolling which is tough after sunrise right now. If you are on a meat hunt, go to bait and get out ASAP.

We still had fish on the Miners Point ledges in water 10 to 24 feet deep which was pretty dirty today. We are seeing a fish migration south over the ledge towards Blacks Mountain in 30 to 40 feet of water but the fish are very scattered right now. One thing to remember, all the fish have to cross over these ledges in order to get to the other side. (and they love hanging out on the steep drop off on the south side.) The deepest channel around the ledge is on the west side near Slough Point at 24 to 28 feet deep. Look there when the bite goes off on top and to the east.

We still picked up fish at 6 to 7 feet deep in 12 feet of water trolling today (10 AM bite), but not as many as we caught in 35 to 45 feet of water (O-dark-thirty bite). We switched to still fishing with nightcrawlers this morning just for something different than our normal routine. I had bobbers set at 27, 29 and 33 feet deep (in 35 to 45 feet of water) all of which caught 3 pound trout. Free-lines only picked up 2 hits today.

We started out north of Eagles Nest off Blacks Mountain. Lots of fish finally started rising but out of 6 rods only one trout (3 pounds) took the bait. Just before sunrise we headed over to Shrimp Island to try our chances there. We stayed there for a couple hours and picked up 3 trout all at 3 pounds each. We didn't see as many trout rising at Shrimp as we did off Blacks Mountain, but we did catch a few more fish. Could have been a matter of timing of the bite this morning rather than numbers of fish visually seen. We didn't see but a handful on the scope in either place. This time of year as the trout migrate south they often stay scattered until the thermal-clines tighten up.

If you plan on targeting the trout rising to the hatch, fly fishing caddis nymphs under indicators is about the only way to be successful.

Wildcat Point has produced a few fish but most are pretty scattered. Brown, amber, orange or watermelon grubs or just plain nightcrawlers have been productive. This has always been a good producer once you find the "color of the day". The frog needlefish is consistent in that area too.

Lake of the Woods and the rocky points and ledges between Wildcat Pt and Shrimp Island produced some fish 2 to 3 pounds but fish remain very scattered.

Eagles Nest and the Springs below Gallatin Peak didn't produce a lot of action but a few more fish had found there way there this week. We are seeing a lot more of trout rising to the hatch but they are scattered. Once they school up we should see some very large schools in the deep summer haunts. Generally once the south basin temp reaches 70 to 72 degrees the lake stratifies tightly and trout congregate in large numbers in the cooler waters of the deep, so it is on it's way. The transition begins around 61 degrees surface temp and by 70 the thermal-clines begin to tighten up and generally the dissolved oxygen bottoms out to 0 to 1% at 50 ft.

Bait Fishing
Nightcrawlers under slip bobbers has picked up a few more fish this week! Fish are still being caught 5 to 7 feet and 10 to 12 ft deep in 10 to 24 feet of water but we are starting to catch more fish in 35 to 45 feet of water this week. We had our bobbers set at 27, 29 and 33 feet deep which all caught fish in water 35 to 45 feet deep on the west side near Shrimp Island, the free-lines had less attention but did buy a strike and a fish. But I can't say the "bite" was awesome, we did have to put our time in today. We always run a free line when running bobbers, as in the beginning of the summer transition free lines can pick up more fish and sometimes the only fish. We run ???em just because of that "one" day they out fish bobbers. Be sure to have some "mini crawlers" on hand be it trolling or still fishing. Often these fish will take a snack and refuse the meal....don't even question that just trust me.

Use of attractants is often a good choice. These fish have been particular to garlic gravy and krill flavors in the past, but don't use it on all the bait in the water. One day they like it and the next day they don't even look at it.

Trolling
Trolling flies and grubs off the Miners Point ledges and Frank Morgan Summit was great until the sun came up. Then the fish headed out to 18 to 25 feet of water (at least for us) . Most trollers did find clean water to work today. Trollers around the Youth Camp area didn't have a whole lot of algae to cause problems but southwest winds may change that. Finding clear water will get more difficult in the coming weeks. Trout are moving around right now as they start heading for their summer haunts.

Trolling nightcrawlers continues to be effective (no flashers). But, often these fish will hit very light and just nip of the tail dragging behind the hook. If that happens leave little to no tail...thread the entire worm on the hook (I have been known to use a smaller size 8 or 10 hook insuring it can not be seen. Also, be sure that the nightcrawler does not twist in the water and that nightcrawlers should be trolled much slower (a lazy S look) than lures and flies. Nightcrawlers should be trolled no faster than 1 mph where flies and lures such as needlefish or rapala's require speeds between 1.2 and 1.8 mph. Uncle Larry's lures in Perch and Tiger colors in front of grubs or nightcrawlers has been working too.

Hottest lures: Needlefish in orange (pearl, brass and nickel back), red dot frogs (lots of baby western toads along the grassy shorelines. Don't think for one minute that these fish don't know one (a frog or toad) when they see one....yes, they eat ???em. Both the yellow dot (black center) needlefish, the red-dot frog needlefish were working best but it did depend a little on the locations. The Perch Needlefish has been a good producer this week (and trollers are working hard). Nickel bikini has been a "standard" Eagle Lake lure for decades and can generally get bit when all else fails). Sure-Catch lures were on and off last season but the large Red Dog did get a little attention and the "gator" which is similar to a red dot frog needlefish in color was the one getting the most attention. We have a very successful Western toad population as well as several frog species around the shoreline. Rainbow runners in orange also produced fish and have been a fairly dependable lure on this lake.

Trolling Flies: We continue to run Brown and orange leech patterns. The best color to start with has consistently changed from day to day for us....one morning it will be orange until about 7 AM and then the brown flies get more attention. On flat water the brown fly has been the best for us. Trolling has been tough for the average angler but we still picked up a nice trout in 10 feet of water on orange, and had three more strikes on the brown fly that we didn't hook....between 10 and 11 AM.

Grubs: Brown, orange, amber, olive (red flecks) watermelon (I haven't heard of watermelon working real well yet but one day just for something different during a lull in the bite Randy tied on a blood red fly that caught every fish that day, but hasn't caught one since.) However, watermelon does kick in in July and August. Black is also a good color to have in your tackle box and has bought several strikes this week. Some folks use wiggle or action discs anywhere from 4 to 18 inches ahead of the grub for more action in the water. But, I have found that sometimes too much movement, especially on flat water, is just that.

Fly Fishing
Water temps are rapidly going up along the shoreline and algae is around just about every ledge. Wading along the shoreline has been tough fishing as most of the fish are just out of range and getting farther out every day.. However, fly fisherman accessing the shallow ledges at Miners Point are drifting caddis nymphs under indicators and patience and short periodic strips have produced some nice trout...but if you see the trout, chances are he sees you too It is important (on these trout) to keep a lower profile even out on a boat). Keep your fly clean, very important. Get your line where you want it and leave it alone for a few minutes until the line-shy trout move back. Brown, black and olive wooly buggers in size 10 to 12 are pretty steady fish catching colors on this lake but other small nymphs and scuds have also been known to work well. As a starter tip, we prefer to use brown while fishing the rocky ledges and olive variations of woolly buggers in the moss beds and tules (damsels). We also have variations of "gold" woolly buggers as well as black (with peacock body) that come in handy when skies are overcast.

Caddis emergers under indicators has also been a lot of fun in the heart of summer, but the trout can be very "line shy" so a bad cast often spooks them. We prefer 10 ft (13' is good too) long tippets, 4 pound small diameter. Slow short strips (3 to 4 inches) will always catch more fish than fast long strips. Watch your line wake, if you wait to feel the "bite" it's generally too late to set the hook.

Float Tubers
If you don't have a boat, a float tube is ideal for reaching deeper water from shore. Jig fishing can be successful in the early part of the season but generally fall and winter are the best times of year for jigs. When I am fly fishing on my float tube I prefer to use a slow to medium sink tip line. I can cast to rising fish and I can also let it sink lower when the fish go deeper. It also does not have the belly of a uniform sink line in which it is difficult to "see" the strike before you feel it.

Shore Fishing
With water temperatures on the rise, expect the trout to be out of range from shore after sunrise.

Accesses are the jetty at the Eagle Lake Marina, The Circus Grounds (located just east of Christie Day Use area which also has a nice point to fish from. Wildcat Point, Eagles Nest, Lassen County Youth Camp are also good areas for shore fishing but if the waves are breaking in at the Youth Camp be prepared to get a shower. The Youth Camp is the only accessible area to be able to reach 25 to 30 feet of water from shore. The Springs is a difficult access with a 70 degree slope but one can access deeper water from shore there as well. All other accessible areas one can only reach 9 to 12 feet of water with a good cast. Highway 139 can be good shore-fishing but generally produces more in fall. High pH can also affect how many trout can be found in fall and how long they may stay. Generally the north basin fishes much better with 4 more feet of water.

The jetty and Pikes Point are slow. The Circus Grounds is slow. Despite good dissolved O2 and same water temperatures trout generally will stay to deeper water once temps rise.