Clear, sunny skies today. Finally a SW breeze came up after 1 PM which was good because we were starting to see a little smoke moving into the basin from the fire in Lake Tahoe. Our thoughts are with all those affected. Wednesday is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 83 and a low of 46 (our low temperatures have dipped into the high 30's in the wide open spaces in Spalding, but folks in the trees are seeing temperatures in the low 40's.)
Water Temperature

By my depthfinder.....South basin: 70.4 degrees F. pH 9.35 North basin:71.2 F pH 9.43 Middle basin: 69.8 F. PH of 9.47. Official water tests have not been done this week yet. The new criteria set by CDFG for posting the "voluntary catch and keep recommendation" is a uniform pH of 9.4 as this lake rarely goes below 9.2. The north and middle basins are typically higher in pH than the south basin so when the south basin is at 9.4, most likely the recommendation will be posted.

Lake Conditions

Algae Locations: What a difference a hot calm day can make. The middle of the south basin was just loaded with algae today. There was some clean water between Wildcat Pt and Shrimp Island but out in the middle was pretty nasty...all the way to Miners Point and the Miners Pt ledges off Black Mountain and Eagles Nest. We are definitely seeing a change, we knew it was coming.

The south side of Pelican Point was clean water today but I didn't see as many fish there today as I did two days ago. There were fish on Miners Point and the ledges but the water was too dirty to fish. Fish are on the move.

The middle basin has a little algae mixed with pollens drifting around but the south basin is particularly bad right now.

We still have some good water to fish but it's going to get worse before it gets better.

We have some years that are worse than others for the algae bloom. But on a bad year it can wreak havoc until it is over. We try to keep up with it's location (the south basin is usually the worst by far) and we will concentrate on that basin as that is where most all the good quality fish are now.

Buoys are on the lake. But, this being a natural lake not all the hazards are marked. The west side of the south basin all the way to and around Pelican Point is notorious for rock piles several hundred feet from shore. Miners Point and the Youth Camp as well as the channel between Buck Point and Little Troxel Point will also hazardous areas. We will lose between 2 and 3 feet of water by fall (and maybe a little more depending on the type of summer we have) so expect the water level to drop below 5100 this season. Be careful this year.

Fishing Locations and Depths

Water temperature are on the rise. I am starting to see some water temperatures slightly above 70 degrees in the south basin. Fish that are now at the Youth Camp and the south side of Pelican Point will eventually start moving south below Miners Point. Some years the fish will school up at Shrimp Island first and in other years Eagles Nest. It won't be too much longer before the fish are in their summer haunts.

The bite was a little sporadic today but it's the first day that we have seen such a quick transition on the lake this year. Timing is important for fishing the 8 to 10 ft deep ledges right now. If we have a windy afternoon, the fish seem to be on the ledges for a while the next morning. But, if there isn't any wind to help oxygenate the shallow water, the fish are holding in a little deeper, cooler water (19 to 35 ft). As water temperatures rise you may have to drop a couple feet deeper. We plan on doing a little scouting in the deeper water the next few days.

Youth Camp to the Biology Station was pretty slow today. Miners Point was pretty dirty today but I did see fish rising just south of the ledge. There is algae in all directions from this area so the wind could play havoc and move it around. A lot of boats do move the fish from one side of these ledges to the other quite often. Sometimes you have to chase the fish daily.

Between Wildcat Point and Shrimp Island (Lake of the Woods); the rocky ledges on the west side provided some action for trollers using nightcrawlers, flies and lures as well as the bait fishermen. Fish are hanging out in 15 to 35 feet of water early but many folks are finding them out in 45 to 65 feet of water 21 to 24 feet deep after sunrise.

Eagles Nest has a few fish but the large schools are not congregating there yet. It could only be a matter of days now. The "springs" area always has a few fish hanging out along the ledge and usually provides some action. Free lining nightcrawlers (no weight) is a good way to go until the water temperatures rise in summer, driving the fish to the 25 to 35 ft levels.

Trolling

Some trollers are doing better than others but limits are still being caught. We are trolling 5 to 8 feet deep with our toplines and still catching fish (130 ft behind the boat) but have dropped our leadcores to 12 to 16 feet late in the morning, especially if the lake is flat. Trollers between Wildcat Pt and Shrimp Island (some clean water about ?? mile from shore) caught a few fish today but limits were pretty hard to come by for the average angler.

A couple people did well in the middle of the south basin between the marina and Wildcat Point. Some fish were caught near the top but most have been at 20 to 24 feet deep in 40 to 65 feet of water. The fish are pretty scattered in the deep water but it won't be long before they school up. I would run both brown and orange (3 to 1 respectfully) in the deeper water. Down-rigger users make your adjustments for the lure running depth at 100 ft. IE, if I want my lure 24 ft deep and my lure runs 6 feet deep at 100 ft behind the boat, my downrigger is set at 18.

Hot Lures, Flies and Grubs

Lures: Large "Red Dog" Sure Catch lure is doing well and medium "Goldie locks" (florescent orange and brass) has been working well too. But good old Needlefish were in the top 3 producers. No doubt that florescent orange is a hot color on this lake and various lures of that color often work. Since using the sure catch lures, I am now partial to using them but Needlefish have also been extremely affective on this lake for decades. This week the nickel bikini (3) and rainbow have been working. Florescent orange with nickel or brass back were productive in size 2. Z-Ray's and other florescent orange lures have also been picking up a couple fish. Rainbow Runners have also been known to work well up here. The tiger and perch pattern size 3 has cooled off whereas the orange colors are now being a little more productive. Often, what is hot in one area is not in another. The red dot frog and crocodile patterns in size 2 and 3 have also been productive lures. We have a lot of baby western toads in all the grassy areas of the shoreline right now and don't think the trout have never seen one swimming in the water.

Trolling nightcrawlers is also a favorite and was indeed a very affective method for many anglers. Use of flashers is more productive in late summer and fall than this time of year but there were folks out there catching fish using flashers today. (Flasher tip for Eagle Lake: shorten leaders up to 14 to 15 inches from the flashers. These fish often come from behind so quickly that they can miss your bait and hit your flashers. If you are getting lots of strikes without hooking up, your leader is too long.)

Grubs: The grub trollers are working hard but the brown has bought a few strikes. and root-beer color. Brown, orange and watermelon have caught a few fish this week, but have been working better in deeper water. Some folks prefer to run wiggle or action discs several inches ahead of the grub.

Trolling Flies: The plain Jane brown is still providing most all the action. We are starting to get a little more attention on florescent orange, but brown has still been the one.

Bait Fishing

Free-lining nightcrawlers (no weight) will start being productive in the deep summer haunts. The ledges on the west side of the south basin between Wildcat and Shrimp Island have produced some nice limits for those putting their time in. We have been seeing a bite come on around 8 AM.

It is illegal to use minnows as bait on this lake. Nightcrawlers are the most effective bait used but some folks use insects too. The use of commercial attractants has been working well the last few years. Krill and Garlic Trout Gravy are the most effective.

Shore Fishing

As water temperatures continue to increase, expect the fish to be farther away from shore. There are a few places between the biology station and the Youth Camp where 30 feet of water is reachable by casting from shore. Fish will stage here on their way down south once the water temperatures start hitting the high 60's but generally leave by 71 degrees.

The longest cast off the jetty at the Eagle Lake Marina will only put you in 12 to 14 feet of water. It has been fairly slow just about everywhere for the average fisherman.

The Circus Grounds slowed down.

Rocky Point: Not a heck of a lot going on from shore.

Fly Fishing

Osprey Management Area is closed to human access from land until September 15, 2007. But the ledges have been providing good fly fishing early in the morning and the early evening hours.

Caddis hatch began at 7:00 this morning. A few trout were rising to the hatch today but not as much as they had been during the last few days. Sometimes the use of indicators is needed to see the slurp. Fish are moving in and out of the shallow rocky ledges.

Pelican Point still has a few fish, but, it's just a matter of timing to catch them on the shallow ledges. I did pick up a couple in tight today (5 to 8 feet of water), but most the action was in 12 to 24 feet of water for me.

My favorite flies are basic. #10 and #12 wooly buggers. For this time of year I prefer brown along Pelican Point and the west side of the south basin. I like olive, gold, orange or black in the tules.

It is advisable to have a float tube or boat so you can reach those trout when they move out. Have a sink tip available too.