LAKE CONDITIONS: Lake Camanche's current elevation is 209.8 feet above sea level, a drop of 1 foot this week. The lake will drop slowly this week.??There is currently no water flowing into Lake Camanche and water is flowing out of Lake Camanche at 351 c.f.s. The surface water temperature at the marina has warmed up to 80 degrees. The Sechi reading for water clarity down to 20 feet.

TROUT: We continue to get reports of nice trout being caught all the way up the river canyon. Drifters using nightcrawlers,??Power Bait, or Power Eggs are finding trout up to 6 ?? pounds, with a number of 3 pounders being caught also. The shady canyon offers some cooler water for trout, and when Lake Pardee releases some water it always cools down the water in the canyon. Fish that area deep and slow.

Trout trollers who get out on the water very early or late in the day continue to have success, especially near the dam. Dick Garlinghouse and Bob Roth, from Rancho Murietta, caught 8 fine trout, up to 4 ?? pounds, with another one at 3 ?? pounds. They were trolling between 40-45 feet deep, with flashers and a nightcrawler. They also caught one fish on a broken back Rebel lure. They were fishing around Hat Island and the dam.

13 year old cousins Bryan Foster and Brandon Walsh, from Eldorado County, were out with their families on Thursday for a day of fun. The boys wanted to try and catch some fish, so they all went out near the dam to fish for trout. Brandon dropped some Power Eggs down about 40 feet deep, and caught a beautiful, fighting rainbow trout within the first 2 minutes. Bryan tried the same thing, and caught another fine, fighting rainbow trout in the next 15 minutes. Since the rest of the family was doing cannonballs off of the boat, the boys decided to quit fishing and play for the rest of the day. Way to go Bryan and Brandon.

Dike 3 continues to be extremely productive for day time and night time fishermen. Bob and Terry Bacon, from Amador County, continue to catch easy limits while over nighting at Dike 3. They anchor in about 45 feet of water, and drop Power Bait and Power Eggs right off the bottom. Bob says he has caught easy limits for everybody on board, every time he goes out.

BASS: On Wednesday, July 11, 2007 we will be doing our annual bass plant of bass fingerlings. We are looking for some volunteers with boats, who will be willing to help take buckets of baby bass to different locations around the lake. This process takes about one hour, and all volunteers will be given free entry to the lake for that entire day, as well as a free car and boat pass for another day of their choice. This is an annual event, and we love the help that the fishing community gives us. Anyone who is interested in helping must please call Eldon, at North Shore Marina, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.??209-763-5166

The big bass for the week was caught by a gentleman from Marysville. He caught and released a 7 pound bass near the rocky points of China Gulch. He was using a Senko worm, in cinnamon brown, and was fishing it wacky style in less than 15 feet of water. He caught 4 other bass up to 3 pounds in the same area.

CATFISH: Campers and anglers at both North and South Shore report the catfish bite has been very good.??The rocky areas in the campground, as well as near both marinas have been productive. Smelly bait like mackerel, anchovies, and chicken liver are the favorite baits. The big catfish reported this week was caught at North Shore campgrounds, and weighed 9 pounds. It was caught at Rabbit Creek, in a rocky area along the shore, and was caught on mackerel.

We encourage all anglers to report their stories, comments, or concerns to either North Shore Store, South Shore Store, or to us by email at eporray@camancherecreation.com. Thanks again for choosing Lake Camanche for your recreation destination.