Sunny again today. But we had a cool easterly breeze this morning that finally shifted back to the southwest. Cool nights and pleasant temps barely reaching 83 before slipping back down to the high 70's. The winds have been coming up fairly early in the morning and have had a little coolness to them, reminiscent of and early fall. They have helped our fishing by having a nice little ripple on the water and they are helping keep the water temperature cooler than normal. However, it also is getting the fish moving around.

Winds in general are expected to be from the west and southwest at 5 to 15 mph but gusts could reach 25 to 30 mph through the weekend. High temperatures are predicted to be in the low to mid 80's and low temperatures in the low 40's. We have already seen two mornings in the high 30's; the first was 39.7 F, the second was 37.8 F. Add a little breeze to those temperatures and you will find it a bit nippy early in the morning.

Water Temperature ?ĮSouth basin: According to my depth finder the surface temps are 67.1 to 70.5 degrees F and a pH of 9.33 in the south basin. North basin: 67.1 to 72 F(PM) pH 9.5 Middle basin: 68.9 to 70.8 F. pH of 9.49. The Department of Fish and Game is recommending to all anglers that they practice "catch & keep" until further notice.

Lake Conditions

There were quite a few weeds on the surface towards Black Mountain and a few out in the middle of the south basin between Eagles Nest and Shrimp Island. It's a good idea to check your lines periodically if trolling. There were a lot of tules scattered on the surface between Pelican Point and the Youth Camp and north towards Spalding and Rocky Point this week. Probably from muskrats maintaining their dens as the water level has dropped some. The water temperature has dropped a little this week (according to two different thermometers). The water temperatures that CDFG sent was from last week and those temps were 73 for the north basin, 72 for the middle basin and for the south basin...to twenty feet where the temp begins to drop. By 35 feet the temperature drops to 65.8. The dissolved oxygen barely registers at 50 feet deep in the south basin. But, since that time we have had some changes happening.

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

The fishing has been good for some and not so good for others the last couple of days. Fish are starting to scatter as though they have something in mind...like starting to think about heading north. When these fish decide to start moving around, that's just what they do. The best fishing has still been very early in the morning and has been fairly steady until about 8 to 8:30 AM when it has pretty much shut down. After that, folks have been working for them especially if the lake is calm and flat.

Water temperatures have stayed fairly steady the last few days but the lake has cooled down slightly. I have started catching a few fish in 10 to 15 feet of water but their timing has been a little different every day. One day I find them in 18 to 24 feet early in the morning and the next day in 10 to 15 feet. It takes a while to cover the depths but we have eventually found few of them before the bite goes off.

Some of the trout are starting to move north of the Miners Point ledges and towards the Biology Station as well as the south side of Pelican Point. But, they have not been reliable from day to day yet. The Youth Camp and Biology Station as well as the tip of Pelican Point have a lot of minnows but so far only a few fish are being caught. Expect this area to start getting better in the next couple of weeks, if not sooner.

From the Springs to Eagles Nest has been producing limits for trollers and bait fishermen a like but now catching quite a few fish at many different depths.

Fish are starting to scatter off Black Mountain and the south end of Miners Bay (north of Eagles Nest) and I'm starting to see more fish on the north side of Miners Point and over the top of the shallow ledge t but their timing has not been consistent from day to day. ?ĮBetween 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. We have picked up fish in 10 feet of water fishing close to the bottom and in water as deep as 35 ft.

There are still fish out in the middle of the south basin but are now at many different depths. Our shallowest lines run 5 to 7 feet but most of the "shallow" fish we are catching have been at 10 to 12 feet. Late in the morning we have to move out to water deeper than 25 feet, especially if the water if flat and glassy.

With water temperatures still below average for this time of year, we are already seeing some movement back towards the south side of Pelican Point. But, once again, the trout's timing has been inconsistent.

Trolling

NOTE: Trollers, please don't troll (zig-zag and maneuver) between all the bait fisherman anchored close together. There is plenty of good water to fish, you don't need to troll 20 feet from another boat.

Some trollers are doing better than others but limits are still being caught. We are starting to catch fish at many different depths this week. We are still catching fish between 25 and 35 feet but we are also starting to get more attention above that level. That is a slight but significant change.

How trollers can avoid catching tui chub: Let me tell you a little something about the tui-chub that most folks don't know. 1) They appear as fish "stacked up" on your depth finder, not a bait ball but all stacked up. The school moves as a unit, not individually, that's why they appear stacked up. 2) they can live in lower oxygen levels and are often found at 40-45 ft deep when the trout are at 30 to 35. 3) Trollers don't usually catch them because they generally don't "chase" fast moving objects, however if you are trolling too slow you can catch the heck out of them. The key is to bump up your trolling speed by 50 to 75 RPM's and avoid catching them. That's all it takes and stay in the zone of the trout. The more chubs your are catching the less time you are fishing for trout. Please release these special fish safely, they are of great importance to the ecology of the lake.

Hot Lures, Flies and Grubs

Lures: Large "Red Dog" Double Jointed Sure Catch lure is doing well and medium "Goldie locks" (florescent orange and brass) has been working well too. I also like the German Brown Medium Sure Catch this time of year. 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. Florescent orange with nickel or brass back were productive in size 2. The tiger and perch pattern size 3 has cooled off whereas the orange colors are now being a little more productive. Rainbow Runners have also been known to work well up here. 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. It is near the time when minnow imitations from rapala's to rubber wigglers will be more effective.

Trolling nightcrawlers is also a favorite and was indeed a very affective method for many anglers. Use of flashers can be more productive in late summer and fall. (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.)

The trout have been pounding the minnows on the east side of the south basin, but we also had a shrimp spawn (might not be the right terminology) and the fish just love breathing in food rather than working for it. The shrimp at this very young stage is a favorite for the trout and they can get hard to catch when feeding on this particular food source. When you cut into the stomach of the fish it resembles applesauce with small black flecks in it...we call it applesauce with eyeballs for fun. For those of us that use leadcores and toplines instead of downrigger's it's like "trolling through Jello" when your lines drag through it. If you increase your sensitivity on your depth finder you can usually see it as a density on your scope. If you are looking in the water it appears as a whitish cloud in the water. (The pinkish/orange clouds in the northern basins are cinnamon leeches).

Grubs: Brown, orange, watermelon, white and root-beer have been catching quite a few fish this week. Some folks prefer to run wiggle or action discs ahead of the grub.

Trolling Flies: The plain Jane brown and florescent orange are catching fish but the brown leech (a very passive rather than aggressive fly) has been attracting more strikes especially after sunrise. The tui-chub pattern works better in some areas than in others but it is starting to get attention. I prefer a smaller hook than what is commercially available this time of year...later in September and October size doesn't matter. The ones I tie have more white than olive on them. Olive leeches are starting to pick up a few fish here and there but in general olive works better down by Pikes Point and the jetty....but brown has been the most affective for us at every location.

My best advise for trolling flies is to keep your rod in your hand and set the hook at the slightest difference in your line. The fish take flies differently than they hit lures. They basically "hold" it in their mouth rather than attack it like a lure (especially the passive flies in brown or olive). You have to sink the barb of the hook in order to land the fish. And, I mean you have to set it hard, and hold your line so the drag doesn't defeat the purpose. Quite often I use the motor to assist keeping pressure on the fish if I run out of hook setting room (rod over 90 degrees), but, don't keep your boat in gear after the hook set. You will lose them every time. Some fish hit harder on the more aggressive flies (orange, gold & etc.) but you still have to set the hook. Very few fish swallow a fly, they are always lip hooked. Keep your drag light enough for the fish to take it when he wants and tight enough that you can grab line up when he gives you some back or charges the boat. Too tight of a drag will result in tearing the fly out of the skin that it's usually attached to. We have a lot of fish spit the fly out in the net on a regular basis.

Bait Fishing

Nightcrawlers under slip bobbers at 30 to 35 feet deep are still catching some nice trout but our free lines have started working pretty good. They are being taken before sinking to the 25 to 35 ft level. So it's best to cover the bases from this time forward.

The tui chub minnows are schooling up in the deep water and the trout are right behind them. The speckled dace are in very small groups (not large schools) and the trout generally porpoise when scooping them up. The use of commercial attractants has been working well the last few years. Krill and Garlic Trout Gravy are the most effective. Don't under-estimate the garlic gravy, it works.

It is illegal to use minnows as bait on this lake, however many different imitations start working now. Nightcrawlers are the most effective bait used but some folks use insects too. NOTE: It is also illegal to keep live trout in a "live well" for any purpose including resuscitation.

Shore Fishing

As water temperatures continue to remain in the low 70's, expect the shore fishing to pick up in a couple of weeks. The biology station and the Youth Camp will start getting better but it can be touch and go for a few weeks before it really turns on there. This was the first week that we caught fish in 11 to 15 feet of water but a good hot spell will push them back out to deep water in a heartbeat, especially after sunrise. The jetty and the Circus Grounds will be picking up before too long too.

Fly Fishing

Osprey Management Area is closed to human access from land until September 15, 2007.

A few trout are rising to the caddis hatch but the hatch has come on later in the morning due in part to cooler temperatures lasting longer. This was the first week I caught fish in 11 to 15 feet of water early in the morning but the fish did eventually move back out to deeper water around 8:30 AM. Brown was the color they wanted today. They are not yet reliable from day to day and water temperatures are still warm despite having good O2 levels. But, it won't be too long before early morning fly fishing will be very productive even though it might not last a long time. 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.

My favorite flies are basic. #10 and #12 wooly buggers. I prefer brown along Pelican Point and the west side of the south basin. I like olive, gold, orange or black in the tules depending on the time of year. However, the orange is extremely effective when the water temperature drops below 48 degrees F. The shrimp turn orange when the water temperature drops below that temperature.