Sunny again today. We had a nice ripple on the pond this morning but the breeze calmed down quickly. However, about 10 AM the wind came up very quickly and is averaging 11 mph. Today it is a little warmer than it has been the last few days. But, temperatures are expected to be back in the low 80's for the rest of the week and the high 70's by Sunday. Our low temps are also expected to drop and by Friday they predict 40 F... But we have already seen three mornings in the mid to high 30's this week, so expect slightly cooler than predicted temperatures.

There is also a "Fire Weather" Alert. Dry air (currently we are at 19% humidity) and heavy winds will make fighting fires very difficult. So please be careful!

Water Temperature

South basin: According to my depth finder the surface temps are 66.4 to 70.1 degrees F and a pH of 9.33 in the south basin. North basin: 67.1 to 71 F(PM) pH 9.5 Middle basin: 67.3 to 70.1 F (pm). pH of 9.49. The Department of Fish and Game is recommending to all anglers that they practice "catch & keep" until further notice. Temperatures are dropping slightly with our cold nights.

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.

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. Some fish are starting to scatter as though they have something in mind...like some of them are 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 very reliable from day to day yet. The Youth Camp and Biology Station as well as the south side of Pelican Point have a lot of minnows and a few trout are starting to be caught. Expect this area to start getting better soon. I have started seeing a trout here and there swimming around at the docks in Spalding.

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 have scattered from 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.

Between Wildcat Point and Shrimp Island (Lake of the Woods): the rocky ledges on the west side provided some good 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. But, most folks are still doing well in 50 to 55 feet of water running 25 to 37 feet deep.

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. At that point our deep lines do better.

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. We are working shallower water now that water temperatures have cooled down. Fish are spooky on the shallow ledges on the west side of south basin and once you have made a few passes over them, they move out and scatter, but those first few passes can produce limits 2 ?? to 3 ?? lbs. Orange and brown leech pattern trolling flies have been the best for us.

How trollers can avoid catching tui chub: Most rollers 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 real 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.

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 (this time of year) 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, however the orange is catching at a 50/50 rate in the deep water.

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.

Bait Fishing

Nightcrawlers under slip bobbers at 30 to 35 feet deep in 50 to 55 feet of water are still catching some nice trout but our free lines have started working pretty good. But, expect a change if the cold overnight temperatures remain (and more cooler temps on their way). Our free lines have been working just as well as the rods with slip bobbers, however, every day has been a little different. So it's best to cover the bases from this time forward. (The hatch has been coming on later in the morning, which can push the major bite off until later in the morning.) The fish we are catching in shallow water are feeding on the bottom on a totally different food source than in the deep water.

The tui chub have had a good spawn this year and the minnows are prevalent in all the basins. If we keep the cold nights and cooler water temperatures, the trout will start heading up towards the middle basin after the minnows and other food sources that have flourished over the short summer. Many will start staging at the Youth Camp and Biology Station where depths reach 30 feet (40 ft north of the Miners Point ledge). The trout usually stay close to deeper water before committing to the shallows for fall but with the lower than average water temperatures we are seeing this year, may give us an early fall.

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

If water temperatures continue to remain in the high 60's early in the morning, expect the shore fishing to start picking up. The shallower water is cooling off quicker overnight than the deep water. We are seeing fish foraging in the shallows and we have started catching them in 10 feet of water, but their timing has been a little different every day.

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 and is the best color to start with on this lake. 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.