Sunny skies today which is a nice change. It looks like the sun will be out most of the week. Highs are predicted to be 60 to 65 degrees....but don't let that fool you. The breezes have had a winter chill to them. Winds are expected to be from the east on Monday at around 10 mph which will put a nice chop on the lake. But generally if the wind is from the east it is blowing in the "short" direction of the lake and the waves don't get too bad. On Tuesday the winds are predicted to be from the southeast at 5 to 10 mph. Wednesday looks pretty calm at 5 mph from the southeast.

We started out with a light breeze from the north this morning but about 9 AM it shifted to the east and has blown most of the day between 3 and 8 mph.

Our low temperatures have been predicted to be in the mid 20's but today we had our first temperature reach the high teens. 18.0 degrees F felt brisk compared to the mid 20's. So be prepared for colder than predicted temps. We could also see some fog form up if the conditions are right. We had a nice breeze this morning that kept the forming fog looking like steam blowing off boiling water.

Water Temperature

DFG will not have water tests through December this year so the pH is the last reading is from September

As of 10-21-07
South basin: Currently 50 to 51 from 52 to 54 pH 9.39
North basin: 44 to 46 from 49 to 50 pH 9.55;
Middle basin: 45 to 47 from 49 to 50 pH of 9.44.

Lake Conditions

Buoys have been removed for the season. Please be careful out there.

Baby (the pond) is cooling down. We already have water temperatures in the mid forties in the middle and north basins. Hopefully the next few days of warmer temperatures will help hold those temps. However, if we do start seeing more ambient temperatures in the teens, then baby will start icing up along the shoreline in areas of still calm waters. Generally the north basin and halfmoon bay ice over first. As a note, of what these water temperatures mean to me...for the last several years I have fished in my boat until the end of the season or when the marina at the south end freezes up....the water temperature in late December in the south basin has held at 40 to 41 degrees....and we are seeing 44 to 45 right now in the north and middle basins.

The lake has a lot of color to it still in the middle and south basin, the north basin is somewhat clearer as it settles out quickly because of the firm sandy bottom. But, there are quite a few areas of weeds in the north basin even though some nice clear channels exists. Fish are being caught in the north basin but if water temperatures cool down we might start seeing a movement back to warmer waters of the middle basin, then the fish generally congregate at the Youth Camp area. The will stay there most of the rest of the season.

We did get into some areas that were weedy on the north side of Pelican Point today but in general most of that area was pretty clean for trollers. We did catch a few weeds (between fish) but with periodic checks we did just fine. The south side of Pelican Point was holding more fish the last couple of days than it has in a couple of weeks but the rock piles don't have any buoy's on them and this becomes a very dangerous area to fish if you don't have a GPS and have marked the buoys before now. Remember that Pelican Point extends several hundred yards out into the lake, best to stay closer to the Youth Camp side of the channel.

A few tips for those fishing out of Spalding: Rock piles north of Pelican Point and off the airstrip in Spalding are very close to the surface. The point along the airstrip in Spalding is very shallow, don't attempt to go between the tules this fall, swing the point wide before cutting back towards the tules. There are also two rock piles about 200 yards northeast of the Broccoli Tree (North side Pelican Point) that is unmarked and will be a very nasty surprise when a lower unit hits it.

Fishing Locations and Depths

The tules off the airstrip in Spalding has had its good and bad days. Expect the colder water temperatures to move those trout out into 10 to 15 feet of water. The Cinder Pit has produced some nice trout but one day can be better than the next. It is very shallow in there this year and the moss beds can hang up your bait if you are too deep. 24 to 30 inches deep is the ticket.

We have been trolling the north side of Pelican Point in 6 to 11 feet of water. I also saw more fish on the south side of Pelican Point but the wind had made it pretty difficult to fish...just know that there were more fish there this week than in the last three weeks and we should have nicer weather this week.

Some fish are still being caught from the Springs to Miners Point on the east side of the south basin but they are very scattered right now. Some people are in the right place at the right time....and that can be just about anywhere and anytime. My best advise is to fish the shallow ledges and drop offs if you are limited to fishing the south basin. We found quite a few respectable trout on Miner's Point ledge last week but we had to deal with several bands of algae mixed in the foam that was created by high winds. Usually fishing the foam can be very successful but normally it is just foam this time of year. The algae has gotten worse over the last couple years and has been common in several areas all the way through December.

Between Wildcat Point and Shrimp Island (Lake of the Woods): the rocky ledges on the west side has picked up nicely. Several reports of fish to 4 pounds have been reported. The deeper water still has fish but they are in small pods and scattered. Once the north and middle basins water temperatures drop into the high 30's to low 40's, many trout and a lot of minnows move back down towards the Youth Camp (where they typically remain until it ices over or the season ends) but larger numbers head back to depths of 45 to 65 feet and deeper. Generally our toplines at 5 to 10 feet deep as well as our leadcores set much deeper at 21 to 24 feet deep catch the same amount of fish.

Trolling

NOTE TO TROLLERS: SOME COMPLAINTS FROM SHORE FISHERMEN AND ANCHORED BAIT FISHERMEN REGARDING TROLLING OVER THEIR LINES. PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE.

Some trollers are doing better than others but limits are still being caught. We still have quite a bit of color in the water but it has gotten a little better in some locations. Generally, chartreuse (all or part of) starts working when the water is in this condition so don't be afraid to tie one on. Fish are spooky in the shallows and on the shallow rock ledges. Let out at least 100 to 125 feet of line out behind the boat.

Orange and dark brown leech pattern trolling flies have been the best for us north of Pelican Point this week and continues to out fish the nightcrawler for us (however we are still catching fish on nightcrawlers).

Note: the minnows that were along the docks in Spalding have moved out to deeper water. If water temperatures continue to drop (hopefully they will stabilize a little this week) expect the minnows to head south. The fish we have been catching have been feeding on a fresh hatch of shrimp (it looks like applesauce with a little pepper sprinkled in it. I call it applesauce with eyeballs) with various sized brown leeches for an appetizer.

Hot Lures, Flies and Grubs

Lures: Large "Red Dog" Double Jointed Sure Catch lure is doing okay, and medium "Goldie locks" (florescent orange and brass) has been working well too. But the best Sure Catch has been a new pattern called "Zebra". I also like the German Brown Medium Sure Catch this time of year. Needlefish and 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. It is near the time when minnow imitations from rapala's to rubber wigglers will be real effective (time to try ???em now) However, they work best where the minnows are the food of choice. Note: Many of the minnows that had been seen along the docks in Spalding have moved out into deeper water and will start stock piling at the Youth Camp before long.

Trolling plain nightcrawlers is also a favorite and was indeed a very affective method for many anglers. But, if I am only catching trout on small brown flies I would suggest worm trollers use mini crawlers (on smaller #8 or #10 straight eye bait hooks) over large ones and don't leave a long tail. Use of flashers can be more productive in late summer and fall. The clarity of the lake decreases as the water temperatures drop in fall. Flashers really help during that time and best where schools of tui chub minnows are the food of choice. (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.) There are some nice ultra light flashers available, silver being the most effective.

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

Trolling Flies: The plain Jane brown is catching all our fish. The brown leech (a very passive rather than aggressive fly) has gotten more attention that anything else we have been dragging and is definitely the best on flat water. 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...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. If you miss the fish, slap the slack back into the water, if the fish didn't quite feel the hook it will still be following the fly and it will take it again when it stops dead in the water. Dangle it in front of the fish as if you were playing with a cat and a piece of yarn, if the fish wasn't right there once your line straightened out, give it a few seconds longer. Yeah, that's a real tease, but is also very affective. 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). Quite often they just tap very lightly and you have to tease them into the strike...then 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. You can run discs a few inches above the fly but it's not a replacement for holding your rod. Every fish hits a little different...some hammer you, others tease you, some just slap you around others slurp and spit. Knowing when to set the hook has a lot to do with "sticking" the fish.

Bait Fishing

Depending on location fish 2 to 3 feet deep in 4 to 5 feet of water, 8 to 11 feet deep in 10 to 12 feet of water and 12 feet deep in 20 to 28 feet of water has been our depths and have been successful.

The tui chub have had a good spawn this year and the minnows are prevalent in all the basins. But, the minnows will start moving out of the shallow tules and into deeper water.

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

The biology station and the Youth Camp have been fishing fairly good but on stormy windy days the waves break right in on the rocks. The jetty and the Circus Grounds will be picking up before too long too but fishing has only been fair from shore. Generally the first hour is the best, but some days the trout wait until the breeze comes up before they move in. There is a lot of color in the water right now so if your plain worm doesn't cut the mustard, don't be afraid to add some powerbait or garlic gravy to it.

Fly Fishing

Osprey Management Area is open for foot traffic only or boating in. Boaters be careful there are some quick depth changes getting your boat into shore in this area.

No motorized vehicles are allowed below the road. Watch out for mountain lions in this area.

It has been getting much better for the fly fisherman in general, however, timing is everything. The early morning bite is pretty good in 2 to 4 feet of water however, it can shut down quickly. Some days have been unfishable due to high winds but the winds are expected to be 10 mph and less for the next couple of days. (Cast parallel to the winds rather than with the wind) Brown was the color they wanted today and is the best color to start with on this lake. Water temperatures should remain fairly stable now. 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 have found that the darker the brown, the better it works)?ĮI 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.