Almanor's Autumn Colors

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Not quite red-hot, but the mornings have been dependable
It's funny but these fish don't always reward the early bird.  A few of the camps fishermen always go out eary--5-5:30.  But more and more we find that the bite may not pick up until after 10 or 11. 

At the end of my fishing day, I would always take a brief check of the area where I caught this brown at 4-4:30 PM.  I'm in the shallows and there is usually nothing on the screen. But on different afternoons I caught two fours, a six, and this seven.  The time I missed was rather funny.  I had two jig lines out waiting for them to hit the bottom.  I was just setting down the rod on the left when I glanced at the left hand rod sitting on the deck.  The line was taught and moving a bit.  I grabbed it and slowly retrieved to find about a four pounder was on the jig but a 2.5-3 pounder was also caught up in the line next to the other fish.  I hesitated momentarity, thinking I should grab my phone and snap a shot of this curiosity.  Unfortunately, I had now gotten them close enough to the boat for them to spook and as they frantically tried to pull apart, the one with the line in the mouth (presumably the smaller one) cut the line with his teeth and they were both gone.  But it was good for a laugh.  Noone else in the camp had brought in two fish with one jig before.

By the way, just a word of warning:  If you come through camp Wilson drive SLOWLY--5mph.  It's a close knit community, with mainly fisherman now since the cold has flushed the skiers home.  But people really don't like someone kicking up the dust.  Several years ago a kayaker visited me and as they left the came another camper came pounding on my door irate, complaining that my visitor had sped out (prob 10 or 15 mph) and kicked up a dust cloud that was coming into his rig through the screen door.

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Not quite red-hot, but the mornings have been dependable
It's funny but these fish don't always reward the early bird.  A few of the camps fishermen always go out eary--5-5:30.  But more and more we find that the bite may not pick up until after 10 or 11. 

I haven't been getting out anywhere near as early as 0500--mostly around 0700 or 0730.  I've had most of my action from as soon as I get out there (0700 at the earliest) up until about 1000.  After 1000, I've had to work for every bite.  And the evening bite has (so far) been slow for me, but I imagine it'll pick up as water temps continue to drop.

Catching two trout on one jig?  That's a new one on me!

By the way, just a word of warning:  If you come through camp Wilson drive SLOWLY--5mph.  It's a close knit community, with mainly fisherman now since the cold has flushed the skiers home.  But people really don't like someone kicking up the dust.  Several years ago a kayaker visited me and as they left the came another camper came pounding on my door irate, complaining that my visitor had sped out (prob 10 or 15 mph) and kicked up a dust cloud that was coming into his rig through the screen door.

Noted. Drive slowly to hopefully get the recent intel on the bite.

Oh yeah, love those fall colors... congrats

the evening bite has (so far) been slow for me

The evening bite has been terrible for the last several years.  Used to be, everyone in the camp would head out around 7pm and you would see 10-11 boats anchored just back from the marina logs.  I'd be in the mix in my kayak.  like clockwork the clouds of smelt and the fish would come through for about 20-30 minutes and one by one every boat would start picking up fish.  I was on a pontoon boat, farther out and the browns came in and we were catching them left and right, I had two on at one time.  We had 4-6 pound fish rolling around all over the deck.  Then it would shut down just as abruptly as it started.

But this doesn't happen anymore.  Even during the hex hatch it seemed weak and so late in the evening that you could hardly see the water by the time they were rising.  This summer you almost saw nonone from the camp out in the evening.

Some feel that the significant cut back in planting during the recession is really beginning to show up now with the lower number of fish being caught.  And there's the feeling that if PG&E cave to the pressure of the environmentalist that want to implemement a "thermal curtain" to suck out the colder water from the lake bottom to cool the Feather river a few more degrees, it will irreparably damage one of the great fishing lakes in the state.  Already, you will see that the eagles and rainbows are covered with more parasites whenever the lake gets lower and the water gets too warm.  Usually the browns don't, but a few years ago I was even picking up browns with parasites.

Nice to hear from you Doug.
Danny

Beautiful brown!

Sounds like you need a Hobie!

Nice golden Brown!  thanks for the report and picture Doug.

 

  I do love that area up there, spent many years deer hunting archery season with my dad out of Chester. (Jenny Creek)  it sucks that the lake is 6 hours away for me!
  Sorry to hear about your shoulder, at least you're still able to get on the water!