Stampede report on the water

After yesterday’s yard sale at MBK, needed an ego boost. Grabbed the koke and trout gear, bleached out the inside of the yak for the inspection, and let it dry in 95F sun.

Launch at 6:30, limit by 8:30. Started the day 1 for 6 right outside the launch in 40fow. 2 colors leadcore on one, 3 on the other. My usual whiskeytown setups. Pink wiggle hoochie proceeded to go 3 for 10. Dinks everywhere short striking and shaking the hook. That’s Dink activities for you. Biggest at 12”, smallies at 8”. Thermocline at 17-20’, running my lines below by a few feet. Once the sun came over the mountain switched to 3.5 colors and 4oz @70ft back. They’re all over the water column, bigger ones deep down. Surface temperature 70.5 in AM, now 71.25. Fish progressively getting deeper. Vibration is the ticket today. Now trying for cutthroats, lost one at the boat 14” shallow trolling plugs off the bank. Just accidentally hooked a 14” koke on my last pass so I’m hanging up the gear. Never in my life would I have thought I’d hook a koke on a barbless mag lip. Turns out just lifting em without a net is the best way to release. Now just going for a paddle to find a nice bank spot to chill.

Wow that sure took a while to upload. Poor cell connection. Met guides at the ramp, they were hooting and hollering about 14” and 15” fish, about 20% of the party’s catch. God I miss whiskeytown fish.

Damn... you get around!  Nice job!   

Nice!

That FF looks familiar...

Thanks for the report and pictures ST.

Sounds like Stampede fish are maxing out around 15” this year. I may need to make the long drive back to Whiskeytown but not looking forward to that. Maybe New Melones but I think chances are better at Whisky. What month does Whiskytown bite die off?

Maybe New Melones but I think chances are better at Whisky. What month does Whiskytown bite die off?

They start kyping august and beginning of sept usually. However there is a second spawning class in the lake that runs a month or two behind the first one, but it’s usually a much smaller class. Coloring up in sept for the most part, by oct the meat sucks and they’ve lost scales. Nov the bite shuts down for a while. But depends on first rains. Once the rains come you’re better off fly fishing them in the spawning tribs. However, the cold and wet winter had basically all patterns a month or two behind from low to high elevation freshwater. Maybe that might delay them a bit? Who knows...

Addl edit: kyped males will be an excellent way to add 1” or more to your fish for aoty points, albeit at the cost of meat quality. Still smoke alright, tho

What brand and poundage lead core do you use?

What brand and poundage lead core do you use?

Suffix leadcore 18lb 10yd/color