Davis - June 28-29

[Rick J]

All I can say is be careful what you wish for!! A few posts back I said I hope the damsels did not get hurt by the poisoning. Well, this weekend would indicate they did not!!! One of the most prolific hatches/migrations I have ever seen and needless to say just a bit of competition for your bug - very tough fishing but truly awesome to watch.

My trip did not have an auspitious start - I decided to go up HW 70 through Quincy and left Friday afternoon - 30 miles north of Marysville a sign indicated 70 was closed due to fires :( I got out my map and looked at options - continued up to Chico and over on 32. Just east a sign gave me pause - "Expect Long Delays 30 Miles Ahead" Yup - another fire with a 30 minute delay then one way controlled traffic for around 10 miles through the fire cooridor which was burning right along the side of the road - you could feel the heat :shock:

By the way - Deer Creek runs right along this highway and is a gorgeous little stream - Anyone fish it??

Quincy was very thck smoke with only a few hundred feet vis. This added 2 hours to my trip and got to Don's around 9.

Don indicated I should not expect much as his dogs were very upset about my previous post and they would put a hex on me! Don had a wedding to go to on Saturday in the afternoon so we hopped in his boat around 6:30 and got out around 7 to a few fish working - seemed to be mainly on damsels. We anchored up and soon Don was into fish

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He had 3 fish to the boat before I even knew what was going on!

Then I got a hook up - Know what I really hate?? When a fish makes a vicious grab on the upper fly of a two damsel set up and breaks you off :x

Then I hooked another one - really nice 20" fish
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/DavisLake023.jpg

Around 10 Don said he had to head back to the dock where his wife would pick him up - I said last cast and hooked another fish around 18". I dropped Don off at the dcck and went back out and did not have another fish landed for the rest of the day - maybe 3 other grabs - truely a frustrating but exciting situation. Fished until 3. Sleeping on Don's couch around 4 the dogs went ballisitic as a small bear had climbed the stairs to Don's upper porch!

Next morning early we headed out - friend of Don's (our Silver Creek buddy) joined us -Don dropped me on a point and he and Mike anchored just off shore - and what a morning - started slow with no grabs for at least 2 hours and fish cruising and grabbing midges and damsels. Then the migration really got going and it was amazing. What made things so much tougher than 2 weeks ago was the fish were just sceaming and slashing at bugs and you did not get any still targets. Fished until 2 and had one fish to hand and maybe 3 or 4 other grabs. Don and Mike both had 2 fish on and a few other grabs.

So things are really going right now but it can be tough with all the bugs as competition - still something really to witness!!

[FRSam]

I fished Davis this morning over at Jenkins. There were quite a few people fishing but not many bent rods. I fished from 7:30am to 9:30am and I took one fish, about 14", on a damsel pattern and that was it. I didn't see any other fish taken. There were damsels in the water and there were occasional fish coming up but not in the numbers I'd seen just this past Friday. Admittedly I pulled out early and it's very possible the activity didn't start until 10:00am or even 11:00 but I'd have to describe the fishing, at Jenkins anyway, as slow.

I think these new fish are getting a quick education from the eagles, pelicans, osprey and bugs with hooks in them. But it's always nice to be out on the lake and this morning was the start of another beautiful day.


That's a nice fish there Rick - I'll bet he took you for a pretty good ride.

Pete

[Rick J]

we were north of Jenkins and I would say you were too early for the heavy hatch that really kicked in by around 10 - we had lots of fish to cast to on both days until around 2 or so then it slowed down but it was rare that we did not have a target and usually multiple targets. But as you indicatd few bent rods :) But if it was always easy I would soon get bored!

[Adam Grace]

Nice fish Rick, that damsel emergence is awesome at Davis.

I have been frustrated too by the sheer amount of insects competing with my fly, those trout could swim around with their mouths open and fill up quickly :lol: