Lake Davis, May 6th, 7th, and 8th

[michaeln]

I got up way early on Wednesday may 6th and drove my little red '97 Honda Civic up to Vaughn's Sporting Good in Burney to pick up my pram. Steve had charged the battery for me. Loaded all the stuff up, and tried to give Steve fifty bucks. He wouldn't take it. Neither would Jan. So, I slipped it under some paperwork on the counter when they weren't looking and headed off for Lake Davis.

It was a real pretty drive down (except the Hwy 395 part and then 70 to Grizzly Road). By the time I got to the Grizzly Store campground, I was pretty pooped from 8 hours or more of driving, so I set up my tent and stuff and waited for my buddy Mark. He showed up and set up camp, then we decided to go check out the lake and see how far we could drive around the north end.

We stopped first at the Honker Bay launch ramp. We walked a little way up the stream that is next to the ramp and discovered loads of BIG spawning rainbows. Many of them were 24" plus and in full spawning colors. I shot some pictures and some video, but without a polarizer it's pretty hard to see the true beauty of these fish. Here is a pic that came out kind of OK, I will post a link to a pretty good video later:

This fish was 24 inches plus, in that little skinny water!

http://michaelnel.smugmug.com/Fishing/Lake-Davis-May-6-8-2010/spawning-rainbow/860955701_TNSso-O.jpg

We actually drove up past the inlet (Big Grizzly Creek), but shortly after that there was too much snow on that dirt road for my low clearance 2 wheel drive Honda, so we turned around and went back to Mosquito Slough Road, hoping we could get down there and it might be a good location to launch from (my plan for Thursday was to get over to the west side in my pram and try to work the mouth of Freeman Creek).

We managed to get solidly stuck in a snowbank (pics to follow) and ended up calling AAA on my card to get a tow. They sent a towtruck out from Portola and he got there in about 1/2 hour. Great service, and he was a nice guy. He winched me out and we continued checking out spots as we headed back toward the south end of the lake. Lightning Tree launch ramp was open, but not floating. We figured we could launch the pram and Mark's little Scadden Outlaw Escape from there anyway.

Stuck city boys:

http://michaelnel.smugmug.com/Fishing/Lake-Davis-May-6-8-2010/stuck-dummies/860941233_MH27X-O.jpg

The tow:

http://michaelnel.smugmug.com/Fishing/Lake-Davis-May-6-8-2010/towed/860941213_AuGHK-O.jpg

It doesn't take much to stick my car:
http://michaelnel.smugmug.com/Fishing/Lake-Davis-May-6-8-2010/stuck-spot/860941262_Z7Hvh-O.jpg

So, the next morning (Thursday) we got to Lightning Tree (incidentally, it is the only campground open of the three USFS campgrounds, Grizzly and Grasshopper were still closed), rigged the boats and launched. Kinda.

The water at the foot of the ramp was so shallow it wouldn't float my pram. I had to get out in my boots and waders and drag it through the mud for about 30 feet before I could get into it and float. Lotta hard work, that mud is like quicksand.

Got it floating and headed out. Don Rotsma had posted on his site that he recommended launching at Lightning Tree and then working your way across in the old Freeman Creek channel. I did manage to find it and zigzag troll back and forth across it as it worked my way over to the east side. I was using the Jay Fair trolling method as modified by Jon Baiocchi (thanks Jon!) but had no strikes.

(to be continued)

[michaeln]

The wind on Thursday was really bad. It was blowing from early in the morning from the east to the west, and it was blowing HARD.

As I worked my way across the lake in my little flat bottomed pram, I was getting nervous. The whitecaps were turning into 2 foot rollers, and my pram was not liking it much. The wind got worse as I neared the west shore, to the extent that I didn't want to go up to the mouth of Freeman Creek because it would be giving up too much ground for the trip back to Lightning Tree.

I beached the pram on the point next to the inlet and thought I would try casting from the shore, but I am not a good enough caster to cast in wind like that. The water was extremely dirty and visibility was probably only a couple feet in the water. There were loads of pelicans and seagulls at the mouth of Freeman so I assume the fish were there, but conditions were just too nasty. I headed back across to the west side because it seemed to be getting worse and I was seriously worried I might not be able to make it if I waited longer.

I got the crap beaten out of me on the way back, motoring into that chop. I always carry an inflatable PFD on board but until that day didn't wear it. That day, I strapped that puppy on. I was taking water over the bow. Then when I was about 3/4 of the way to the east side the wind started dying down, so I started trolling again (40 foot 8lb flouro leader, 10' of RIO T14 backed up by 150 yards of Shimano Power Pro braided line). I tried the Jay Fair "all around best" (yellow and orange) trolling fly as well as the root beer colored one. I also tried the Arctic Fox trolling flies with the thingie in front of them that makes them dart back and fort. Not a bump.

Finally got back to the LT launch ramp and did the whole "tow it through the mud" thing but in reverse. After that we just went back to camp, tired and discouraged. The wind was super annoying. When we got back to camp Ed Dillard was there with his boat. He had a customer out that morning and in 4 hours they boated 14 fish (on downriggers towing junk) and LDR'd 5 more. They had been fishing near Eagle Point on the west side and around the little island.

He told us that the fly guys had been "just killing them" from the beach at Mallard Cove, so we decided to blow off the watercraft and fish from shore and wading at Mallard on Friday.

(to be continued)

[michaeln]

Friday morning I drove out to Mallard Cove. I was there at 6AM and there wasn't another soul around. No wind either. Rigged my gear with my Petzl headlamp and started working my way along the shore, casting short with a 5wt intermediate line and a 9' 3x leader. I had bloodknotted about 3 feet of 4x flouro to it and left the 3x tag end about a foot long. Tied a #10 rootbeer wiggletail to the 3x dropper and a #16 blood midge to the point. I tried to cover the water thoroughly, fanning the casts out, different retrieves (but all pretty slow with lots of pauses), then working into deeper water. Nothing, not a bump.

I moved around the corner into a more protected cove that looked fishier to me. Lots of weeds and bushes and a little snowmelt creek emptying into it. There was also a squadron of pelicans and a couple bald eagles patrolling it. I moved in there and started casting. It quickly became apparent that the water was too shallow for the intermediate line and a slow retreive, I was snagging bottom frequently. Back to the car to change to a floating line. About that time a guy named Gary who lives at Lake Tahoe showed up and he fished for a while with a floating line in the same area I had just vacated. Finally after maybe 1/2 hour of working the water, he had a hookup on his two nymph rig (Prince nymphs). He brought that fish to hand and yelled to me that it was covered with lice.

A few minutes later I hooked up and brought in a beautiful, clean 15-16" rainbow that I released. Then Gary caught another one and LDR'd a couple. I couldn't get another strike, although I had three very tentative nibbles that I was unable to work into a hookup.

I stayed there fishing all day. Finally left at 6:30 PM after spending 12 1/2 hours trying everything I could think of and trying various locations. The wind came up shortly after the sun came up and hassled us all day except for one maybe 2 hour period in the morning. I ended the day with only that one fish, and today (Saturday) the wind was starting to blow again so I came on home.

Mark was completely skunked for the weekend. Guys we talked to who were older, very experienced flyfishermen got 1-2 and up to 5 fish, but they all thought the fishing was really poor.

What I think is happening is that the lake is turning over right now and when the wind blows like that it brings up the muddy, sediment-laden cold water from the bottom. The fish can't see your fly and if you get lucky and bump them on the nose with it you might get a strike.

The reports from the southern end of the lake were much better, the water seems clearer down there.

Anyway, it was a discouraging trip. It was cold (my sleeping bag worked great, but I was cold pretty much any time I wasn't in it). The wind was super annoying and had a nasty bite no matter what direction it came from.

I plan to return in mid-June and hope the conditions will be better and the damsel migration will be in swing. I did see quite a few damsel nymphs in the water at Mallard, even had them climb onto my waders, so it's starting.

I hope it's better in June!

[michaeln]

Last but not least, some videos of the spawning rainbows at the Honker Cove creek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYTjfUK75S4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItGi1eFfClk

Be sure to select 720P HD playback for best quality!

[FRSam]

Sorry to hear your outing was so rough...but those trips only make the good ones that much better!!! And yes that Spring Crk pram can get a bit indecisive when the wind picks up at Davis - been there done that.

I'm sure your hopes were lifted after seeing those spawners in Snow Crk - it really is a kick to watch them in that small creek. Ed's a good guy and it isn't often he comes in without getting into some fish.

Did you see any fish coming up to the surface during the calm periods? When the lake turns it puts the fishing off and the visibility is just as you described it - next to nothing.

I'm down in Marin at the moment and I've been waiting for your report - thank you!! It's good to hear the damsels are in the water. Your trip in June should be action packed...


Pete

[michaeln]

I'm sure your hopes were lifted after seeing those spawners in Snow Crk - it really is a kick to watch them in that small creek.

Absolutely! That was the high point of the whole trip, even better than catching the one fish.


Ed's a good guy and it isn't often he comes in without getting into some fish.

Yep, he struck me as both a nice guy and a very competent fisherman. Of course he gets to spend a lot more time up there on that lake than I do too.


Did you see any fish coming up to the surface during the calm periods?

Not a one in the whole time I was there, if you mean fish rising and taking bugs. There were lots of fish jumping out of the water repeatedly, but I think it was their vain attempt to knock off the copepods. Two of the fish Gary caught were covered with 'em. How uncomfortable must that be for the fish?


When the lake turns it puts the fishing off and the visibility is just as you described it - next to nothing.

Yep, I really think it's turning over right now, at least in the north 1/2 which is less sheltered from the wind. I think it will suck for a couple weeks.


It's good to hear the damsels are in the water. Your trip in June should be action packed...

I am such a dummy. I have a box with lots of different sizes and colors of damsel nymphs, and never tried one even though I saw them in the water. I stuck with that wiggle tail because I caught the one fish on it. Shoulda tied on a damsel. Oh well.

[FRSam]

The nice thing about living up there is you can be very selective about where and when you fish. I was really hoping the copepods were a thing of the past!!!! This is the first report I've heard this year of those "creatures" showing up. According to F&G the cold water was supposed to kill them so I'm very surprised to hear they're showing up already - BUMMER!!!

Once again thanks for the detailed report.

Pete

[michaeln]

Good article here about lake turnover for those who are not familiar with the phenomenon:

http://www.rmbel.info/Reports/Static/LL_springturnover.aspx

I'm pretty sure that's what's making the flyfishing at Davis suck right now.

[michaeln]

I was really hoping the copepods were a thing of the past!!!! This is the first report I've heard this year of those "creatures" showing up. According to F&G the cold water was supposed to kill them so I'm very surprised to hear they're showing up already - BUMMER!!!

My fish and most of the others I heard about were clean, but Gary had two that had lots of copepods on them. I also read on another forum about a guy who had caught 5 fish trolling with hardware a week or so ago and 4 of them were infested with copepods.

I was under the impression this was a late season problem, I was very surprised to hear of and see fish with copepods this early in the season.

[dpentoney]

You are lucky AAA sent a tow truck. Usually they won't go off the pavement.