Lake Davis TOADS 8/25-31/16

[gene goss]

With higher water temp than I like to fish, 68 degrees in the morning, and 72 degrees in the evening, and the few fishing reports that I heard about fishing Lake Davis was that it was slow and the temp of the water was to high for a safe release of trout if you caught one.
SO with a small window of time between my wife's plans, and other things....etc, I decided to give Lake Davis, and Frenchmans a try and make my own fishing report good or bad.

If you fish when the water temp is high you need to land the fish quickly, use barb less hooks, KEEP the fish in the water for a photo and give a little longer time to help with the recovery

In 5 days of fishing Lake Davis and kicking 3-5 miles a day in the float tube I only landed 9 fish, 2 of them were 6+ lbs.....I don't think there are any small fish in Davis.....almost all my grabs came from fishing the areas between the weed beds with short casts, the wind is your friend when your fishing for these big toads.

A good guide like Jon Baiocchi that know's the lake can help put you into a toad.

TOADS.....of Lake Davis

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN1978_zpsgifydfgm.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN1978_zpsgifydfgm.jpg.html)
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN1980_zpsflosrviw.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN1980_zpsflosrviw.jpg.html)
Almost all toads were caught on a 5 color marabou streamer on inter line, with a 15 ft leader, 8 lbs tippet.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN2013_zpsbedjvjdo.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN2013_zpsbedjvjdo.jpg.html)
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN1975_zpsnvcnukub.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN1975_zpsnvcnukub.jpg.html)
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN1991_zps9gtqutmy.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN1991_zps9gtqutmy.jpg.html)
Frenchman Lake .....water temp 67 in the early morning.....i fish early in the morning for a couple of hours for 6-9 fish between 15-19 inches.....there is a early morning surface actively.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN1996_zpsfj5nu2qh.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN1996_zpsfj5nu2qh.jpg.html)
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN1989_zpsd1g8szuz.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN1989_zpsd1g8szuz.jpg.html)
I love seeing the fly in the corner of the mouth on these streamer flies.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN2002_zpsur7jyylk.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN2002_zpsur7jyylk.jpg.html)
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN2007_zpsmzhm6fhw.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN2007_zpsmzhm6fhw.jpg.html)
This is the 5 color marabou streamer with a little UV
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w300/eugene047/DSCN1644_zpsufoppmge.jpg (http://s179.photobucket.com/user/eugene047/media/DSCN1644_zpsufoppmge.jpg.html)

[Mark Kranhold]

Nice fish Gene, love them toads;)

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

5 Star post Gene.....thanks.

Those fish are beautiful.

October is a great time to go in the Fall.

.

[njbeast]

White yellow green orange black?

[gene goss]

White yellow green orange black?

njbeast......this fly doesn't have orange in it, it has tan......but burnt orange is a good color to use also.
If you stack the different color's on top of each other on the top of the hook shank, it will help keep the tail from wrapping around the hook when your casting.
Use only 2 barbs of the black marabou on each shoulder.
Ice Wing fiber pearl UV hue..... is very fine it will flow with the marabou.....a little bit go a long ways.

[grnwtrs]

Good Job!!

Those are some really beautiful fish. I haven't fished there is years, but when I did, I never caught anything to compare
with the fish you pictured. I just didn't know what I was doing.

By the way, Davis Lake wasn't the only place!

Again, those are some remarkable fish, and your pictures are wonderful.

Thanks for the posting.

Regards,gene

[NVFlyAngler]

Thanks for the great report and photos!

Similar experiences for me last Sunday morning and yesterday morning. On the water early, off by 11:00 a.m. or so. LOTS of surface activity last Sunday; not so much yesterday. The handful (three over two mornings) of fish to hand were caught "wind trolling" in my pram with a burnt orange Rickard's Stillwater Nymph on an intermediate camo line. I didn't take the time to photograph or measure, but all were strong, healthy and probably 18" - 21" in length. I see the air temperature is in the mid-30s up there this morning, so I think I'll take another shot tomorrow morning.

[Kaiyasdad]

Thanks for the great report and photos!

Similar experiences for me last Sunday morning and yesterday morning. On the water early, off by 11:00 a.m. or so. LOTS of surface activity last Sunday; not so much yesterday. The handful (three over two mornings) of fish to hand were caught "wind trolling" in my pram with a burnt orange Rickard's Stillwater Nymph on an intermediate camo line. I didn't take the time to photograph or measure, but all were strong, healthy and probably 18" - 21" in length. I see the air temperature is in the mid-30s up there this morning, so I think I'll take another shot tomorrow morning.


What's the best areas to tube? Moved to Reno a year ago and never fished Davis. Thanks.

[gene goss]

Kaiyasdad.....Lake Davis is a very good lake to float tube, or wade the shore......but with the lake level at 59% and acre's of weed beds in the shallow bays it can be difficult finding access to where the trout are located. This time of the year the trout are spread out across all the shallow bays in the north end of the lake, a good place to start with easy access would be Mosquito Slough use the Fair View Point access.
With the trout population at a low, the lake level's at 59%, acre's of weed beds, hiring a guide (Jon Baiocchi) to show you the lake would jump start your fall fishing season.....there are some very big TOADS to be caught this season.

[Kaiyasdad]

Kaiyasdad.....Lake Davis is a very good lake to float tube, or wade the shore......but with the lake level at 59% and acre's of weed beds in the shallow bays it can be difficult finding access to where the trout are located. This time of the year the trout are spread out across all the shallow bays in the north end of the lake, a good place to start with easy access would be Mosquito Slough use the Fair View Point access.
With the trout population at a low, the lake level's at 59%, acre's of weed beds, hiring a guide (Jon Baiocchi) to show you the lake would jump start your fall fishing season.....there are some very big TOADS to be caught this season.

Thanks for the info on Davis. I fished at Frenchman a few times and fishe by the dam and the shoreline near where u there is a path for parking lot earlier this year when all other areas where closed off. What other areas at Frenchman are good this time of year? The area by the ramp look good but kinda shallow?

[gene goss]

Kaiyasdad......the North end of the lake can be good this time of the year, the shallow water and weed beds are were you want to be fishing at this time of the year.

[westwillie]

Kaiyasdad......the North end of the lake can be good this time of the year, the shallow water and weed beds are were you want to be fishing at this time of the year.

does anyone know if we can launch to Camp Five. It doesn't take much water in the cove to launch, but not if they park the ramp in the middle of the launch :(

[gene goss]

Westwillie....the ramps are in the middle of the ramp, if your a good backer there is a space between the ramps that you could launch a small boat.....lake level is 57% now.