Davis Lake 7/11-7/17

[1flyfisher]

DFG didn't plant the sunfish or catfish or anything besides trout. So far the catfish survived the rotenone and the sunfish, crawfish as well. The catfish were expected to survive the rotenone 07 and the sunfish survived the first rotenone treatment in 97. I believe CADFG expected the sunfish might also survive a second rotenone and they stated that the catfish would likely survive it. I saw a few schools of small fish, tiny from 1/2" to maybe 2.5/3" the last few weeks. I couldn't identify them but I now believe they were sunfish fry.

There have been all sorts of fish in davis over the years. Some planted by CADFG most illegally dumped in by people. Tahoe Suckers, Lahontan Redsides, speckled dace and maybe some other shiner/minnows that I can't remember are native to the creek system.

All kinds of sunfish (bluegills, pumpkin seeds, red ear, etc) , Golden Shiners, LMB Bass, Brown Bullhead, Black Bullhead, coho, kings, brookies, browns, cutthroats, rainbows (colemans, eagles, kamloops), pike etc. The trouts and salmon were planted by CADFG, all the rest were illegally planted. Surprisingly no smallies. People have been putting smallies everywhere.....Prosser, Stampede, Boca, ....

I caught a sunfish there last week....soooooo did these sunfish survive the poisoning....or did DFG plant the sunfish in Davis Lake ????????

[gene goss]

DFG didn't plant the sunfish or catfish or anything besides trout. So far the catfish survived the rotenone and the sunfish, crawfish as well. The catfish were expected to survive the rotenone 07 and the sunfish survived the first rotenone treatment in 97. I believe CADFG expected the sunfish might also survive a second rotenone and they stated that the catfish would likely survive it. I saw a few schools of small fish, tiny from 1/2" to maybe 2.5/3" the last few weeks. I couldn't identify them but I now believe they were sunfish fry.

There have been all sorts of fish in davis over the years. Some planted by CADFG most illegally dumped in by people. Tahoe Suckers, Lahontan Redsides, speckled dace and maybe some other shiner/minnows that I can't remember are native to the creek system.

All kinds of sunfish (bluegills, pumpkin seeds, red ear, etc) , Golden Shiners, LMB Bass, Brown Bullhead, Black Bullhead, coho, kings, brookies, browns, cutthroats, rainbows (colemans, eagles, kamloops), pike etc. The trouts and salmon were planted by CADFG, all the rest were illegally planted. Surprisingly no smallies. People have been putting smallies everywhere.....Prosser, Stampede, Boca, ....

Thanks for the info....smallmouth in Prosser, Stamped, and Boca.....WOW....i love smallmouth fishing....do you know if there is any size to the smallmouth in Prosser, Stamped, or Boca.

[flyfishnevada]

I was wanting to get up that way, but I think I will pass. Man if they could get that place worked out, it would be spectacular. Thanks for the report.

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Gene-
I have boated smallies up to the 5lb range at Prosser.Same with Stampede.Search out rocky shorelines or fish in front of the dam.

Jay

[1flyfisher]

They run a few pounds......, 5 pounder would be a big one. Almanor has good smallie fishing.

Thanks for the info....smallmouth in Prosser, Stamped, and Boca.....WOW....i love smallmouth fishing....do you know if there is any size to the smallmouth in Prosser, Stamped, or Boca.

[1flyfisher]

Its not like it once was. For one,,,,No more snails which really really sucks. Fall fishing used to be a real kick with the floating snails. It's hurting a bit. The sores all over the fish and these damn parasites make me sick. It will snap back IF the parasites die off. Hopefully the high water can clean that up. It is still ok though. Still a beautiful lake.
We'll see how the fish quality turns up, ends up this fall.
This spring and summer myself and the friends I fish with noticed a lack of larger holdovers around. Looks like they took another winter kill hit with the low water levels. Not the usual numbers we see and catch. Low water levels the last two years did some damage. Winter kill and summer kill have always been a problem for Cadfg trying to maintain fish populations and 2+ years of below average water levels hurt.
It'll come back.

CADFG can always add some fish but they don't stock snails.
I am sad about the snails and the parasites.

I was wanting to get up that way, but I think I will pass. Man if they could get that place worked out, it would be spectacular. Thanks for the report.

[michaeln]

No more snails which really really sucks. Fall fishing used to be a real kick with the floating snails.

Maybe it's a bit early to declare "no snails"? Isn't the snail thing normally something that happens in the fall, ie: September / October? In a normal year would you be seeing snails in mid-July?

[1flyfisher]

Snails used to be around all the time,,,it isn't just a fall thing. It has been a few YEARS now without anything remotely resembling snail populations. They have been in decline for about 6+ years. Less and less every year. I haven't seen even ONE snail anywhere at all. I haven't cruised the east shore lately so maybe someone has seen some over there. Snails are around every where (used to be) all year not just a fall thing. The thing about the so called "fall Snail hatch" in the fall was that in the fall the weed beds break up and the snails are floating off them and the fish eat them gobbling them up fattening up for winter.
usually you are seeing hundreds floating around spring summer fall and on the bottom in sizes from tiny to quite large.
There are no snails anywhere I can see. There was a small amount last summer remaining last summer in a cove I found some. I went and looked. Couldn't find a single one.
So if there aren't any snails....there are "no snails"
Whether they ever come back....who knows?

Maybe it's a bit early to declare "no snails"? Isn't the snail thing normally something that happens in the fall, ie: September / October? In a normal year would you be seeing snails in mid-July?

[FRSam]

I went out yesterday with the boat on the water at 6:30am trying to beat the heat. Had a good day and as Paul said there were fish "working" the shallows. 7:30am to 8:30am is when I saw the most activity while in Fungawi fishing toward the back on the north side.

Didn't see any damsel nymphs in the water but later in the day I noticed quite a few adults. I agree with Paul - I think the fish were coming up for midges but I took my fish on damsel nymphs targeting individual fish. The fish turned off about 8:30 or so and I headed up to Cow and Freedman.

I saw some dinkers off the Cow Creek point doing the aerial tail flips so I went over to Freedman and put ashore to let the dog run and check out the shallow coves over on the Grizzly Crk side.

I didn't see any fish working and no damsels in the water but I did find a nest with eggs in a patch of willows just off shore. I know there must be thousands of nests out there with all the birds but this is the first nest I've come across with eggs still in it.

So I walked back over to the Freedman side and saw a fish working just off shore and took him on the second cast. Nice fish just under 20 inches and pretty clean.

The water temps were high - surface temps were about 73 degrees but none of the fish I took had any trouble upon release.

All in all a good day - I stopped fishing around 1:00pm. Pretty much had the lake to myself which is always nice.

Pete

[1flyfisher]

Hey pete how are you?

The Grebes normally build their nests in the weed beds but this year the weed beds started so late(just starting to break through the surface) that they had to take alternative measures. A few weeks ago there were dozens of grebes off cow where they normally build their nests. When I got up there last sunday I noticed the grebes had vanished. As the weed beds weren't coming through the surface I wondered what the grebes would do????? If they would fly away to another lake or not lay their eggs this year. Later in the week I paddled over to grizzly arm and there they were dozens of grebes. They had built their nests in the flooded willows around grizzly arm instead of the weed beds off cow! I found like a half dozen nests, some nests had two eggs some had three. Nature adapts!