Heenan today

**Quinnphoto** · 09-27-2021, 07:26 PM

Waze said I could make Heenan in two hours so I drove up hwy 50 to try my luck. The drive was more scenic green than I thought I would see. I was surprised to see both sides of the road after Woodfords was scorched almost to Markleeville. I saw many structures saved by the brave Cal Fire crews. There were still smoldering pockets but otherwise the drive up Hwy 50 was uneventful and fast.

I fished most of the day trying a multitude of flies and depths. I didn’t see one fish to hand on the whole lake. Maybe ten float tubes spread around the front half the lake. I didn’t get a hit or strike or an air walk. It wan’t my day. I was packing to go home and a very nice young man and I shared intel. He said he caught five. He was too far from my view to see so after talking I believe he was the big cahuna of the day. He did throat samples on the fish and found out they were full of daphnia. He saw some huge schools of them near where he was fishing. The other stomach samples held scuds. He caught most of his fish on scuds with a type 4 sinking line. Water temp is 59 so the fish are deeper than an intermediate will handle. Going again Wednesday to see if I can get some on scuds. Hopefully the daphnia bloom will be gone.

**PV_Premier** · 09-28-2021, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by Quinnphoto

He did throat samples on the fish and found out they were full of daphnia. He saw some huge schools of them near where he was fishing. The other stomach samples held scuds. He caught most of his fish on scuds with a type 4 sinking line. Water temp is 59 so the fish are deeper than an intermediate will handle. Going again Wednesday to see if I can get some on scuds. Hopefully the daphnia bloom will be gone.

This became a common issue at Davis Lake a few years back as well. There are "blob" flies that are intended to imitate daphnia, but I'm not sure how effective they are. My view on trout eating daphnia is that they can just swim around with their mouths open like a basking shark and whatever goes in is what gets eaten. I might be wrong and they might be more "selective" than that.

**Scott V** · 09-28-2021, 01:55 PM

I was at Heenan last Saturday the 25th and slayed them. All caught stripping a black wiggle tail with type 3 line. Probably go back this Sunday.

Hennan is all about the strip, do it wrong and you won't get a bite. Or you can sit there staring at an indicator which I refuse to do.

**Quinnphoto** · 09-28-2021, 04:15 PM

Seems like a few are slaying them. I think the fish move throughout the lake and sometimes you strike out and sometimes you know what you’re doing and get em. Looks like you got em Scott.

**John H** · 09-28-2021, 04:30 PM

What is the secret stripping method? Seems like you should help your message board buddies out and pull back the curtain.

**Bill Kiene semi-retired** · 09-28-2021, 07:57 PM

From watching this over the years October is usually the best time.

**Scott V** · 09-29-2021, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by John H

What is the secret stripping method? Seems like you should help your message board buddies out and pull back the curtain.

No secret at all. Strip it like your a scud. Ever watch a scud swim, super jerky quick motion. Hennan is a scud lake. Most people won't fish my way because they get too tired from constantly fast jerky stripping. Google "videos of scuds swimming". You wanna catch fish, you have to twitch like a scud!