Lake Suggestions

[Bkane]

Great news about Eagle I didn’t think it would ever be full again! Love fishing around the tules in the north end of the lake.

[Rossflyguy]

Well here’s the update. Went to Lake Davis. Got there mid day Saturday. Lake was choppy. No shortage of bullheads in that lake. Saw one trout cruising the shallows but spooked it before I could even get my rod out (I was fishing in my kayak). All the boats were trolling in the middle of the lake. No grabs. Fished Sunday morning. Lake was GLASS. Fish rising everywhere. They were eating spent bugs. Body was tan and brown/orange. Wasn’t a midge or calibeatis. Never seen this bug before. They were gulping up these things like candy. Closest thing I had was a tan elk caddis. I couldn’t get close enough to make a cast. Those fish were spooky. Tried midge, balanced leeches, damsel flies, and some hares ear under an indicator. Nothing. Marked fish hugging the bottom about 15’ of water where it was coldest. Wind picked up at 11am and lake started to white cap. Dangerous in a kayak so it forced me off the water. Tense moment for sure. I found no weed beds. Maybe still to early due to the coldest spring we’ve had. I fished the north west part of the lake. I cut my losses and fished a lake close to Truckee. Had far better results there. Cut my time there too due to thunderstorms rolling in. I’d like to try Davis again maybe later this year. Try and check it off the list WHEN I catch a trout from there. Not in a hurry to go back though.

[PV_Premier]

Historically the best time to fish Davis is during the damsel hatch. The fish are a little more reckless then and can be found in very shallow waters. I haven’t been out there in probably 7 years though.

[STEELIES/26c3]

Historically the best time to fish Davis is during the damsel hatch. The fish are a little more reckless then and can be found in very shallow waters. I haven’t been out there in probably 7 years though.

YEP... and that hatch will surely be a few weeks later this year with all the snow we got...

[Rossflyguy]

YEP... and that hatch will surely be a few weeks later this year with all the snow we got...

Yea I can confirm that. The coldest spring we’ve ever had definitely pushed the damsel fly hatch further out.

[FREEDOM-FLYFISHER]

Great news about Eagle I didnÂ’t think it would ever be full again! Love fishing around the tules in the north end of the lake.

Lincoln said Eagle Lake is full and should be very good this year.

Not true. The lake isn't anywhere close to being full. It is about 6/7+ foot vertical rise away from full max capacity 1997, where you could cut through the mid basin (spaulding) to the south basin on the west side of pelican point and water was up to the airport access road. The lake barely came up 2 feet after this epic record heavy sierra snow winter. The marina cove harbor is still bone dry. The water isn't even up to the culvert pipe at the jetty.

[loose_shoes]

Thanks for this eyes-on report. I was skeptical of the report of Eagle being full. As much water as was coming down Pine Creek in early May it was only a fraction of the amount of water that was moving through Deer Creek at the same time. It would have taken the volume of 4-5 Deer Creek size flows to bring up Eagle a significant amount - especially the North end.

That being said, I think the Eagle might have some potential again in the fall.

[FREEDOM-FLYFISHER]

We had the biggest precipitation winter 2022-2023 on record. Epic Sierra snowfall. Lakes all across the west and Norcal, SoCal, etc have filled up to capacity and overflow....except... Eagle Lake. The lake will never be full ever again because the water is diverted from entering the lake. Lassen/USFS divert the water from entering Eagle down the Susan River to Honey Lake for the hay farmers. They have been doing it for well over a decade. Pine Creek barely flowed into June this year even after all the epic snow because they divert it. This wasn't the first big winter we have had in the last decade plus that would have, should have filled the lake. We have had some very big winters that would have filled the lake just fine in the past 10-15+ years. In 97 the water was all the way up to the end of the airport road, tules were rocking all around the lake, all basins. North Basin had great tules from the ranch house all the way up and around. The inside passage out of Spaulding down to Pelican had epic tule fishing with thousands of fish in there and you were well protected from the wind. It was so much fun, great decades of memories. Now it is all over with.