Eagle Lake Best Fishing Locations Depths

Most folks continue to work hard and long hours.  So it’s been pretty slow out there for the average angler all week but we’re transitioning now so that should help school fish up over the depths and we’ll begin to see more steady depths for catching.  I had spent some time on the west side but couldn’t break 2lbs so I switched things up and headed to the east side yesterday.  We were catching nice trout 2 to 3+lbs at 17 to 21ft deep (for leadcore at my speed and lures was 4 colors of 18lb in the water).  Lures that have been catching have varied from day to day.  I also got some activity on olive leeches, orange and yellow (depending on the cloud cover) (Jay Fair’s) on my topline at 4 to 5 ft deep. Since I ran it in a rod holder I did add an action disc to it to add a little (but not a lot) of wiggle to it. The higher up the line the disc is, the more movement is created.  Also more lateral travel so be careful running multiple lines.  The newer slotted discs don’t travel as far sideways.

I’ve been working off Eagle’s Nest as well as out in front of the marina towards Camp Ron McD.  Lures continue to vary but the good old Sure Catch double jointed Red Dog was the lure of the day today at 15-20ft deep.  I would run it again.  My buddies were out trolling the depths and found their fish deeper at 22-24ft.  With the heat coming on strong this week, I don’t think it will be long before we start seeing more trout deeper.  The east side seems to be holding more and somewhat larger trout than the west side but mixed in and around a ton of chubs. Right now they are still very scattered but appear to be on the move and once we see 70F surface temps for several days, we’ll see some schooling up and possibly a shift in sides of the lake.  LoL. I’ll start checking the west side again in a couple days.   We’ll also start seeing more tui chubs caught (although we are already catching a few, we’ll be catching a lot starting soon and running through the heat of the summer).  I don’t really think the trout can see very far in the deeper water which is why we continue to do better on lures that are orange, have orange on them or a spot of red.  Once the lake stratified last year, the red/gold Thomas Buoyant lure really worked great for me.  I have caught a few fish on it this season, but it hasn’t been real consistent just yet.  It really kicked in once the surface temps were above 70F.

LURES: Lures have been varied. Nothing real consistent yet. I think it has been a matter of just getting something close enough for them to see. LoL.  #2 Gold needlefish, Large Sure Catch double jointed Red Dog or single (medium), Zebra and Goldie Locks,  1/4 oz Red/Gold Thomas Buoyant and Acme Thunderbolt (perch pattern, similar to a T. Buoyant).  Red-dot Frog needlefish has been on and off again. Perch Phoebe has gotten attention sporadically.  White with red dots have also gotten a smidge of attention and a fire tiger needlefish has been sporadic.  For Trolling Flies, I have been getting attention on hot orange, olive & brown trolling flies (top water).  I wouldn’t hesitate to add the red-prism #2 needlefish to the daily arsenal either. It has caught me a lot of fish in the past on this lake when orange is the color of the day or week.   All in all, it continues to be tough fishing for the average fisherman as well as some long time anglers but it is gradually picking up a little and some limits are starting to come in this week.  But, just because a few of us are catching, doesn’t mean that everyone is catching.  I can only tell you what my buddies and I are doing to catch em, it’s up to you to apply that.  When everyone is catching, then the “slow” goes away.  With a 5F temperature drop between 20-25ft, that could be a good target range after sunrise, but before sunrise we have done pretty well at 12-18ft deep.  I suspect we’ll see some tui chub minnows out over the depths before too long, when that happens, the trout will be more actively feeding.  Right now they are filter feeding on shrimp larva (resembles applesauce in their bellies). It is suspended in the water column and dense enough to foul your lines.  So check your lines periodically, it is really bad on swivels.  We appear to be about a month ahead of normal for many things. There are very few grebes out on the water right now and even a few babies but the grebe numbers are very low in most places we would normally see hundreds.  We hope they are nesting and that we’ll see more.  Pelicans are also very scattered and in pairs to three unless roosting on some rock pile.    Once we see a big hatch of chubs, I’m hoping the grebe numbers increase & the pelicans help guide us to them over the depths.  At this point, the birds are following the boats.  LoL.

TROLLING NOTES: Spent some time checking out the middle of the lake and from Eagles Nest to Miners Pt.  We do have some fish off Miners but again, very cloudy water.  Half-hearted strikes and the fish are moving around a lot.  The Springs ledge had a handful of what looked like trout on the scope, single pings but out over the depths it looked like tui chub stacked up from 7 to 50ft.  But most of the nicer fish I have caught have been off of Eagle’s Nest and Black Mt and back down towards The Springs off the big boulder or out in 39 45ft of water off the Jetty and marina working towards Aspen Camp and back.  The fish were directional for me today.  Mostly trolling north to south or west to east.

The fish I have been cleaning (from the east side) this week continue to have shrimp and scuds larva.  The fly hatch is very minimal but we are seeing a few trout rise to it here and there.  We have a few tui-chub minnows close to shore but not enough yet for full dispersal and I haven’t seen a minnow in the belly of a trout just yet. But it will come.

We see a lot of artifact on our scopes on this lake, turn your sensitivity setting down to clear things up, you’ll have a better picture of the real world down below.  The conductivity is much higher than in the past so it can affect the readings and provide some false readings over other waters you may fish.  

Tui chubs appear to be holding 7 to 50ft deep Tuesday and stacked up in large numbers of scattered schools off Eagle’s Nest and out in the middle of the lake, a few off Shrimp and out from Merrill. once the sun has been on the water the top of the school has been around 12 ft and the bottom remains around 50ft + or -.  Often they just form a line in the comfort zone which changes seasonally as well as when they begin a major spawn, this is more typical off Lake of the Woods and the west side out from the last ledge. 

Top lures have always been needlefish, rapala’s, buoyants and Sure Catch (don’t throw your old ones away, repaint them).    We do have an active frog and toad population right now and it will get more prolific so the red-dot frog should be in your line up and the smaller #1 is getting a little attention.  Rapala’s also come in various colors, I think I would put on orange first, perch second, mustard might be my next choice and to stay on the small side.  Rapala’s generally work better later in summer but they have been an all around standard “good to try” for decades and should be in the daily line up for things to try. Broken backs are floaters but you can get them down a little way with a down rigger or leadcore, just know that they float up from where your line is regardless of a 3ft deep diving bill, it’s the material they are made from that floats up on you.

Trolling nightcrawlers has also been a good method although the last couple of years it hadn’t really produced big numbers of fish like in the past.  It’s still a good back up if nothing else is working for you.  Trolled behind a blade, harness or dodger.  Grubs have also been historically good.  Watermelon, orange, black, root-beer or brown have been our best colors.  Some folks run long leaders behind dodgers but for the most part, shorter is better up here.  These fish can come up behind blades fast and literally miss your offering and strike the blades.  That’s why we use shorter leaders up here.  If you’re throwing the tackle box at them, these should be in your arsenal.

Northern area around Pelican Pt and the Youth Camp fished well on opening day but it’s been struggling all week.  Up a bit one day and down the next.  Looks like tui chub are beginning to move north to spawn too.  The water is heating up, and often even if the water remains cooler, the summer solstice works its magic & they move anyway.    Hot (florescent) orange was probably the best color although olive and brown leeches saw some action as well but the tui chub minnow pattern will start kicking in as soon as the minnows hit the food court for the trout.  The grebes I have been watching out over the depths have been hanging around the stage 2 “nursery” tui chubs. Grebes haven’t been in large numbers or groups so far this year, mainly scattered in small groups.  Could be that some are nesting up north in the tules.  The pelicans are also in small groups and the numbers are way down.  Lots of 1-3’s out hunting.   No larger groups of pelicans are about out on the water just yet.  Yes, I do look for the pelicans actively looking for food.

I’ll also have and probably use some attractant just to leave a scent trail or even try a rattle trap to make some noise.  Trophy Trout by ProCure has been very good.  Other scents such as garlic has been a standard.  Shrimp and some others have been fairly good too.  Regardless, we are g oing to basically throw the tackle box at them and simply put it right in their face and find the color of the day before they settle into a routine.

Trolling speed?  We’re just going to have to change things up and find it. I was running 2-2.3 mph for the limits today.  For the flies, 2.2 to 2.5 has been my trigger speed and depending on winds. Buoyants work best for me between 1.2 and 1.9mph but can also run faster but after about 2.5mph they can spin….to protect your line chain swivels can help. The deadliest speed for a Thomas Buoyant for me (either size) has been between 1.2 and 1.9mph, watch your rod tip bounce for the sweet spot.  Perfect in my kayak too.  After the bite goes off, I randomly change my trolling speed.  I rarely troll in a straight line and I always go in different directions.  In general, these fish will typically face away from the sun and towards the wind.  If you get stuck in wind that is pushing you faster than you want to go, try reverse & see what happens.  I troll forward in reverse all the time when trolling with the wind.  I feel my chances are better at catching if my lures or flies are coming at the fish rather than coming up from behind the fish.  This tactic has proved itself time after time.

Bait Fishing from Boats: If fishing bait is your bag I would advise free-lining nightcrawlers if you plan on fishing over deeper water.  Free lining is basically not using any weight and leave your bail open.  No, you can’t cast it a great distance but it drifts down naturally and drifts with the lake currents and that can be irresistible.  If the water is flat, I prefer to let the boat drift and leave my bail open. When a fish picks it up, it will be very obvious.  When retrieving to relocate, retrieve it slowly, be the bait…be the leech slowly swimming, stopping and going again.   If the trout thinks it has injured something, generally he goes back and eats it.   We let the fish start peeling line off the reel before setting the hook after that it’s Game On.   This method takes more concentration and action for the angler than bobber fishing but it can also be a lot of fun as well as productive.  A drift of a free-line has to be tended like casting and retrieving a lure as it doesn’t take long before it sinks to the bottom & you get hung up in water less than 25ft deep.  It is a successful method but often more work than a bait fishermen wants to do. 

SLIP BOBBERS: The fish haven’t been really active on bobber fishing the last few years, but if you have tried everything else & choose to try it I think I would stagger depths between 18 and 24ft deep right now.  As the heat stays with us we could see fish drop to 27ft, but I have a good idea they won’t stay there long (similar to the last two years) and will come up if and when the weak thermolcline dissolves.  Sometimes those resting trout at 22 to 24ft will take a crawler over chasing a lure. They can often be on a shallower gravel bars, even in the heat of summer or even in 20 to 35ft of water foraging close to the bottom. Sometimes half a nightcrawler does better than the whole worm. 

PowerBait has become a standard for dough baits.  Colors can vary.  I generally have a “rainbow” on hand that covers several different colors in one jar.  You’ll find one color works better than another but finding the color of the day can take a little time.  Generally speaking, orange, pink, beige, chartreuse, pale yellow, are the most commonly taken early in the season.  Purple caught some last summer too.

Shore Fishing: As the water temps warm up, shore fishing pretty much ends (of course it never really was good so far this year).  You’ll need to be able to access deeper water from shore. There are a couple of places that one can find deeper water than most of the rest of the shoreline.  The ledge at The Springs is still close to shore…long walk but good water.  The small rocky point bordering Pikes Cove (southeastern part of Pikes Pt) has easy reach to 24 to 26ft of water over weed beds on its northerly edge.  Christie Day Use point drops to 24ft at the end of the rock pile.  There is a small spring off the Circus Grounds that can hold some fish in summer, it’s off the easterly side of the gravel bar.  Accesses:  Pikes Pt, The Springs (via Camp Ron McD), Eagle’s Nest, Circus Grounds, Christie Day Use.  The south side dirt road to Wildcat Pt is ok but has several nasty spots.  North side road is better but this area is shallow and generally picks up in fall from shore.  Lassen County Youth Camp, best access is through Merrillville road off 139. Gallatin Road is in terrible shape past Camp Ronald McD.  Still a handful of trout up off the Biology Station and Youth Camp ledges but the northern group of tui chub seem to be moving up to spawn, by fall we’ll see more trout move up.  But it’s a great location early and late in the season. The trout are moving now.  The shore fishing hasn’t been good so far this season, so lets hope for a better fall.  I wouldn’t bother trying to shore fish any further north than the YC at this time as the water temps have been around 73F+.   Note that it is not legal to drive or walk through the Osprey Management Area to access the west side of the lake or Pelican Pt for shore fishing.  These are only accessible by boating in or walking the shoreline, not through the area.  Walking access is not open until after Sept 15th. Closed to vehicles year round.

Fly Fishing/Kayak/Float Tubing:   Time to get lines a bit deeper or hit the morning hatch.  Dragging leadcore from a kayak is like dragging an anchor but we do it anyway.  It is a lot less weight than using a mini downrigger. 

I have seen a few trout rolling on the surface.  Not in big numbers, just one here and there, but they have been there, just not like it was in the past for catching.  Mostly on the chironomidae (midge) hatch in the morning and caddis later after sunrise.  We had a good hatch in early May but much lighter now.  Generally, #14, #16 or #18 depending on the hatch.  Zebra Midges can also be good in olive, black, grey or even red can produce.  I have gone as small as #22’s on this lake but on average, 16-18’s will do ok if that’s what you have on hand.  Run these under indicators/bobbers. If in shallow water, get it down about 1 to 2 ft from the bottom. The caddis really hasn’t quite kicked in to masses hatching, but we are seeing a few hatch after sunrise and some trout taking the opportunity here and there.  So far, fly fishing off the rock piles hasn’t really produced a lot of fish.  Scuds, shrimp, snails, small leeches 7 various nymphs are also good to use as well as stone fly larva and toe-bitter beetles if nothing else is working.  With water warming up, most of the eager biters are deeper now.

My favorite fly line from a tube or kayak is a medium sink tip.  I can cast it into shallow water as well as let it sink once the fish drop down a bit.  The floating section allows me to use it as an indicator for the strike.  I can hold it up with a large indicator if I have to.  It also allows me to troll it when getting from point A to point B to fish.  A full uniform sinking line gets a long belly in it very quickly and by the time the fish pulls the belly out of the line, it’s generally too late to set the hook on these fish. For the most part, it is a matter of preference.  Result on a full sinking line is often a lot of strikes but fewer hook ups.  In a pinch, if you don’t have a sink tip, a short section of leadcore 8-10 inches long spliced between your floating line and tippet will work just fine and still cast very nicely over using a small split shot.  Fish still know that you’re there in a kayak or float tube but they don’t run away as fast or as far as they do from a boat/motor.  I generally don’t have to run as long of a line or have a really long cast from a smaller craft as I do my big ol’ boat.  Lower profiles are better than higher profiles on the water.