At LAST, a week at Eagle

As everyone knows, this year has sucked worse than last year, and everyone has had a rough time in the USA. But things are looking up for J and me.

Our post-Labor Day vacation fishing is my favorite lake in California. I've fished it many times before, limited out. Just haven't been there in 15 years because I used to fly in and since I lost my flight privilege (medical, what else) , I just haven't gone because driving to Eagle from the Bay Area requires a week to be truly relaxing and enjoyable. When I was flying, Eagle was a DAY TRIP!!!
Fast forward 15 years and the stars have aligned, I get a proper eagle trip whilst driving. The new  thing I have is a Garmin Striker 4 sonar unit.   It'll be nice to try all the features but mostly I want FISH.
Usually, we just drift night crawlers on hooks with no weight and leave the bail of the spinning reel open. When the line starts zinging off the reel, you've got a fish and since Eagle is a put and take lake (no catch and release, something about the water, but I don't know) as soon as I catch them, I'll shoot them in the head with my BB gun and gut them right in the boat. The guts go in a ziploc bag, as does  the fish, in a ziploc with water in it. This year we have the added advantage of Pro-Cure Anise Krill Super Gel. I've never used it so it'll be interesting to see if it has any effect on the fishing.
Anybody been to Eagle recently? Any info is welcome. Thanks!!!

Never been there but sounds great. Good luck!

I’ve never heard of it nor have been there neither but I definitely am going to be looking forward to a fish report from you now that you’ve told us you’re going to find a time to road trip there and fish. lol

SP Dan

SP Dan wrote:I’ve never heard of it nor have been there neither but I definitely am going to be looking forward to a fish report from you now that you’ve told us you’re going to find a time to road trip there and fish. lol

SP Dan

Norcal, Lassen county BIG (2.5- 4 lb) fish, Renting a cabin (I'm too old for sleeping on the ground). Easy fishing if you know what to do. We just drift bait. Leave the bail open and when the line starts zinging off, you have a bite. I also FINALLY get to break in my Garmin Striker4. Never even been on a boat with sonar before, but i have a transducer mount I can use on a rental boat. Reports and photos will come to this thread. I promise.

Good luck up there and let's us know how it goes.

Hi There!

Eagle Lake is big deal to us fly fishing guys!

It is the home waters of the late, great Jay Fair who was a guide and fly tier and IFFF Hall of Fame inductee.

It is also home of the famous Eagle Lake Strain of rainbow trout. If you have ever caught a large rainbow in Crowley Lake that ripped the line off your reel it was either an Eagle Lake strain or A Kamloops strain (British Columbia). These trout are known for their immense size and vicious fighting ability!

You may only keep two trout per day and have no more then 4 in possession. After that, you are told you must stop fishing. This rule however, only applies if you are bait fishing and keeping your limit.

If your want to fish for extended periods of time, you may practice catch and release on this lake. To participate in catch and release fishing: Only fish one rod at a time, artificial lures, single barbless hooks with no scent. Fly guys do this and fish all day long. On a good day at Eagle lake, one can C and R 25 to 30 trout, some of which are trophies! Conventional guys can achieve these numbers as well using artificial lure with single barbless hooks.

If you want to C and R, but also want fish to eat or take home, C and R till your hearts desire and then keep a couple when you finish up your day.

Eagle Lake is a special place. Have an awesome time!!!

Fred

KrazyFish wrote:Hi There!
Eagle Lake is big deal to us fly fishing guys!

Eagle Lake is a special place.  Have an awesome time!!!

Fred

Jay Fair was a great man. I've been up there many times, but not since I stopped flying. Everybody knew us because we camped in a huge blue dome tent on the median between the ramp and the runway. People always offered us their shower, which we accepted gratefully.

We knew Rudy and George at the General Store (now closed, George died), Jay Fair, the folks at the RV park, fisherpeople of every size and stripe. Had a red and white C172. I wish I could still fly (medical) but my days of sleeping on the ground are over. Too many chronic pains.

I know the bag limits, we're hoping to have a fish dinner or two and take eight fish home with us.

I've read things from the DFW (this goes back at least 25 years) but C&R is discouraged because the fish are so in shock after a long battle, the lactic acid in their muscles overwhelms their system. The DFW considers Eagle a put-and-take lake. Something about the high alkalinity of the water because of the drought, which never really ended at Eagle. I do a lot of C&R but not at Eagle.

I fish with tiny ultralight spinning tackle so if the fish bites MY hook, it will be exhausted by the time I get it to the boat.

We mostly drift bait. Just let the bait, stunk up with stinko. leave the bail open and if the line starts zinging off the reel, close the bail, you've to a fish on.

The last time I was there (17 years ago) we limited out in about two hours. We took a boat cruise (after getting the fish gutted and packed in ice) and had a thoroughly excellent time. We rented boats from George, who loved us and we loved her.

What was funny about limiting out was we were in a rented bathtub with poles and worms, but not the thousands and thousands of dollars of boat or gear. We kept pulling fish out and as you know, the sound on the water REALLY carries up there, despite the thin air. Before we fired up, we could hear these guys b*tching, "How the F are they DOING that?" The only difference this year is I will have sonar. My wife bought me that. $100 Striker 4.

We waved, hollered "good luck," and slowly pulled away from the other fisherfolk (slowly so as to not disturb their fishing).

I ran into one guy at the store when we returned to the general store and George let us freeze our catch in ziploc bags full of water in her freezer because we had none, and he said, "You were the boat pulling in all the fish, what did you do?" I deferred to George who explained it to him. The guy clapped me on the back and said, "nice job."

Eagle is a magical place.