Heavy rain and wind were present throughout the past week, along with snow –– close to six feet –– over the weekend. Accompanying this weather were below-freezing temperatures. It is most likely that not many fishermen will be making their way to the lake soon. Although, there was one brave soul out in his boat last Friday.
Here are the events that led up to the storm:
A few boats were on the lake all week. My sources that fished during this time reported that a limit of mixed fish is possible. Two of the boats caught six mixed fish per boat on their trips. A man I know from Visalia was fishing from shore near the Sierra Marina; he caught and released a 23-inch brown. He also caught a few near trophy-sized rainbows. That’s good news, but it may also provide some clue as to why the trolling bite is slow.
Apparently the trout are swimming the shorelines in search of food and staying out of the mainstream of the lake. I talked to several regulars who planned to get back on the lake this past Saturday. I think they experienced something similar as the guys from last week: five to six mixed fish for their boats. The areas of the dam, road two point, and the Point have produced most fish at surface to 30 feet below. The surface water is around 40 degrees, causing the fish to come up in column. Mountain Hoochies –– in pink or orange, tipped with corn, behind a Mountain Dodger –– has been best for kokanee. Trout Busters, tipped with crawler and corn, behind a Mountain Flasher has worked for trout. A good report came in this past week of a decent trout bite in the Stevenson Bay area.
It is not too far off until we all hit the lake this spring. I open my 14th year of charter service on Shaver on April 20. But, there is a lot of preparation for us guides before we hit the water. Permits, insurance, marina spaces, and our dues to SCE for allowing us to commercially fish at Shaver must be completed, along with a complete mechanical check of our boats. When we start, it will be 100 trips later before we rest and put the boats away in the fall.
I miss the life so much right now that I really look forward to Apr. 20. It’s always a reunion of my old fishing clients and friends throughout the summer. And, I think most fishermen miss the lake too.
So, here is the fishing forecast for Shaver. I can tell you, by experience, the kokanee will break out soon for a good spring run, trout maybe be up and down, until Department of Fish and Wildlife begin their 2019 plants. Until the next edition, clean those boats and get prepared for a good 2019 season on Shaver. It’s not far away.