The weather has thrown a few curve balls at the lake over the last week. The top of Mt. Lassen has been covered with a white dusting in recent days. We have seen some rain and several days with high winds, shaking things up. Water in some areas turned murky, stirred by the big blows. Traffic on the lake has been lite. The water level has basically stalled, with very little fluctuation over the last week and currently sits at 4483.65 or about 10.5 feet below full pool. Flows on all the lake’s tributaries are at seasonal norms. Water temperature has gone sub 60 degrees and now holds in the upper 50’s. For anglers, the recent story is all about fish feeding on the lake’s pond smelt population. The trout are spread throughout the entire lake but much of the focus has been on the east shore and the east side of the peninsula. Trout have been caught on a wide variety of offerings recently for the trollers. Slow trolled worms and plastics along with fast trolled spoons in bright as well as bait fish patterns are some of the most popular options. Anglers have also seen success on trolling flies and Rapalas in recent days. The cooler water temps have opened up the water column to the fish which now can be caught at all depths from the surface down. The catch is a mixed bag of Rainbows and Browns and some smaller aggressive Rainbows have moved into areas and will need to be picked through to get the nicer fish. Remember to release these smaller guys responsibly, they are future big fish. Bait fishermen have been netting a few fish at several locations of the west shore. Again, the cooler water temps have the fish moving in close. Fly anglers suspending flies under indicators as well as stripping pond smelt imitating flies on sinking lines are tempting the fish focused on the forage minnows. Things feel like fall is definitely here and the weatherman says we have a few additional fronts moving through in the week ahead so keep and eye on the forecast and be prepared.
