Fall: The Time For Trophies At Eagle Lake   By: Cal Kellogg September 26, 2006 More Articles by Cal

Eagle Lake represents the finest trout fishery in northern California. The average rainbow caught at the lake runs between 2.5 and 3.5 pounds and there are plenty of rainbows that range beyond the 5 pound mark.

The fishing at Eagle Lake is good throughout the season from the Memorial Day weekend opener through the December 31st closer. Sure the enthusiasm of the trout can fluctuate due to factors such as heat waves and during the full moon, but overall the fishing is very consistent.

In all the years I’ve been visiting the lake I can only recall getting skunked one time and on most outings I could have come off the water with my two trout limit had I chosen to do so. Having said that, if I were restricted to fishing Eagle during only one part of the year, the choice would be a simple one. I’d eagerly choose the fall, because that is the time of the season when you have the best chance of boating a trophy trout beyond 5 pounds.

When you get down to brass tacks, Eagle Lake is a trophy fishery and there is no better time to tempt the lake’s biggest trout than during the fall. The spring and early summer is when the lake gives up the lion’s share of the yearly catch to anglers. Once summer firmly takes hold the water temperatures rise quickly, driving the lake’s rainbows into deepwater haunts where they spend the summer feeding on abundant chubs and aquatic organisms. In these deep waters the trout are safe from all anglers except those plying the depths with downriggers.

When fall rolls around and the days begin to shorten the rainbows begin abandoning their deepwater sanctuaries and head for the shallows. This shallow water migration takes places at a different time each year and is dictated by water temperature. When the water around the shoreline dips to the 60 degree mark you can bet the ranch that there will be trout cruising the shallow northern basin.

With short days and frigid water temperatures ahead the trout heed their instinctive urge to feed heavily and bulk up for the winter months and for the spawn that comes with the approach of spring. The combination of the rainbow’s zeal to feed and their presence in shallow water makes them highly vulnerable to the efforts of anglers. The fact that fishing pressure is fairly light during the fall only helps to tilt the odds in your favor.

To be sure there will be anglers on the water, but they will be the hardcore crowd willing to brave snow and cold for a trophy. The dough bait artists and hot rodders speeding around in fish ‘n’ ski boats that you saw during the spring and summer will be long gone, replaced by grizzled old veterans that know fall is the time for the serious business of battling big trout.

There are two distinct camps when it comes to fall fishing. First there is the trolling contingent that slowly and methodically cover the shallow flats. The other group, of which I am a member in good standing, is the worm and slip bobber crowd. Both groups believe they have the inside tract to hooking big trout, but in reality it all comes down to a matter of confidence, since both groups are quite successful.

Trollers employ chub imitating spoons, flies, and grubs in addition to threaded worms for their trout. In recent years Sep’s grubs in olive, brown and black have emerged as go to baits for fall trolling, yet the other baits I’ve mentioned still boot out plenty of fish.

As important as what you troll is how you troll. The trout will be shallow. For this reason it is crucial to get your bait away from the boat. That means pulling the lures at least 200 feet back or employing a side planer to get them out to the side. If there’s not much boat traffic one of the most effective trolling presentations is utilizing a planner to work a plastic grub or threaded ‘crawler along the outer edge of the lake’s prolific tule beds.

Talented local guide Tim Noxon of Fish Travelers Guide Service advises fall trollers to focus on Spaulding Bay, the entrance to Pine Creek, Pelican Point, and the tules at both Highway 193 and off the airport.

Worm and bobber fishing is simple, stealthy and highly effective. I first learned this method of fishing while visiting Eagle Lake and have found it effective at most trout lakes I’ve visited.

For folks that have never used one, to set up a slip bobber rig start by sliding a commercially prepared string bobber stop on the main line of a spinning rig loaded with 6 pound fluorocarbon line. The distance the bobber stop is slid up the line decides the depth of the bait. Once the stop is in place, slide on a bead followed by a foam or balsa slip bobber. Below the bobber tie on a swivel with one or two split shot pinched on between the bobber and swivel. Tie an 18 to 24 inch 4 pound test fluorocarbon leader on the swivel and arm it with a No. 10 bait holder hook.

One of the nice things about bobber fishing is that it retains its effectiveness until the end of the season. In mid to late November it is not uncommon for the water temperature to dip into the low 40’s and high 30’s. When this happens trolling can become difficult because the trout will be sluggish and reluctant to chase.

The only accommodation that the bobber angler has to make during cold water periods is to let the trout have the bait for a sustained period of time, often for as long as a minute, before setting the hook. I’ve employed a bobber and worm at all the locations mentioned by Noxon with good success, however I prefer to spend most of my time in the north basin. I’ve found that Shrimp Island, the Eagle’s Nest, Wildcat Point, and the area off the Gallatin Jetty hold less trout late in the season, but the quality is superb. It is a rare fall trip that I don’t landed at least one 5 pound trout.