2005 FISHING REPORT

Ben and I were again after the elusive White Sturgeon. We headed up the Pitt Arm and marked them just past Stein Creek. We only got one bite and could not hook up. After a few hours we decided to bring home some nice trout for our wives. We started trolling west of Arbuckle Flats and within 1/2 hour we had 4 nice Rainbow and decided to call it a day. We caught them on silver & black and blue and silver lures, from top lining to 25 feet deep. Bass fishing is finally starting to pick up. I'm still fishing the main bodies of water- throwing to the bank and/or points. I am retrieving the drop-shot with fluke or darthead with silver & black grub back to the boat. I'll be out next week a couple of times and will keep you informed. Check out our awesome pictures of the Shasta Lake Trout Derby which was held the middle of October. Click on shastalaketroutderby.com. Until later-David

8/24/05 Wow! What a fishing trip we had! Michelle(my daughter), my buddies Ben, a guide(Fish N Comfort, Phone #238-9789), Bob, Mikey, Frank, and I launched out of Packer's Bay at 6:30A.M. Within 1/2 hour we had 3 fish, the biggest a beautiful 3 1/2# Rainbow. We had 6 lines out(2 Downriggers stacked with shuttlehawks and 2 lead lines out the back) and I wondered how 6 people would stay busy. Well, I shouldn't have worried because then we found schools of shad and at one time we had five trout on at the same time! Our lures( Humdingers, Apex, and E Chips) were from 40 feet to 70 feet deep which shows how big these schools of trout were! We kept 16 trout and released 14 and were off the lake at 11:30A.M. These types of trips will happen from now through October. Shasta Lake had the largest shad hatch in over 10 years! The bass, brown trout, rainbows, salmon and catfish will be gaining a lot of weight this fall. For bass fishing I'm still using the Zoom Fat Albert Grub on a leadhead, working the shoreline on the main body of water. The big bass moved out of the coves because of the warm water. The depth at the Dam is 470 feet deep which is 40 feet higher than last year and surface temp is at 79 degrees, about 3 degrees cooler than a month ago. I'm looking forward to the Fall Trout Derby and seeing all my old friends and making new friends. Please call 530-238-2170 or visit shastalaketroutderby.com. And now, a note from my wife Cheryl: "The Annual Shasta Lake Trout Derby will be held October 15-16, applications still available, with the weigh-ins at the Basshole. The weigh-ins are 3-5pm Saturday and 1-3pm on Sunday. We want to take this opportunity to thank the entire community for their support in making the derbys a huge success. We have succeeded in bringing people to our area, experiencing the beauty of the lake, and the generosity and warmness of the community which brings them back year after year. A special note of thanks to the Lions Club for putting on a fantastic yearly dinner and raffle. Looking forward to another great derby and incredible fishing!

This last week has been crazy but FUN! Last Monday, my friend Ben Raimondi(Guide for Fish N Comfort- Phone:530-238-9789)and I were fishing in Elmore Bay at 7AM and all of a sudden my pole bent over and the drag started singing. After about five minutes and 50 yards away, we saw the tail come out of the water-then we really got excited!! Finally after 15 minutes we got the 11.23# German Brown Trout in the boat. Is this a fishing story? Check it out hanging on the wall at the Basshole in a few weeks! Also, check out the fishsniffer web site. We backed that up with a smaller Brown,3.10#, and on Friday we landed another Brown at 5.26#. Saturday and Sunday we fished the fantastic Kokanee Power Trout & Salmon Derby. The weather, fishing, and old and new friends made it a great Derby! Our buddy Bob Effa finished 4th with 11.50#, 4 fish and $800. He weighed in 2 Rainbow Trout, 1 Salmon and another German Brown at 3.51#. This is the best Brown bite in many years, with fish being caught not only on the McCloud but also on the Upper Sacramento Arm. Now is the time to put off your chores, gas up the boat, grab your fishing buddies and troll for those big Browns! The water temp is 63 degrees which means the Bass bite is ON! Work the shoreline slowly, bring the bait back to the boat. It's not unusual to see 2-3# Spots and Smallmouths with a few 6-10# Largemouths being weighed in at the Bait Shop. Please email or call if I can be of help. The fishing is just great and the lake is FULL! See you at 5:30 AM on the Lake! Dave

Our fishing trip Wednesday produced 1 German Brown and 9 Salmon up to 3 pounds. I used E-chips and Humdingers at the depth of 45 Feet trolling in Dry Creek Inlet. The bass are starting to bite HARD. Work the points and rock walls with grubs and worms from 10 - 30 feet depth. Be sure and check out information on the 2nd Annual Kokanee Power Lake Shasta Trout & Salmon Derby which will be held on April 30 and May 1st. You can register and receive more info at www.kokaneepower.org.

Hi Fellow Anglers! I've been fishing on a weekly basis for Trout and Salmon on the lake. We've been concentrating around the area of Packers Bay and Digger Bay and catching 7-10 fish averaging 2 pounds. Set your trolling depth at 5-15 feet using cripplures, needlefish and apexes. The bass fishing is starting to pick up as the water is rising. I'm using spinner bait and grubs. Also, don't discount using minnows because you could catch a trout or bass. Please note on your calendar April 30th and May 1st and come fish the 2nd Annual Kokanee Power Lake Shasta Trout and Salmon Derby. If you have any questions, please call me at 530-238-2170 or email at shastalaketroutderby.com.