The 2006 FISHING REPORT

Hello Everyone! Looks like it may take more time to get together the 2006 Derby photos and results on the shastalaketroutderby.com web site so I will post the results here.
Place Name City State Weight
1st - John Howard - Novato - CA - 10.59
2nd - Sambo Lage - Concord - CA - 10.46
3rd - Randy Doyle - Redding CA - 9.42
4th - Melissa Lenard - Redding - CA - 8.52
5th - Rick Pietrewich - Santa Rosa- CA - 8.33
6th - Mitch Bicandi - San Jose - CA - 7.55
7th - Robert Davies - Lakehead - CA - 7.29
8th - Robert Carrell - Redding - CA - 7.06
9th - Robert Jackson - Redding - CA - 6.94
10th - Ed Cavellero - Redding - CA - 6.94
11th - Sue Brown - San Andreas - CA - 6.91
12th - Al Millan - Daly City - CA - 6.9
13th - Jack Schultz - Pleasanton - CA - 6.78
14th - Mike Roy - Sacramento - CA - 6.63
15th - Howard Darney - Cold Springs - NV - 6.55
16th - Paul Kneeland - Colfax - CA - 6.5
17th - Elwood Mellow III - Livermore - CA - 6.33
18th - Ray Link - Hayward - CA - 6.22
19th - Nathaniel Fisher - Martinez - CA - 6.05
20th - Al Carson - Paradise - CA - 5.88
21st - Gary Edminster - Sumerset - CA - 5.85
22nd - Matt Parr - Dayton - NV - 5.7
23rd - Dan Caroza - Yuba City - CA - 5.7
24th - Steve Rahn - Penn Valley - CA - 5.55
25th - Sandy Drake - Lakehead - CA - 5.41

First of all I want to congratulate John Howard for winning the Shasta Lake Trout Derby with a weight of 10.59# (4 fish-2 per day), and Champion's Jacket with a $2500 check! John and his friend Joe plotted the lake map for quite a few hours while sipping the cold, frothy Basshole Ale! Their strategy paid off! The anglers were top-lining with cripplelures, humdingers and needlefish, working the points. Shad patterns and black and white were the colors- especially on Sunday when it was overcast. The Derby was a huge success with good fishing and great anglers. These men and women are class acts! Bass are really on the bite supported by the fact that the Derby Anglers kept hooking up with them. The bass are from the surface to 20 feet. We just weighed another 20# Catfish last week! You just need chicken livers or nightcrawlers! My next report will be in a month because my wife(Cheryl) and I are heading back to Minnesota and Wisconsin to fish for Walleyes and Northern Pike. I really enjoyed visiting with all of you at the Trout Derby. Check shastalaketroutderby.com for results of the Derby. David

Tuesday, I had a guy come in the Tackle Shop to buy 20# test line because a fish kept breaking his old line. Wednesday, he came back to weigh his 20# Catfish! Talk about persistence! You can get limits of Bass but not a lot of fish over 2 pounds. We were on the Pitt today and the Bass were just attacking the shad. The water temp is 68 degrees and dropping, so as a result, the shad have moved from the surface to 30 feet. We were trolling at 40 feet and 25 feet for the bigger fish. Remember, the Trout Derby is October 14 and 15 so sign up ASAP! Check out shastalaketroutderby.com for more info and to get an entry form. Hope to see you soon. David

The Rainbow Trout went from 40 feet down to 65 feet. They keep following the shad which the lake has an abundance of. Secret color is yellow with tint of orange! Next week Ben and I are going to mooch for Salmon. We had so much fun last time. We're going to use larger hooks(#2) and again use frozen shad. I'm still using "Big Bite" shad grubs and top water lures fishing for those hungry spotted Bass. The nights are dropping down into the 50's and the fishing just gets better! Don't forget to sign up for our Trout Derby coming up.(October 14 & 15) This will be our 6th Annual and we are expanding the entries from 200 to 250 anglers. Check out all the details at shastalaketroutderby.com. Get your family and/or buddies together and get on the lake! David

Ben (Fish'in Comfort, Phone# 530-238-9789 or Cell # 530-949-4303) and I started out of Packers Bay at 7AM. Looking at the fish finder we saw the shad balls around 40 feet. Last week we were fishing at the depth of 60 feet, but today we moved up to 40. Within 15 minutes I caught a nice 3.5# Rainbow on a yellow/orange apex. Between my color and Ben's watermelon color we kept 3 Rainbow Trout between 3-3.5# and released 20 more between 2-4#. We ended our trip at 10:30AM and decided to get an early lunch at the Basshole(Ribs and Fries-yum-yum!) The evenings are starting to cool down so as a result the Bass fishing is getting better. Best times are sun-up till 9AM and 6PM to sunset. What's great is you can use top-water lures! We're still weighing in Catfish, but there's not a lot of fishermen after them. Maybe they go to bed early like I do?! Entries for the Trout Derby on October 14 and 15 are starting to fly in so send yours in ASAP! For details check out www.shastalaketroutderby.com. I hope all you anglers stop by and say Hi! David

Cheryl and I just got back from San Diego. As a result, I didn't get a chance to fish, but I called my good friend Gary Miralles(Shasta Tackle Company, Phone # 530-275 CAST) and talked to Ben Raimondi(Fish'in Comfort, Phone # 530-238-9789 or Cell # 530-949-4303). They both reported limits of Rainbow caught at the depth of 60-75 feet. Troll humdingers(various colors) and E-chips between Packers Bay and the Pitt River Bridge, also around Toupee Island. There are tons of shad so these fish are on a feeding frenzy. The Spotted Bass are biting early morning and right at sundown:. use grubs and slow working worms. I'll try top-water this week! We're weighing in more Catfish( Hoffa our chef actually skinned a few for some guys) every week. Shore fishing is good for both Catfish(chicken livers) and Spotted Bass(live bait). Remember the Trout Derby is coming up. Check out www.shastalaketroutderby.com for all the details. Keep your line wet! Dave

"We need to mooch for Salmon, We need to mooch for Salmon"..... That's all Ben Raimondi (Fish'in Comfort: Phone: 530-238-9789 or Cell# 530-949-4303) talked about for a week! So we headed down to Dry Creek at 6AM, broke out the frozen shad and anchovies, weights, and size four hooks. I caught a nice 2.5 # Rainbow right away in 45 feet of water. Then Ben and I caught 4 small Salmon before the wind picked up. We checked out the Dam and couldn't find shad so we headed up to Packers Bay. Ben began trolling with shad at 75 feet and caught 4 Salmon in half an hour. I was using a silver apex and dropped it from 60 to 80 feet. I immediately hooked and landed a nice 3.5# Rainbow. It was a lot of fun to both mooch and troll in one morning. We're definitely doing the same thing next week! Cheryl and I are still using the "Big Bite" clear silver and black grub. Working into 25-35 feet of water produced two nice limits. Next week we're going to try topwater. We'll let you know how we did! The Catfish bite continues to heat up using flavored liver. It will really take off in a couple of weeks. Stop by the Basshole and say Hi! Dave

The Sixth Annual Shasta Lake Trout Derby is coming up - October 14th & 15th. In the past, only 200 anglers could experience this fantastic event so this year we're expanding the entries to 250. Get your entries in early! For more info check out www.shastalaketroutderby.com , call David at the Bassole Bar and Grill (530-238-2170) or Harold at Sugarloaf Cottages (800-953-4432). On Wednesday, Ben and I were nailing the Rainbow Trout down by the Dam. About 10:00AM I got a strike that bent the pole almost into the water. Ben turned the boat into the fish and I reeled in as fast as I could, but I couldn't feel the fish. I thought I lost it and was pretty upset, then all of a sudden, it ran PAST the boat! In all the years of fishing neither Ben nor I had ever seen a Rainbow Trout do this! Then the fish turned and headed back under the boat towards the kicker motor! I tightened up the drag and pulled it back, and then the fish swam over to Ben's downrigger cable and wrapped around it. So I let out slack and Ben raised up the cable and wouldn't you know it, we netted a beautiful 4.65 pound Rainbow! We just had to release this warrior! Wow! Experiences like that make it easier to get your butt out of bed at 4:00AM! The Bass fishing is still slow but steady working in shady areas with structure. Fishing for catfish is starting to heat up using anchovies and flavored chiken livers. Have fun! David

Wednesday, July 26, Ben (Fish'in Comfort- (530)238-9789 or (530)949-4303) and I launched at Packers Bay early(6AM). We started trolling on our way out and made sure we hit the last point on the left. We found shad on the fish finder between 20 and 40 feet so we stacked our downriggers at 25 and 45 feet. We caught three small Rainbow (1.5#). After an hour we headed to Toupee Island and got skunked after trolling for another hour. Finally we headed over to the Dam and found shad between 25-50 feet. So we dropped our lures to 45-60 feet. (Remember that the big trout are under the shad.) Bam! We caught and released 12 Rainbows up to 4 pounds in less than 2 hours! Color of the day was black and silver!.Again the trout are schooled up and the fishing is hot! My wife, Cheryl, and I went Bass fishing on Tuesday. We used Big Bite silver and black grubs and caught a few nice Bass 14-17". We looked for shade and dragged the grub from shore into 40 feet of water. The surface temperature is 83 degrees, as a result, they bite in water between 25-40 feet. The catfish bite is starting to come on pretty good for shoreline anglers. Fish at night using anchovies and flavored chicken livers. Stop by the Basshole Bar and Grill/Tackle and and Bait Shop and say Hi! David

July 22, 2006 The waiting is over! The trout have finally schooled up and are attacking the shad. Ben and I went out last Wed. and we caught and released 15 nice Rainbow (2#-3#) by 10:30 AM. Some hot spots are the Pitt River Bridge, Packers Bay, Toupee Island, Digger Bay and Big Backbone. The weather is warm and they're going deeper into cooler water, so start fishing at about 65 feet for the bigger trout. We're starting by using Crippelures and E-chips in various colors to find the right combination and then switching all the lures to the "hot" set-up. Bass fishing has really slowed down after a terrific bite. Try using grubs, or drop shotting in about 40 feet of water. Catfish are on a real good bite using scented bait. Look for loamy shoreline and kick back and enjoy the beautiful starlit evenings on the lake. Stop by the Basshole and I'll get you a map and steer you onto some great fishing! David

On Saturday, February 25, Bill Kizer((Born-2-Boogie Sport Fishing:530-713-3198)) and I went Bass fishing. Ben Raimondi(Fish'in Comfort:530-238-9789) Bob, and Mikey went after King Salmon. Bill and I started fishing at Halfway Cove on the Sacramento Arm. He was drop-shotting with a brown-chartreuse worm in 30 feet of water and I was using my silver & black grub on a darthead retrieving from shore to boat. We caught a few Spots but the wind picked up and we picked up and headed up to the O'Brien Inlet. In the next hour and 1/2 we caught lots of Spots up to l5" and called it a day at 10:30AM. Bill is a great fisherman and a lot of fun! He still owes me on our three bets! Ben, Bob and Mikey headed off to Dry Creek for the Kings. Trolling Koke-a-nuts and Wee-tads in 40-60 feet of water they hooked up immediately and landed a nice 3 1/2 pound Salmon. Over the next 3 hours they limited out with Kings from 2 pounds to 3 1/2 pounds.The surface temp of the lake is 49 degrees and 29 feet from the top. The Trout, Salmon and Bass fishing is only GOING to get BETTER!! It is not too early to sign up for the Third Annual Shasta Lake Trout & Salmon Derby held on May 6 and 7. For info, contact Gary Coe at 916-985-4943 or check out www.kokaneepowershastalakederby.com. Stop by and say Hi! David

2/08/06 Ben,Casey and I started fishing at Goosneneck Cove at 7AM on a sunny, crispy morning. We targeted the elusive Brown Trout. But after a couple of hours and no bites we decided to head off to Dry Creek and try fishing for Salmon. Within a half hour we were trolling with Wee-tads, Koke-a-nuts and Apexes in 35 to 50 feet of water. Over the next two hours we caught five Salmon ranging from 2-3 pounds. Rainbow Trout are biting at Hirtz Bay and Ski Island in 20-35 feet of water using Cripplures and Apexes. You can catch limits of Spotted Bass in a few hours using worms, grubs or swim bait into 40 feet of water. The kicker of the story is that yesterday I weighed in a 6 1/2 pound Rainbow caught FROM SHORE using minnows on the Salt Creek Arm. The fishing is only going to get better in the coming season, so get here YESTERDAY, stop and get your bait and tackle, have lunch and say "Hi"! Hope to see you soon! David