Just when I thought fishing at Shaver was good, it got better. The lake is near full. There have been two Department of Fish & Wildlife plants and a plant of about 1,000 trophy trout by the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project – all since my last report. And what about those landlocked salmon we call kokanee? They are on the bite each and every morning. The kokes are growing an inch a month and are in very good shape. So, mathematically, if two guys are fishing Shaver in a boat, they should end their day with six kokanee, four trout, of which one may be a trophy sized fish. It could be more kokes than that, but you get the picture.
We are, for the first time this year, catching a limit per person of mixed fish, not just a limit of kokanee. It’s been an early bite, some days God willing, we get out at 5 a.m. Most of our mornings have been seven by 7 a.m. and 10 by 10 a.m. From there on, during the morning, it is one here and one there. I have fell in love with my new champagne pink hoochie. Not only have we caught an abundance of kokanee on it, we are also catching trout with them. It’s kind of one-stop shopping for us. While trolling, I have the downriggers down at about 28 to 35 feet, Dick’s Mountain Hoochie, tipped with scented Shoepeg corn, behind a colored Mountain Blade has been working for us for months, but now that the trout bite has increased, we are running two side poles with Trout Busters, tipped with crawler and corn or a hoochie with corn behind Mountain Flashers. We have been getting kokanee hook ups also on the sides.
Folks like Scott and Stan Jenanyan, of Clovis, and several other groups of fishermen from out of town, have collected their limits this past week. The Jenanyans had a typical haul of six kokes and four larger trout. Stan bagged a trophy for his mornings efforts. Not everybody is doing this on the lake, but I would venture the majority are. I know my two fellow guide friends are providing limits also.
For the bank fishermen, the two very recent DF&W plants are providing plenty of action around the Sierra Marina, where the plant takes place. But as the week progresses, Road 1 and 2 will be perhaps a little better. Garlic yellow trout dough bait or crawlers work best from the bank, but I have talked to guys who have caught them tossing spinners, such as Kastmasters. Fishermen like “Jason,” from Fresno, and Cecil Ambuehi, of La Palma, picked up several nice trophies this past week. Both anglers weighed their catches in at Shaver Lake Sports. The store also photographs your catch. A nice gesture from a nice staff. You can also find my tackle there.
The smallmouth bass bite has increased with the water cresting in the rocks and warmer than has been. The smallies are attacking Panther Martin Black spinners with a red or yellow dot. Crickets are their Filet Mignon. They love them. Shaver Lake Sports also has crickets if you’re looking for them.
My wife, Diane, and I took a drive to Dinkey Creek one evening. The water is just right to fish and man did I see some nice sized rainbows in there. DF&W is stocking it mostly every week. Another hidden beauty is Portal Forebay on the western Kaiser Pass. DF&W generally stocks it
every week. What a place to introduce trout fishing to kids. Trout dough bait, crickets and spinners are great there.
Keep in mind that June 30 is this year’s Shaver Lake annual fireworks program. And for that reason, you will not spot my boat on the lake that day. I am here if you need me at my text, (559) 281-6948 or email, dickchip@netptc.net. Until next time. Have a great day on the lake.