Report Date:
http://www.virginialakesresort.comWeather: - (7am Temp First light/Last light)
Sunday
37º
6:12/7:21
Cold, clear and very windy and clouds moved in around 1:30pm snowing lightly just ovely enough to make it an experience
Monday
27º
6:13/7:19
Cloudy and cold with snow showers most of the day and windy
Tuesday
29º
6:26/6:26
Clear early with hi thin clouds moving through with wind
Wednesday
30º
6:26/6:55
Clear and cold
Thursday
31º
6:28/6:53
Clear early with a few thin very high clouds with a light breeze
Friday
31º
6:29/6:52
Clear and cool with very high contrails blending into overcast
Saturday
33º
6:30/6:51
Clear and cool
CalTrans is seems to be on a hold repairing the remainder of the rock fall project that started last summer. Chain link fencing installed above the barriers from the fire damage and it has daily 8-5 one lane closures. More chain link barrier fencing is being installed on top of the concrete barriers along the south-bound lane in order to handle any mud slides due to any rain.
The stock truck stocked the 28th and fishing is great, but the catching sucks. Fly fishers have been doing the best on a full sink line with a 2 fly rig. Rickard's stillwater nymph orange/olive a bit on the bushy side with a small scud or midge for the point fly. Crawlers are also doing fairly well, but the weather has just been too cold for the trout.
BAIT: Night crawlers have been great all summer but nice tails and powerbait have also done well.
LURES: Try red/gold Buoyant's, small gold Kastmasters, black or black/olive Rooster Tails and small gold spoons. Always try all your favorite hardware until the fish start hitting our lure.
FLY AND BUBBLE: Finally great dry fly action on Friday and Saturday due to the warmer air around 10 to 3 daily for the past couple days and the October caddis are back so try a Yellow Stimulator, Yellow Wulff, or an Tan/yellow Elk-hair Caddis known as a Yellow Sally, and a tent-wing caddis, green body California Mosquito and Grey Hackle yellow size 14, damsels, hoppers and black ants. Also try some Black Gnat parachute #14, Cowdung #14, and Adams Female #14. These will all work depending on time of day and what is hatching.
Best action is ALWAYS when their is a chop on the water which is usually late afternoon to legal limit at night.
FLY RODS: Black leeches with a bead head or Virginia Lakes special, black woolly buggers, Hornberg's, Tent-wing Caddis, Olive Elk Hair Caddis, Yellow Sally and Black Gnat parachute size 14 and skinny stillwater nymphs. Not to be redundant, but if you tie flies try using less material than normal for high elevation waters as they work better maybe because they've seen everything a couple hundred times this time of year.
BACKCOUNTRY:
REMINDER: Brook Trout are getting in the mode to spawn so I would use discretion whether to fish that particular water and as always avoid bait unless you are using barbless hooks. Wild trout are a great resource and should be protected.
Surface hatches are still fairly good when the air temperature rises and there is a good chop on the water. My suggestion is to try some dry flies with a bubble or fly rod on small gnats, green body mosquitoes, black ants, hoppers, and olive elk hair caddis sizes 16-18; fly size will change as the weather cools so start using smaller hooks.
Most lure action was on very small gold Super Duper's, and gold Kastmasters. Early morning and early evening are the best times for any action. This is pretty consistent for the canyon. Come and ask me what's hot.
BACKCOUNTRY:
Surface hatches were a bit slow unless you have the right fly, as they've seen everything a few hundred times. Get crazy and Dump the bait and try some dry flies with a bubble or fly rod on small gnats, green body mosquitoes, black ants, hoppers, and olive elk hair caddis sizes 16-18; fly size will change as the weather cools so start using smaller hooks. Lure action that did was on gold Super Duper's, gold Mepps size O, and very small gold spoons. Early morning and early evening are the best times for any action. This is pretty consistent for the canyon. Come and ask me what's hot.
Please keep only what you can eat, it is a valuable resource. Also, If the trout bleeds, it's yours, PLEASE don't toss it back into the lake as it will die. If you care about the resource please be careful when releasing fish back into the lake. Also, IT ATTRACKS BEARS!