Report Date:
http://www.ndow.orgThe surface water temperatures were in the low to mid 50’s this week, though with the rain forecast over the weekend it could drop a bit. With the warmer temperatures, trout fishing has picked up and anglers were reporting both good numbers and size of trout over the past two weeks. The south end of the lake is still very turbid (muddy) due to the high flows of the river feeding the lake. Don’t fish there, fish where the water is clearer. Anglers do continue to catch some fish along Jet Ski Beach, but coves further north such as Tomera, the boat ramp cove and those closer to the dam are probably the best bets though the west side of the lake is clearer than the rest of the lake. The fish being caught are averaging between 15 and 20 inches with an occasional 22 inch fish being caught. A couple of anglers report catching both largemouth and smallmouth bass earlier in the week. Remember, black bass must be returned immediately upon being caught until July 1. Anglers were having some luck using PowerBait or worms but fishermen were doing well with chironomids and midge emergers. The trick is to not fish to far from shore as the fish are moving into the shallower warmer water and to use very small presentations. Chironomid patterns are the ticket for fly rodders.