Report Date:
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The day following Thanksgiving found the shore line full of bank anglers and the water with over 2 dozen boats on it. "We killed them", was the answer by one duo of trollers when they arrived back to the dock. Another 5 anglers, from the Fresno/Madera area, in one boat said they had ,"a great day of fishing", with all 5 catching their limits. Richard Friend of Clovis and his fishing buddy Bud Western of Fresno, picked up about 30 fish during their morning trip, keeping their limits and tossing the rest. They were using spinners at 20 to 30 feet deep on downriggers. Friend, fished the previous week with another partner and had the same results.
The group of 5 trollers who limited out all said that they caught them on anything with a tip of crawler at 20 to 30 feet deep also using downriggers. They also had two 2nd year kokanee to 12 1/2 inches in their catch.
On the other hand, one boat reported only 3 fish while fishing in the same area. Nichols, who recorded 128 charter trips this past season, says that depth is the difference. Most likely those fishing above 15 feet deep are not having the results as those who are fishing slightly deeper. For those who do not have downriggers, it is not difficult getting to the 20 foot depth if you use lead line or weighted Mountain Flashers. The latter is used with monofilament line and does not require lead line. Nichols has found that the average school of fish in Shaver are around 20 feet deep most of the year, adding that kokanee are deeper during the summer months and require downriggers or jigging.
Over all, Shaver is kicking out multiple limits for those who find the right depth and location. The island, Black Rock and Stevenson Creek areas continue to be the hot spots. Some have had success in the dam area.
Bank anglers had mixed reports. One family fishing near the Sierra Marina had 5 fish on their stringer; 4 spawning kokanee and one 13 inch trout. Others were scattered about the bank and many near the dam. Power Bait or crawlers were working best. The weather turned wet for the next few days, but is expected to return to fair skies by the time this report comes out.
Dick Nichols (559) 841-3317
