Fishing Manzanita Lake

Fishing Fishing Manzanita Manzanita Lake Lake

By Bob Fabini

Ihave been fishing Manzanita Lake every year for about the past decade, and I’d like share my experiences with you. Before I retired, I got very little fishing time in the Spring, so I have fished Manzanita from July through late October. I have a friend who fishes damsel nymphs in the Spring with great success.

Recently the GPFF Board has discussed exploring more stillwater options, and Manzanita is a great place for someone to try if they are just starting stillwater trout fishing. The lake contains wild rainbows and browns that run typically from 12” up to about 18”, although I’ve caught a few fish over 20”. Manzanita Lake is located in Lassen Park East of Shingletown just off Hwy 44. Burney is only about an hour away, so going to Manzanita puts you in the heart of great fishing country with lots of other options. The lake has extensive camping and services. There are 4 campgrounds, one for tents only, Loop D, which is where I stay. There is a store and shower facilities before the campgrounds. If you are camping there, you can walk to the lake, or drive down to the boat launch area. Only people-powered watercraft are allowed on the Lake and although it is possible to wade fish, some watercraft will put you over many more fish. I always fish from a float tube. You can rent kayaks at the launch area. Given the location, there are great options for the non-

fishers in your family. It gets crowded in the summer, so I go during the week. I have never failed to find a campsite.

In July, the callibaetis hatches are in full swing and will continue on into the fall. Early on, they are size 14-16 and as the season progresses, they drop down to 16-18. There are damsels and dragonflies galore and sometimes large trout will leap a couple of feet out of the water to take adults, although I haven’t caught any on adult patterns. I’ve had this happen within a rod’s length of my float tube—quite a surprise! Midges are always present, and frequently hatch throughout the day. In the fall, water boatmen are common. All imitations need to be barbless.

I usually get on the water early, and start with nymphs. My go-to nymph pattern has been a 14-18 tunghead pheasant tail tied on a scud hook. I start fishing shoreline structure letting the nymph settle count-down style, and then begin an erratic handtwist retrieve. Sometimes I double up, adding a damsel pattern, or midge. This usually results in some fish before the hatch begins mid to late morning. Continuing to fish nymphs during the hatch will take fish, but I usually switch to dries. I carry two rods, one rigged for nymphs, one for dries. My goto dry fly is a light tannish-olive sparkle dun in 16-18. This is a tremendous fly pattern that is very easy to tie, floats well, and is very durable. Make sure you have some dry shake for the fly after landing a fish.

Stillwater dry fly fishing is a whole different game from moving water. In moving water, fish stay on station while the river delivers food. In stillwater, trout must stay on the move to get fed; however, they often swim in repetitive patterns. I find that this pattern is easiest to identify if you observe rising fish carefully, especially along shoreline structure. Positioning yourself along structure is always a good idea, because it limits the options available to fish movement. Think about seeing a fish rise in the middle of a lake. The next rise of that fish could be in any direction from the first rise. The fish has 360 degrees to choose from. If you observe a rise next to shoreline structure, that fish has only 180 degrees to choose from. You just simplified your task considerably. Manzanita is the perfect place to put this plan into action. I’m convinced that this has been a large contributor to my consistent success here.

Manzanita has many patches of willows that grow in the water, and these are great places to start fishing. You will frequently see fish rise inside the willows where you can’t reach them; however working the willow edges can be very productive. Some areas of the lake have downed timber in the water, and these are great spots also.

Sometimes individual fish can be very picky about dry flies. If I get refusals on my sparkle dun, I usually step down one size. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try a parachute, hackle stacker, or a callibaetis cripple. Usually this eventually leads to success. I have sometimes worked over one fish for an hour with several fly changes. This requires careful casting so as not to spook your quarry. If you do, rest the fish, and they will often return to feeding within a few minutes.

You can also use leeches, wooly buggers, and similar patterns with success. I sometimes troll one of these followed by a nymph when I’m kicking across the center of the lake. I find it’s best if I cast about 30 degrees to the side and let the line swing behind me. I let it stay behind my tube for a few kicks, and then cast the other direction and continue. In this way I can cover a good deal of water while moving from one spot to another.

When fishing nymphs and dries I use 4x-6x tippet. I use the largest tippet possible to land fish quickly, and to deal with the weeds. Manzanita is weed-filled, and a hooked fish will immediately head deep and bore into them if you give them half a chance. I have taken to fishing 10 foot 3w and 4w rods. This allows me to get I quick high angle on the leader as soon as I hook up, and then I can get the fish’s head up at the beginning of the battle. This gives me some advantage, and I lose fewer fish in the weeds. You will need smaller tippet through the middle of the day, but can get by with larger sizes, especially at dusk

Fishing usually slows down in the afternoon, so I kick in and fix a late lunch/early dinner before going back out. Evenings can be spectacular with seemingly every fish rising across the whole lake. Again, the sparkle dun usually works, and by the time you can’t see, and have to quit, the fish will likely still be feeding heavily. I have found that I have my greatest success working shorelines as I mentioned before. Whenever you are fishing, land your fish quickly, use a net, don’t handle them if possible, and release them quickly. Frequently I find that I can release the fish without touching them at all. This is a wild, healthy fishery, and we need to do everything we can to keep it that way.

Three other issues should be mentioned. These are wild fish, and they spawn in the inlet creek to the right (north) of the boat launch. You are not allowed to fish near the inlet at any time of the year. There are markers to indicate the area to avoid.

Last year, the lake was closed to swimming, wading, and soft-sided boats due to a swimmer being attacked by a mother river otter defending her pups. Check before going to be sure you can fish. Lastly, in the summer water temperatures can get pretty high, and that’s unhealthy for fish. When it approaches 70 degrees, I pack up and fish other waters.

Steve Karr Chairman of the Board of Putah Creek Trout

Steve Karr will present an updated status report on the restoration projects both current and future that are being conducted within the Inter-dam Reach of Putah Creek. Additionally, Steve will provide information on how and where to fish the creek successfully.

Steve has been a fly fisherman for over 50 years and has been fishing Putah Creek since the 1990’s during which time he witnessed many changes in the stream and the trout fishery. He joined Putah Creek Trout during its first year (2007) when it was still just a small group of concerned fishermen and women hoping to bring the Creek back to its Trophy Trout status.

In 2009 the group achieved 501(c) 3 nonprofit status and Steve became Chairman of the Board in 2010. With an exceptionally talented and supportive Board, numerous volunteers, and funding from fly fishing clubs and others they have accomplished several milestones including special catch and release regulations, Wild Trophy Trout designation, and establishment of restoration programs designed to improve the creek ecosystem, expand the fishery, and provide better access for the many different recreational users of this valuable natural resource.