|
Last year Granite Bay Flycasters did a joint fishout with
California Fly Fishers Unlimited at Frenchman’s Lake,
and this year we invited a few more fly clubs to join
us.
We will be camping out at Frenchman’s Camp, or you can stay
in Reno – it’s only 1 hour away. On Saturday we will BBQ
with the other fly clubs. You need to bring your own
main course and something for a potluck on Saturday
about 5:00 PM.
In 1987 a northern pike was caught out of Frenchman’s Lake
and the lake was poisoned with Rotenone. The lake has
been heavily stocked with rainbows, including Eagle Lake
trout, along with some browns, and Kamloops trout.
There’s plenty of food for them to grow, but Frenchman
is not quite as prolific as Davis Lake. By the time we
do our fishout at Frenchman’s Lake, Lake Davis would be
poisoned with Rotenone for the second time to stop the
spread of northern pike to the other waterways
downstream from Lake Davis.
Frenchman’s Lake is at 5,599 feet above sea level and is
smaller than Lake Davis, with 1,580 surface acres. It
has upper and lower sections with a channel connecting
them. The upper section, with shallow coves and summer
weed beds, is the preferred area for fly fishers. A
gravel road goes all around the lake, and there are a
number of side roads that offer fishing access. Do
not drive off the roads or park outside of the parking
lots; a few years back I paid a $250 fine for
driving 50 feet to the water edge to launch my float
tubes.
Two of the better access points for fly fishing anglers are
on the northwestern shore, Snallygaster Point and
Nightcrawler Bay. They are big, shallow areas with weed
growth where the fish like to cruise to slurp up bugs
EARLY in the morning. With little rain this year the
lake level will be down and you will have to carry your
fishing stuff a couple of hundred feet to get to the
lake edge. There are two boat ramps on Frenchman’s Lake,
one is at Lunker Point on the north end of the lake; the
other one is at Frenchman’s Campgrounds on the south end
of the lake.
A float tube that you can carry, a 6 weight rod with
intermediate line, and a size 12 Sheep Creek or a black
Wiggle Tail will put you into the fish. DFG keeps this
lake well stocked with planters 13 - 15 inches; you just
have to locate where the pods are working and you will
be into all the fish you want to catch. With a 5-fish
trout limit, close proximity to Reno, no speed limit, or
boating restrictions, and all night fishing for catfish,
this lake can turn into a zoo on a warm Sunday
afternoon. Even with all that said, there are some fine
holdover fish to be caught. Big holdover fish are smart
and have seen it all. Last year I took the time to fish
for holdover fish. The fish count went down to 6 fish a
day, but the size of the fish went up to 20+ inches. I
used a 3 inch black Wiggle Tail at dark and a baitfish
pattern 2 - 3 inches around the weed beds and shallow
coves before the sun hit the water. A lot of the trout
I caught were taken on cast flies (no trolling).
Your
fish leaders are:
Gene
Goss (916-962-7375)
eugenesusan@aol.com
Jim Holmes (916-967-6709)
jwholmesjr@aol.com
Frenchman Lake Fishing Report -
Call Wiggin's Trading Post (530) 993-4683
Fishing is regulated by the
California Department of Fish and Game with a five
trout limit and tributary restrictions. Six locations
around Frenchman Lake provide fishing opportunities;
Salmon Egg, Nightcrawler Bay, Snallygaster Point,
Crystal Point, Turkey Point and the Kiosk. Besides
Rainbow and Brown trout, Eagle Lake trout and Smallmouth
bass can also be found.
Beckwourth Ranger District:
(530) 836-2575
There are two boat launches at
Frenchman Lake; Frenchman Boat Launch and Lunker Point
Boat Launch. Frenchman Boat Launch has a four-lane
concrete launching ramp with a floating boat dock and an
accessible boat loading ramp. Lunker Point Boat Launch
has a two-lane concrete ramp with a floating boat dock.
Both launches have parking areas and accessible toilets.
|
