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Shasta Lake trout anglers gear up for winter tactics
Thom Gabrukiewicz, Redding Record Searchlight
LUCKY STRIKE: Miralles holds a 20-inch rainbow he caught while trolling Lake Shasta. The average lake fish goes about 16 inches.
Thom Gabrukiewicz
SPECIAL DESIGN: Shasta Tackle's Hum Dinger, top, and the Cripplure are designed for Lake Shasta.
October 27, 2002
LAKE SHASTA — It's time to modify tactics here, trout anglers.
With the lake changing over — the surface water is getting cooler, which traps a layer of warmer water down below — cold-water species like trout and salmon will rise to the surface.
And warm-water species, namely bass, will head for the warmer pocket water.
"The entire lake is about to change," said Gary Miralles, owner of Shasta Tackle and Sportfishing, maker of trout, kokanee and salmon lures specially designed for north state reservoirs. "The shad are coming up and the trout are, too. It's just ideal fishing conditions."
On Wednesday, Lake Shasta's surface temperature was 66 degrees; two weeks ago, it was 77 degrees.
"October and November are my favorite times to fish here," said Miralles, who guides at least two trips a week on the lake throughout the year. "I've been out in the winter when I thought I owned the lake, I mean how cool is that?"
Ooops, Miralles' secret is out.
If you want to fill a stringer of fish — general trout season ends Nov. 15 on north state streams — or need the thrill of hooking up with a 24-inch rainbow or even bigger German brown, look no further than Lake Shasta. The fish are big, they're feisty and with the proper equipment, fair game for even the most novice of anglers.
"Right now, they're bulking up for the winter months," Miralles said. "Prepare for a lot of 16-inch fish that are nearly as thick as it is long.
"I was cutting one up last week and the gut was so full and stretched, you could see the shad in it — eyes and everything."
The trick is to find the shad, a baitfish that will school along the shoreline — all 365 miles of it.
By 10 a.m. Wednesday, it was glass-smooth on the lake, punctuated only by trout hitting shad on the surface.
"Man, it looks like it's raining," Miralles said.
By boat or by bank, people can be successful with a few simple strategies.
"Anything that imitates a shad, they'll hit," said Miralles, who makes some of his Hum Dinger and Cripplure lures do exactly that. "A silver and blue Castmaster is another good one this time of year. Even a guy with a bobber and a nightcrawler has a pretty good chance. It's a great time for the bank fishermen."
The key is to work the rocky points, then work the sides pockets, Miralles said.
"You don't need to cast out that far," he said. "Work the points and you'll be successful. Any heavier spoon will do."
The Hum Dinger weighs in at only an eighth of an ounce, which makes it pretty light for bank work. The Cripplure, which Miralles created from a Pepsi can when he was 16 (and patented it when he was 18), has the heft to travel to where the fish are feeding. Anything in silver will treat you well, for starters.
As will the heavier Castmaster lures and Luhr-Jensen's Needlefish. All are available at local bait and tackle shops, as well as Long's Drug, Rite Aid, K-Mart and Wal-Mart.
"Fish it like you'd fish a stream," Miralles said. "Work one hole for awhile, then move on."
Miralles prefers to fish for trout out of his 20-foot North River Seahawk aluminum boat, with a combination of downriggers and top-lining lures. He'll run four lines from the back of the boat, and works the downriggers at 20 and 10 feet deep, then let the top-line lures trail behind.
"I'd say 150 to 200 feet behind the boat," he said of his top-lining tactics. "I run a Hum Dinger on the outside, and a Cripplure on the inside so when I turn, they don't get crossed up. The heavier Cripplure will travel right under the Hum Dinger."
The right speed is crucial while trolling. For his lures, Miralles said he maintains a strict 2.5 mph. For Needlefish to work well at Lake Shasta, troll a little slower, about 1.5 mph.
And don't be afraid to try something radically different, Miralles said. Like trading a shad look-alike for a lure in some wild fluorescent color — like orange.
"We fishermen, we get hung up on one pattern," Miralles said. "Try a different approach, and you've got them. You know the shad are feeding, but throw them something different — and try for that reaction strike."
With a waning full moon Wednesday, the trout had been gorging themselves all night — and made any strategy tough early. Yet by 10 a.m., the bite was on and slack rod tips bent into tantalizing U shapes.
Sometimes, two at a time.
"Can't beat a double hook-up," Miralles said, as the anglers pulled up an 18-inch planter rainbow and a 16-inch king salmon. "I think we'd better go back through there again. Seems like a good idea."
The best idea is to get out to Shasta while the lake is cold — and the fishing's hot.
Reporter Thom Gabrukiewicz can be reached at 225-8230 or at tgabrukiewicz@redding.com.
Thom Gabrukiewicz, Redding Record Searchlight
LUCKY STRIKE: Miralles holds a 20-inch rainbow he caught while trolling Lake Shasta. The average lake fish goes about 16 inches.
Thom Gabrukiewicz
SPECIAL DESIGN: Shasta Tackle's Hum Dinger, top, and the Cripplure are designed for Lake Shasta.
October 27, 2002
LAKE SHASTA — It's time to modify tactics here, trout anglers.
With the lake changing over — the surface water is getting cooler, which traps a layer of warmer water down below — cold-water species like trout and salmon will rise to the surface.
And warm-water species, namely bass, will head for the warmer pocket water.
"The entire lake is about to change," said Gary Miralles, owner of Shasta Tackle and Sportfishing, maker of trout, kokanee and salmon lures specially designed for north state reservoirs. "The shad are coming up and the trout are, too. It's just ideal fishing conditions."
On Wednesday, Lake Shasta's surface temperature was 66 degrees; two weeks ago, it was 77 degrees.
"October and November are my favorite times to fish here," said Miralles, who guides at least two trips a week on the lake throughout the year. "I've been out in the winter when I thought I owned the lake, I mean how cool is that?"
Ooops, Miralles' secret is out.
If you want to fill a stringer of fish — general trout season ends Nov. 15 on north state streams — or need the thrill of hooking up with a 24-inch rainbow or even bigger German brown, look no further than Lake Shasta. The fish are big, they're feisty and with the proper equipment, fair game for even the most novice of anglers.
"Right now, they're bulking up for the winter months," Miralles said. "Prepare for a lot of 16-inch fish that are nearly as thick as it is long.
"I was cutting one up last week and the gut was so full and stretched, you could see the shad in it — eyes and everything."
The trick is to find the shad, a baitfish that will school along the shoreline — all 365 miles of it.
By 10 a.m. Wednesday, it was glass-smooth on the lake, punctuated only by trout hitting shad on the surface.
"Man, it looks like it's raining," Miralles said.
By boat or by bank, people can be successful with a few simple strategies.
"Anything that imitates a shad, they'll hit," said Miralles, who makes some of his Hum Dinger and Cripplure lures do exactly that. "A silver and blue Castmaster is another good one this time of year. Even a guy with a bobber and a nightcrawler has a pretty good chance. It's a great time for the bank fishermen."
The key is to work the rocky points, then work the sides pockets, Miralles said.
"You don't need to cast out that far," he said. "Work the points and you'll be successful. Any heavier spoon will do."
The Hum Dinger weighs in at only an eighth of an ounce, which makes it pretty light for bank work. The Cripplure, which Miralles created from a Pepsi can when he was 16 (and patented it when he was 18), has the heft to travel to where the fish are feeding. Anything in silver will treat you well, for starters.
As will the heavier Castmaster lures and Luhr-Jensen's Needlefish. All are available at local bait and tackle shops, as well as Long's Drug, Rite Aid, K-Mart and Wal-Mart.
"Fish it like you'd fish a stream," Miralles said. "Work one hole for awhile, then move on."
Miralles prefers to fish for trout out of his 20-foot North River Seahawk aluminum boat, with a combination of downriggers and top-lining lures. He'll run four lines from the back of the boat, and works the downriggers at 20 and 10 feet deep, then let the top-line lures trail behind.
"I'd say 150 to 200 feet behind the boat," he said of his top-lining tactics. "I run a Hum Dinger on the outside, and a Cripplure on the inside so when I turn, they don't get crossed up. The heavier Cripplure will travel right under the Hum Dinger."
The right speed is crucial while trolling. For his lures, Miralles said he maintains a strict 2.5 mph. For Needlefish to work well at Lake Shasta, troll a little slower, about 1.5 mph.
And don't be afraid to try something radically different, Miralles said. Like trading a shad look-alike for a lure in some wild fluorescent color — like orange.
"We fishermen, we get hung up on one pattern," Miralles said. "Try a different approach, and you've got them. You know the shad are feeding, but throw them something different — and try for that reaction strike."
With a waning full moon Wednesday, the trout had been gorging themselves all night — and made any strategy tough early. Yet by 10 a.m., the bite was on and slack rod tips bent into tantalizing U shapes.
Sometimes, two at a time.
"Can't beat a double hook-up," Miralles said, as the anglers pulled up an 18-inch planter rainbow and a 16-inch king salmon. "I think we'd better go back through there again. Seems like a good idea."
The best idea is to get out to Shasta while the lake is cold — and the fishing's hot.
Reporter Thom Gabrukiewicz can be reached at 225-8230 or at tgabrukiewicz@redding.com.
