Jon Baiocchi / Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Reports on 3.24.2016

3/23/2016 – Lake Davis has iced out and the season begins on this classic northern California still water. The current capacity is up to 62%, that’s a gain of 30% from last fall, and with more snow to melt combined with a few more storms, we’ll see the lake increase even more. Ice out can be hit or miss, it really depends on how warm the...

Jon Baiocchi / Baiocchi’s Troutfitters reports on 10.22.2015

http://www.baiocchistroutfitters.com/

Lake levels continue to drop and currently the capacity of the lake is at 43% revealing some unusual topography in the north eastern corner. Last week water temperatures were very high for October at 59 - 67 degrees, but after last weekend’s cold air mass and rain, it has now dropped down to 50 – 58...

Jon Baiocchi/Baiocchi’s Troutfitters reports on 10.15.2015

My guests and I have been working the middle and northern areas of Lake Davis in the past week with hit or miss action. The low lake levels are very apparent walking in the north section, the above image says it all. This is where the bone dry Grizzly creek enters the lake as of now, the creek itself just has idle pools of water here and...

Jon Baiocchi / Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Reports on 10.8.2015

After weeks of the same weather pattern across much of Northern California, there have been a few weak low pressure systems roll through, and the last brought a decent amount of precipitation to Northern California. Water temperatures are now ranging from 56 to 61 degrees. We will warm up again for the next week, after that, those...

Jon Baiocchi / Baiocchi’s Troutfitters Reports on 9.14.2015

Lake levels continue to drop exposing some very interesting terrain for the trout stalker making presentations off the bank. Water temperatures this past weekend were 63 in a foot of water at 9am, rising to 68 by 3pm. Keep in mind there are cooler water temps at 10 to 18 feet down during the middle of the day. Rainbows are coming into the...

Jon Baiocchi / Baiocchi’s Troutfitters reports on 9.9.2015

Though we are in a warming trend, cooler nights have prevailed at Lake Davis, at 7am water temperatures have been at 60, rising to 67 in the afternoons. The lake levels continue to drop at a very fast rate. Currently the Honker Cove boat ramp is unusable for boats like my Tracker Pro Deep V 16. Small boats and prams are ok at the moment....

Jon Baiocchi / Baiocchi’s Troutfitters reports on 7.8.15

Water temps at Lake Davis have rose sharply in the past week starting out at 66 at 8am and reaching 72 by 1pm. That alone made my decision to pull the plug and cancel my remaining trips and reschedule them until fall. The damsel hatch is still going strong but resident rainbows are just not into it, they are sitting low and semi deep taking...

Jon Baiocchi Lake Davis fishing report 6/24/15:

Lake Davis has been very technical and challenging in the last week during the Damsel grab. Fishing pressure has increased even more, and those rainbows now have a very clear idea between an artificial fly, and the natural. For more success in the catching department it’s wise to fish areas that have not been getting pounded. Dark damsel patterns have been best including my chocolate damsel. Many of my guest’s damsel patterns in their boxes are way too big; the nymph is about 1 to 1.25 inches long.

Water temps are starting at 62 in the early morning and rising to 73 in the afternoons, the wind continues to help keep the water cooler, and man has the wind been blowing up there. Last Sunday saw a steady wind of 20 mph and whitecaps right out of the chute around 7am. When such conditions exist, it’s best to pack it up and go back to camp and tie some flies. Soaking chironomids under an indicator just before the hatch ends is working pretty well, especially if the water has some chop to it. By 1pm the lake is dead as the rainbows are stuffed full of damsels. My guests have been hooking into some large specimens in the 4 to 5 pound range, so fat you can hardly get your hand around their behemoth girth. Very impressive!

The Hex hatch remains strong but is a very short lived show, starting at about 8:45 and lasting until dark. The emerger continues to dominate the best catch rates by far. Remember you can use heavier tippet during low light conditions, this helps immensely with less break offs. The middle and southern part of the lake has seen the most fish keyed in on the Hex. Just the like the Damsel hatch, the Hex hatch will vary in numbers from night to night, and every day is different.

For the last two weekends Rob Anderson and I have once again held our extremely popular Lake Davis Outings. These 3 day events are way more than a clinic, we teach how to best approach the lake for this time of year including equipment selection, rigging, leader construction, technical presentations, shore tactics, float tube techniques, and detailed informative handouts for later review. I also presented my Lake Davis Power Point right in the campground with the lake as a back drop for first timers; this really speeds up the learning process for fly fishing still waters. All of our guests enjoy these outings so much that we have many repeats, much of it has to do with the fun social setting, killer lunches and dinners, and lots of on the water time. We will be conducting these outings again for 2016 during the second and third weekend of June. Don’t miss out on the fun and sign up early, the outings usually fill up during the Pleasanton Fly Fishing show in February.

Lake Davis provides unbound beauty, sight fishing to large rainbows, and plenty of leisure time around the campfire. Life just doesn’t get any better in the Northern Sierra

Lake Davis Fly Fishing Report

Jon Baiocchi reports on 6.16.2015:

Finally a consistent weather pattern of the norm has fallen upon the Lake Davis region with sunny skies and cool nights. Water temps have bumped up quite a bit, 62 in the morning reaching 70 in the late afternoon. Windy days will help keep the water temperatures lower, as will cooler nights. The rainbows will still feed on the damsel hatch during such conditions for a few hours, and then return to water depths of 12 to 18 feet of water. Fishing has been technical and challenging which is a common theme during the damsel hatch at Lake Davis. If you want to be more successful, choose areas that receive little or no fishing pressure, or try another method of presentation; like a grasshopper pattern with a small mayfly nymph dropper. Afternoons have been very slow due to the fact they are full of food and resting comfortably while digesting their damsel nymphs.

The Hex hatch has been insane with so many bugs hatching the last hour of light! I knew this was coming. The population is exploding because the make up of Lake Davis is ideal for the nymph, mud and clay banks are the required habitat for them. Emerger patterns have been the most effective by far. It is so important to seek out individual fish and put the fly right in front of them to get the grab. The most satisfying angle for me is watching the hatch and how this food source supports the entire ecosystem, Canadian Honkers, California gulls, Western grebes, bats, dragonflies, and of course the resident rainbows have been feeding on the Hex like crazy. It’s so awesome to watch that I could really care less about the fishing. 50 years into this and Mother Nature still blows me away, I’m so grateful to be a part of her.

Lake Davis is a complex fishery during this time of year. Observe more, cast less, and make an educated approach to your presentations. For those that follow me and my adventures know straight up I love to share, to see others gain knowledge, and to be more successful with fly fishing. A day on the water with me is eye opening experience with the flora and fauna, techniques, presentations, fly selection, rigs, and more. This is my life and I’m not going anywhere. Expand your mind and the love for Northern California with me; I’ll put a smile on your face that will never go away. 

Jon Baiocchi

977 Gold Flat Rd.

Nevada City, CA 95959 (530) 228-0487 

Lake Davis Fly Fishing Report

Baiocchi’s Troutfitters reports on 6/9/15:

The last week at Lake Davis has had mixed results in both strength in the hatches and the catching, with one day being red hot and the next fair. Water temperatures are now at 60 in the morning rising to 65 in the early afternoon within the main body of the lake. The word is out amongst fly anglers and fishing pressure has increased dramatically. Large rainbows are feeling it too, and an angler will be much more successful in searching out quiet coves, and intimate flats. Best areas to focus on now are between Camp 5 and Mosquito Slough.

The Damsels are dominating and the fish are keyed in on them, though there are Blood midges in the mix as well. Afternoons have been slow and I can only speculate that the trout’s stomachs are full of food while they lay in deeper water while digesting their intake. Besides they have to take a break as they anticipate the Hex hatch in the evening. The Hex hatch, like the Damsel hatch is very inconsistent from day to day. You never know how it’s going to be, but one must factor in weather, like wind, air temps, and cloud cover. On cloudy days I have been seeing a few Hexagenia mayflies hatch during the middle of the day, this indicates a strong population that is ready to pop and emerge at any time.

Today my guests had the treat of casting to some large toads in a foot of water on the muddy flats of the west shore. The water temperatures in these areas registered 71 degrees, but the food source is so great that these large rainbows will sacrifice being comfortable, for them, it’s all about being greedy. Targeting skinny water feeders is the most awesome fishing a fly angler can do at the lake, it’s like bone fishing in the south pacific, where sight and technical spot on presentations are a must. When trout are in a foot of water, their cone of vision is extremely small, and you must put you fly right in front of them to get a grab. Not some of the time, but all of the time. Addicting and challenging is the theme here. Now is the time to fish Lake Davis, June is the banner month and the consummate fly angler should drop everything and get involved. It’s that good!

Jon Baiocchi

(530) 228-0487