The weather at Eagle Lake sure doesn't feel like December. While the overnight temps are cold the days are warm and sunny with a occasional fog in the mornings. Launching has not been a problem at Spalding. The ramp does get a little iced up as more and more people launch and their trailers drain on the way up the hill so use caution. Since my last report the fishing started to slow a little and found us having to work for our fish, but the lull was only temporary and the bite came back strong. I continued to work the same areas including the airport and the open water north of Pelican Point and the Youth Camp. Our best action came on 3 inch orange grubs fished 4 to 5 feet down on the Cannon Downriggers over 6 to 7 feet of water. The grubs also carried a healthy dose of Freshwater Shrimp Oil from Pro-Cure. The fish seemed to abandon their light bite routine in favor of slamming our baits and absolutely pounding the Rogue Rods. We did see a few smaller 2 pound class fish that we quickly returned to the lake, for the most part all the fish were over 3 pounds and our limits were filled with fish from 3.5 to 4.5 pounds. Other reports indicated that a lot of fish were being caught all the way to south end of the lake. While the weather is comfortable for fishing it sure doesn't feel like winter and trust me we need a good winter to help the levels in our lakes.

Happy Thanksgiving. The fishing continues strong at Eagle Lake. Recent trolling trips have been producing plenty of quality fish along with a number of smaller "toss back" fish. I have pretty well finished up in the north basin due to colder water temperatures. Once the north end starts to cool to 40 degrees the fish seem to start heading south. I have been concentrating mainly on  the area by the airport as well as just north of Pelican Point. A combination of orange and brown grubs fished from the surface to one foot off the bottom have been the best producers for my boat. New this week we took the time to visit some rocky points on the eastern shoreline under flat calm water conditions. Instead of trolling I opted to work the area on the Minn Kota electric motor and let the clients cast and retrieve small jigs to cruising fish. What excitement watching 3 to 4 pound trout in a couple feet of crystal clear water dart out and hammer your jig. With the right conditions this proved to be a very successful technique and a lot of fun. Not much time left in the '08 eagle lake season, with unseasonably warm and dry temperatures now is a great time to get in on this spectacular fishing.

Father........	And Son

The following is based on actually events. It was an unseasonably warm morning for Eagle Lake in November. Myself and four gentlemen known only as the A-team, a secret fishing fraternity, loaded our gear aboard the boat for the first of what was to be three days of fly fishing. The water was like glass as we raced towards our first stop of the morning. We got off to a bit of a slow start, but after moving to some near by fresh water, myself and a member of this elite organization known only as "Sam" got on to some fish. The rest of the team converged and it was "game on" for the rest of the morning with "Tman" doing the most damage.  Just before "soup 30" I took another member of the team code name "Walrus" to scout a near by area for signs of fish life. We moved in quietly on the Minn Kota bow mount and spotted fish cruising the shallows. (Warning: Gratuitous Self Promotion) Following what was a masterful spot by the guide  "Walrus" made a perfect cast and was hooked up. Rather than working this new spot we opted to return to the group and plan our attack over bean soup. We quietly approached from the north and with seal team precision launched our assault. Two members took the lead to the west with the others covering the flanks to the south and north. "Speedy", working the south flank,  locked on to one and from there it was ON! We nearly had them surrounded and the tolls mounted. Day two started off much the same as the first, with only a few fish making a showing. A quick change in location turned that trend around, and in a hurry. After our "red hot" bite tapered off we returned to the same spot we had done so well the day before. While it wasn't dead,  it was far from the action that had spoiled us 24 hours earlier. Again we were on the hunt, "Walrus" joined me as we scouted several other near by rocky points. The glassy water conditions made spotting the fish easy, we knew they were there but would they bite. This time having already had the "soup de jour" I opted to insert "Walrus" directly into the hot zone and then return to pick up the rest of the team. Upon our arrival "Walrus" was hooked up and it wasn't long before we all had fish including a triple hook up. The rate at which we were hooking fish was impressive and just when you thought it couldn't get any better a slight breeze began blowing in our face stirring some chop and wave action on the water and that is when the bite blew up. The fish went ballistic darting in and out of the shallows grabbing anything that resembled food. A full blown feeding frenzy and we were right in the middle of it. On our way in we discussed the may lay we had just been a part of. It was certainly one of the most awesome displays of fly fishing this guide has ever witnessed. The final tally for the day put us at 67 fish with more than 80 being hooked. Absolutely unbelievable!! Day three brought with it some big changes, cooler temperatures and high winds not necessarily the best conditions for fly fishing but the A-team was not deterred. We were very limited in locations we could fish due to the 25 mph winds and gusts to 40 + mph. We did manage some quality fish from some of the same "holes" along with a few new stops. The adverse conditions reminded us how lucky we had been the previous days and how special the day before really was. Disclosure: The names and faces on the pictures below have been disguised to protect the innocent.

Just a quick update; the bite is solid and the fish are big. Really what else is there to worry about. We have been fishing various locations around the lake including the airport, Pelican Point, and Troxel Point. It has either been orange or brown 3 inch grubs with orange typically working better in the morning and brown in the afternoon. I will try to get some pictures and more information up soon, but for now it is tight lines. Update: New pictures added!!!!

Cody's Big One	Team Carlson	The Reaching Higher Girls....	And Moms
Nice Way To Start The Morning

Happy Halloween!! The bite at Eagle has remained strong. I decided to switch things up a little this week. I moved north in search of less small fish and more Eagle Lake quality. We had been catching some nice fish but having to weed through the smaller ones can get old. The conditions are right for the north basin action to be good and it only took a few minuets on the first trip up there to know I was right. Most of the fish we have been boating the last couple days have been between 3.5 and 4.5 pounds with very few of the smaller showing up, in fact our limits were averaging right at 4 pounds per fish. The weather was beautiful ahead of the on-coming storm with sunny skies and flat mirror like surface conditions. The water temp was running in the low 50's and actually warming due to the warm weather and lack of wind. I spent most of the time fishing near Troxel Point and out in the open bay towards Stones Ranch. The water depth in that area runs from 4 to 8 feet depending on your location with our most productive depth being 3 feet on the Cannons, however we did hook fish from the surface to the bottom. The 3 inch brown grub continued to work well and produced about half of our fish. The other half came on a "motor oil/ red flake" grub. I used a mix of scents from Pro-Cure this week, the Trophy Trout along with the Freshwater Shrimp. The fish did not disappoint, putting up great battles including some incredible displays of aerobatics. Now for the bad news; the surface weeds can and were an issue up in the north basin, and depending on what the wind is doing they can totally choke out an area making it totally un-fishable. The Cannon Downriggers help by collecting weeds on the cables instead of your lines however when fishing in weedy areas it is a good idea to check your lines frequently. More launch ramp news; the rumors of dredging appear to be just that, rumors, as no work has been done. I have still been getting out fine but to add an additional degree of difficulty the buoys marking the center and the direction to safe water have been pulled from the lake. It is important to stay dead center on the docks and head straight out until you reach the deeper water. I have actually been using my bow mount Minn Kota AP motor just to keep from sucking all the silt and muck through my engine pumps. A few shots for your enjoyment.

Well the fish have finally agreed on a pattern for us, which substantially boosted our catch rate to what I would call wide open boating 25 fish each morning. Brown was the key with a 3 inch brown grub being the top producer of the week. We also managed a good number of fish on an Uncle Larry's Spinner in "Black Perch" with a brown "pony tail". Per the usual I was coating the baits with Pro-Cures Trophy Trout scent. I spent most of my time north of the Youth Camp and Pelican Point working humps and bumps in the middle basin of the lake. The water depth in that area ranges from 6 to 11 feet (and occasionally shallower when I miss my marks). We caught fish from the surface to 10 feet deep however 4 feet was the hot number from first thing in the morning till noon when we were coming off the water. We continued to boat a number of smaller fish running from 2 to 2.5 pounds however the fish we were keeping for the limits ran between 3.75 and 4.5 pounds. These fish are fat and healthy and have been providing some great battles on the light Rogue Rods. With all the action we were in I didn't get a chance to look anywhere else on the lake for fish although I heard radio reports of fish from both the south and north ends of the lake. The water temp in the middle basin where we were fishing was running in the mid 50's with the air temp starting out in the 30's and warming nicely as the mornings went along. From what I was seeing the fish seem to be settling down and the bite should continue to be strong. There still seems to be a lot of rumors surrounding the launch ramp at Spalding. If I can get out with my deep vee I/O just about anyone should be able to launch. Trim up, go slow, and stay in the center between the docks and buoys and you should be fine.

Things have been up, down, and all around over the last couple weeks. The water temp had cooled down to the mid 50's and the bite was wide open. A big change in the weather brought warm days and nights and almost no wind, spurring the water temps back up into the mid 60's slowing the bite a little. Next a storm front moved in bringing big wind and a good amount of much needed rain to the area which dropped the water temps back into the mid 50's again. If you are confused, you are not the only one, the fish seem to be a bit confused as well. They are scattered all over the lake and at just about all depths. Over the course of the last couple weeks we have boated fish from the castle in the north basin to Wildcat Point at the south end. Despite hearing radio chatter of fish being caught at 20 plus feet, all of our fish have come from the surface to 11 feet in depth. I have been running the gear 150 feet back and then down on the Cannon downriggers with the productive baits being as wide ranging as the fish our best baits include 2 and 3 inch brown grubs, 3 inch orange grubs, Bloody Mary Uncle Larry's Spinners with a brown pony tail, and the Tui Chub pattern Artic Fox Tube Fly. I have been slathering all the baits with liberal amounts of Trophy Trout scent from Pro-Cure. I have found evidence, while cleaning fish, of leaches and snails but by far most of the fish we have caught have been focusing on the Tui Chubs for food. The quality of the fish has been quite good with only a couple of smallish ones showing on my boat, most of the fish have been in the 3 pound class with a good number in the 4 and 5 pound range. Looks like the lower water hasn't hurt the quality we saw last year. Some other local updates include Boat Ramp News: I have been successfully launching at the Spalding Marina with out any problems. My Boulton has a pretty good draft due to its deep vee profile, and I am un-able to trim my I/O up as high outboard powered boats. Jet boats have the obvious advantage in the shallow water. When departing Spalding Marina I have been heading out dead center and running just to the right of the 2 buoys. Local rumors indicate the powers that be are currently searching for a company to dredge a channel out of the docks to provide easier access with out worry to open waters. I for one would love to see it. I have also heard of boats being able to launch at the south end, as well as Mariners to the north, but I have no first hand experience with these other areas, all my launching has been at Spalding. The new lighted buoys placed on many of the most dangerous points look great. The white strobes are bright and easily seen and are a valuable addition to the lake. With the stabilizing water temps look for the fall bite to be in full swing from now until the end of the year. I still have a couple of weekend dates available for you group or if you are a single and want to jump on board solo I have several dates where I can pair you up with other anglers. Don't miss your chance at these trophy trout in 2008 contact me today.