Annual Old Guys Trip to Lake Shasta

[Pat Dilling]

Our Slow Trollers fishing club made our annual trip to the Sugarloaf Cottages at Lake Shasta May 16-19.  As usual we had a great time.  It was amazing to see Shasta full to the brim! Last year's trip it was about 117 feet lower.  I have included a couple pictures of the boat slip dock, last year and this year.  Fishing was tough for me the first couple days, could be I had to acclimate to the high water level.  Water is 68-72 degrees and very clear.  I could see the bottom in 20 feet at some locations.  There are also a lot of wood and trees along the shore line.  You see fish cruising.  In one cove we could see literally hundreds of fish swimming around. I guess they could see us too as the first two days were also very calm.  Now the third day it was on!  My 88 year old partner Al and I caught over 100 fish between us.  Nothing big, 8 inchers up to 2.5 pounds or so.  They were mostly spotted and some smallmouth bass.  We did not find any largemouth.  I never got a decent topwater bite going.  Most of the fish came on plastics; including ned rigs, wacky senkos and flukes.  The flukes and senkos worked well around flooded willow trees.  I also caught a few on crankbaits and spinnerbaits, but the plastics were much more consistent.  Our last day, Friday morning we fished until 10:30.  Caught a bunch then too, but the bite was different.  I bet I never felt 70% of the fish I caught.  I am using a Kistler Helium rod with 15# braid to 10# floroucarbon line and can usually feel a fish looking at my lure.  But Friday, the bite was so soft, I would just lift my bait and they were there.  Still had a great morning.  I have so many pictures of 2 pound spots that I did not even take any fish pictures.  Shasta in May never disappoints!  Next trip is to Lake Almanor over Labor Day.  We are hoping to annoy some fat smallmouth!

[Hobious]

Oh.  How old do I need to be to poke my head into a Shasta meet?  Hehe.

[Donald Garner]

Pat, tks for sharing the trip and those pictures with us.  Glad to hear that the lake is full and y'all were able to put a few fish in the boat.

[Pat Dilling]

Oh.  How old do I need to be to poke my head into a Shasta meet?  Hehe.

Our Slow Trollers fishing club is a sub-set of the Sons-In-Retirement, or SIRs organization. No specific age requirement.  Need to be retired or semi-retired. It's purely social and California based. There are also golf, bowling, cycling, boche, cards, pool and more groups in our chapter.

[Hobious]

retired? 

dang.  (i wish)

[Mike Cork]

All the years I got to fish Shasta I had never see it like that. Beautiful.