BY MIKE STEVENS
CROWLEY LAKE— By mid-morning on Fishmas Day, was shrouded in a blanket of wintry fog to the point the lake was invisible from the highway. With the wind picking up and adding to the steady snowfall, there were a lot more boats entering the marina than leaving it at around 9 a.m. Still, those coming off the lake to weather the storm reported very good fishing before returning to port.
Staffers at Crowley Lake Fish Camp told WON it was actually clear in the early morning, and in a departure from the norm, the flare indicating the start of the season went up a little after 5 a.m., so Crowley anglers got an earlier start (it usually goes up at 7 a.m.) than usual.
Most boaters coming off the lake fully intended on getting back after it later, and were happy with how productive the first few hours of fishing was. In true Crowley fashion, trolling leadcore got the job done with Tasmanian Devils, Thomas Bouyants or Berkley Flicker Shads on the business end.
Bait dunkers working from boats or shore did well with the standard diet of PowerBait or Mice Tails, and one particular group did very well with a PowerBait/nightcrawler combo. Chucking and winding lures typically plays third-fiddle to trolling and bait-and-wait on Opening Weekend, and while this Opener was no exception, WON did talk to an angler who quickly limited while throwing a Kasmtaster from shore near the Fish Camp.
McGee Bay was overwhelmingly hot area according to boaters coming off the lake, but there were tales of success out of the North Arm, Chalk Cliffs and from just offshore of the flagpole.
Berkley pro Gil “Rockit” Hernandez checked in with WON after an adventurous kayak session.
“Lots of fish are stacked up on north end of the lake and most are from 2 to 4 pounds,” said Hernandez. “The gold and black Flicker Shad did well for me as well as Thomas Buoyant in gold or chrome and trolled (both lures) at 2.5 to 3 colors. I had a big boy break me off on 12-pound that I know it was a fish of a lifetime. Keeping those trolling speeds at 2.5 to 3 mph is key for those bites, and when trolling the Flicker Shad, let out no more the 20 feet of line. I played with several lengths and found that was key.”
Hernandez said he also fished from shore in the North End and saw a lot of limits being put together with various colors of PowerBait by others doing the same.
WON reached back out to Crowley Lake Fish Camp in the late afternoon, and staffers reported excellent fishing in the second half of the day and closed with, “the cleaning station was a zoo!”
According to Sierra Mountain Trout Guide Service, the surface temp at Crowley is 50 to 53 degrees, and the 17- to 23-foot depth window is “a great place to start.”