Spent last Wednesday through Sunday fishing Chopaka. A wonderful several
days of good fishing (for most) and visiting with friends, old and new.
Pleased to report that mayfly emergences were in full swing, though variable
from day to day, and the damsels are finally beginning to show in good
enough numbers that both nymphs and adults were taking fish. Curiously, the
chironomid fishing seemed to be generally slow, with even the most hard core
chironomid guys stooping to fish dry mayflies. Gads!
Not a normal year at Chopaka. A cool, late spring followed by warm weather,
seems to have accelerated the succession of hatches and the surface water
temps are now already in the mid-60's. Couple this with water levels easily
a foot below normal (or even a couple of feet perhaps), essentially no
inflow or outflow, and things could get ugly quick. Fortunately, the cool
evening and night temps (very bracing, for sure) always help moderate the
bright, warm days.
One apparent consequence of the low water levels is a shift in the prime
emergence areas and, consequently fishing. The far south end - always a
favorite, due to the relatively shallow bottom extending from bank to bank -
seemed less productive than the somewhat deeper waters nearer the camp
ground. I heard reports of good emergences from the north end, which has
substantially deeper waters than the rest of the lake, but didn't get a
chance to check it out.
Sight fishing - my passion - sucked. Lower water levels, coupled with
markedly reduced densities and dramatically reduced extents of the tule
beds - now provides relatively little cover and poor habitat for the large
fish that used to cruise the shore margins in good numbers.
We had a couple of good days for Calibaetis though. Protracted hatches on
the east side, near the center of the lake, produced some 30+ fish days for
those savvy enough to hang close to camp. BTW, no one pattern seemed to
dominate - Chopaka emergers, parachute Adams and various other obscure or
innovative patterns all had their moments. Ditto for the damsels - lots of
things seemed to work, at least occasionally. Also noteworthy was that fish
could be pounded up in some areas for long periods either before of after
the hatches.
Had some pretty good winds and plenty of cloud cover - and even some rain -
all great for the Calibaetis, along with periods of warm, cloudless skies.
Nights tended to be exceptionally cold - cold enough to forsake the bourbon
and cigars that have become a nightly tradition.
A breathtakingly beautiful place, with great fishing as a bonus, for those
who care about such things.
-Wes
Wes Neuenschwander
Seattle, WA USA
