The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I'm wondering what members of this group think of the concessionaire renting out canoes on Manzanita Lake. When I was there in the fall of '09, I was surprised to see they had nine, yes nine! canoes rented out most every day.

This really is a lot, particularly since, unlike flyfishermen, these happy folks are in constant movement around the lake, and they particularly like to paddle through the shallows and around the edges. It was my experience back then that the trout were noticeably absent from the shallow edges, compared to previous years. I wanted to get back last year to confirm that this was the effect of the rental operation, but I didn't make it.

So; what experience have others had at the lake in the last year or two, and do we feel this is something that needs to be raised with the National Park? I definitely remember noticing that the waterfowl had been affected. Instead of the usual twenty or so families of ducks and coots, I saw three or four only.

Thanks

I haven't had the chance to fish Manzanita the this year and last due to some circumstances beyond my control. With that said when I heard there was going to be a rental concession a few year back I guessed it would add to the weekend crowd on the lake. Did you fish mid week or weekend? I would think it is calmer on the week days.

The concessionaire running the store also was renting kayaks from a trailer parked beyond the "No Parking Beyond This Sign" sign when I was up there the weekends of the 10th and 17th of June. The operation didn't appear to interfere with launching and recovery of any fisherman’s watercraft.

They were renting by the hour to folks who appeared to paddle around the lake once and go back in. When they approached my fishing position they did not travel either in front of me (where I was casting) or even within 100 ft of where I was. As the temp of the water and air goes up and the number of "summer" users increases, I could see the possibility of crowds but my successful fishing on Manzanita is early and late, not in the middle of the warm summer days...I don't expect to sit out on the lake all day again until October.

I don't worry about other boaters putting fish down, whether it's a kickboat, pontoon, pram, rowboat, canoe, or kayak, the fish under it may react and leave but in a lake, fish move and water doesn't.

Paul

pgw, Thanks for the background, apologies it took me a while to acknowledge. Been melting in the Midwest!

You're right that if the canoe traffic isn't too bad, it shouldn't interfere with the fishing; but when I saw all nine canoes out in Sept. of '09, there was little sign of trout to be caught in the shallow margins, where I was used to getting a few on dries in previous years. True, it was Labor Day weekend, which is pretty busy, but the difference was radical compared to the years before the rentals. The folks just seem to like paddling around the edges rather than through the middle.

I know you said you would fish early and late, but in my experience of that time of year, the peak callibaetis hatch starts about one to two p.m., and since it's usually breezy too, this is an easier time to fool a few trout, with a ripple on the water.

btw, did you ever see the winged termite fall at Manzanita? - awesome fishing!

steveriderh wrote:
...btw, did you ever see the winged termite fall at Manzanita? - awesome fishing!

Yes to termites and ants...but the most fantastic fishing I've had there was during the 1st week of August fishing size 10 Goddard Caddis to imitate the Phrygana caddisfly adults, they skate across the surface (leaving V shaped wakes) in the last hour of light, well worth staying out late!

Have fun,

Paul

I fished Manzanita on Tuesday and it was very slow, I had one LDR for six hours of fishing using the usual calibaetis nymph and various midges. I talked with three other guys who had been there for a few days and they said it had been slow all week.
One guy said there was a good black caddis hatch on Monday night.