Reservoir · Mixed · Northern California, US

Lake Davis

Lake Davis venue image

Rich Sierra reservoir up by Portola, holding chunky wild rainbows that grow fat on a diet of blood midges and damsels.

Fair · Rainbow
Balanced Leech · 8-12
Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Lake Davis
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
56% confidence

Lake Davis is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindSW 19 km/hGentle breeze
Today's fly
Balanced Leech
Balanced Leech8-12
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Gentle breeze
SW 19 km/h
N
SW
from the south-west
Wave40 cm chop
Water temp8.9°C
Air temp8°C
CloudOvercast
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Ice-off spring and autumn; summer damsel/Callibaetis
Where
Start with Balanced Leech (8-12) on a As per local method. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Balanced Leech (8-12) on a As per local method. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. If that does not produce, switch depth or speed before changing the pattern entirely.

Plan B

A fry-imitating pattern stripped through the margins can save a blank in autumn.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Flying AntsHatch
1
2
1
Gray DrakeHatch
1
1
CallibaetisHatch
1
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow fly box
CH
Chironomid
12-16 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW regulations — verify.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
59%
Cloud50%
Wind65%
Temp60%

A reasonable day here, though cloud isn't quite in the sweet spot.

Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Rich Sierra reservoir up by Portola, holding chunky wild rainbows that grow fat on a diet of blood midges and damsels. This is premier stillwater nymphing — a static blood midge fished over the weed beds under an indicator is the classic Davis method, and the trick is varying your depth until you find the band the fish are sitting in. Tube and boat water. Ice-off in spring and the autumn are the prime windows, with damsel and Callibaetis fishing through the summer.

  • Reservoir
  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic lifeNot assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Davis Lake (Plumas County)' (CAL5183401020020418135013), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAL5183401020020418135013

Why this score
  • autumn conditions with overcast skies and breezy wind.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January31 December
Related guides
Booking & contacts