Trout fishing was good over the weekend, although better on Saturday than Sunday. Several groups reported catching and releasing good numbers of trout in addition to their limits. Of the trout that were harvested, 20 percent were holdovers averaging 16 to 17-inches in size. ODFW biologists saw four trout that were just under 20-inches during creel surveys this weekend.

Still fishing by boat with PowerBait tended to catch the biggest fish over the weekend, especially at Red Rock and above Fawn and Doe islands. Trolling flashers like a ford fender with a worm tended to catch the most fish. Another angler had very good success trolling a wedding ring/worm combination. Trout appeared to be spread out around the reservoir, but the biggest success seemed to be the southwest shore between Willow Point Campground, Buck Island and the floating restroom. Bank anglers continue to have steady success at the jetty (a universal access fishing platform is available), and good numbers of trout were caught from shore at the dam.

Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass should be improving as the water warms. The lake is full. The marina (boat rentals and moorage) and restaurant/store are open, as are the Jackson County Park campgrounds and boat ramps.

A bald eagle was causing some excitement and heartburn for anglers at Howard Prairie this past weekend. Interestingly, the bird was not just taking recently released fish that were dead on the surface but was actively stealing fish. An angler on Saturday reported having a trout on the line jumping and fighting near the surface, only to have a bald eagle take the fish. The angler said the eagle stripped a lot of line off his reel before the angler was able to break the line. The fish was lost, and, of course, this was reportedly the angler’s biggest fish of the day. Anglers in the same party but another boat verified the story. Then on Sunday a different group of anglers reporting having a bald eagle trying to steal their fish as well.