Registration for this Learn To Fly Fish outing will open on Monday, March 6th at 12 noon.
These fish-outs are open to 2023 "Learn to Fly Fish" registered Level 3 students ONLY, unless otherwise announced. An email will be sent to the entire Level 3 class, notifying them exactly when the online registration will be first opened.
We will have two groups of 7 anglers each. Group 1 will fish on Saturday, and group 2 will fish on Sunday. LTFF Level 3 students may sign up for either one of these two groups when the online registration is first opened, but not for both initially until later advised the fish-out leader via email to the whole class that this is acceptable in the event that not all the openings are initially filled.
Arrival and Departure Times: The on-site lodge is not available to us for this outing, so registrants should plan to stay at the Rolling Hills Casino, or in one of the local motels in Corning, just a short drive from Luk Lake.
Group 1 students should plan to arrive at the lake by 8AM on Friday morning-you may plan to leave very early Friday morning for the 3 1/2 drive from San Francisco, or stay in a local motel with a short drive to the lake, arriving on Friday evening. You will be able to fish until dusk on Saturday evening.
Group 2 students should plan to arrive at the lake by 8AM on Sunday morning-you may plan to leave very early Sunday morning for the 3 1/2 drive from San Francisco, or stay in a local motel with a short drive to the lake, arriving on Saturday evening. You may fish until dusk on Sunday evening.
We will plan a no-host group dinner on Saturday evening, so both Group 1 and Group 2 students may plan to attend this dinner. Details will be shared in the pre-fishout meeting.
General Info: Fishing on Luk Lake is a great opportunity to catch some of the big bass this lake is known for with "topwater" bass flies, especially with the warmer water and amount of weed growth expected then.
Luk Lake (it's pronounced "luck", possibly because it's so close to the Rolling Hills Casino?) is a small private lake located off Interstate I-5 just a couple miles south of the little town of Corning. Corning is about 45 minutes (50 miles) south of Redding. This lake is a very good fishery for largemouth "black" bass, rainbow trout, and the occasional scrappy sunfish or bluegill (we've caught both "panfish" there).
We had a fantastic weekend at Luk Lake this past November, catching large rainbow trout, as well as sunfish, bluegill, and also bass, although the bass fishing was slow with cooler water temperatures. We were able to catch trout both on nymphs and dries.
Instruction: Once again, we are fortunate to have Willy George join us at the lake. Willy will conduct a bass clinic at the beginning (8AM) of the day for each group. You will find Willy's clinic one of the best you experience in the LTFF program, and you will learn a lot about successful lake fishing. Willy will also be on the water with his own (electric) motored pram and will be coaching and helping students while fishing. Don't miss this chance to learn from the expert!
Pete Richen, an LTFF alumnus, will serve as the fishout leader.
Boats: We have rented 4 small rowboats to fish this lake. Luk Lake can ONLY be fished from a small boat (rowboat, pontoon boat, kayak, or electric-powered skiff) or from a float tube since there is virtually no shoreline access due to the heavy tule growth around the lake. (Note: Float tubes may not be practical at this time of year due to weed growth.) Unless you bring your own permissible watercraft, students will be expected to fish from the rented rowboats. There will be two students per boat, who will be responsible for rowing and safely managing it while fishing through-out the day.
Safety: After Willy's bass "clinic" down at the lake starting at 8:00am for each group, there will be a brief safety and orientation talk before launching the boats. All fishing on this lake is strictly "catch-and-release" only, with barbless hooks required. So remember to pinch your barbs on ALL flies you use (doubly important when fishing together in small boats) and be kind to the fish. Trout should always be revived before releasing. Bass and panfish are much hardier and can usually be dropped or lightly tossed back into the lake.
Must wear a PFD: Four rowboats (~12' prams) will be provided with oars, anchors, and (hopefully) life preserver seat cushions to sit on. However, you should bring your own wearable personal floatation device (PFD) to wear. We have a limited supply of loaner PFD's should you need to borrow one.
Note: Wearing a PFD is mandatory while fishing from any watercraft NOT operated by professional guides on any GGACC club outings, and is always recommended to be worn on any small craft, especially in float tubes, pontoon boats, or other inflatable crafts.
Personal Gear: There is no shore or wade fishing possible at this lake and we will NOT be wearing waders when fishing from these prams, but you should bring water sandals, old tennis shoes, or similar footwear to allow you to step into the water when launching or beaching your boat. Also, be sure to bring sun protection (including brimmed hat or visor, sun lotion, and buff / sun gloves if you use them), polarized sunglasses, rain jacket, and other clothing appropriate to the possible weather (it is likely to be very cool in the early morning and cool off in the evening no matter what the day's high temp is). We have not had any issues with mosquitos in past years, but come prepared. And bring a headlamp to fish up to sundown.
Fishing Gear:
You will definitely want to bring either an 8 weight rod (a 7 weight will suffice if that's what you've got) with a floating line--preferably a bass taper or a RIO Outbound short full floating line. You will want this setup to present the topwater bass flies effectively. Your 5 weight just won't work for these flies.
An added suggestion as well, is to bring along a 5 or 6 weight second rod with a floating line--and if you have it, a spare spool with an intermediate sink line. This 2 rod approach is recommended for all, giving each angler an ideal setup to go after both topwater bass as well as trout and panfish with the lighter rod. You may have opportunities for all of these at Luk Lake.
You will need 15-20 lb. (0X or stronger) Maxima or other mono tippet for topwater bass flies (bass are not generally leader shy). For fishing dries to any rising trout or even for stripping Wooly Buggers and other small streamers, bring 9' long tapered leaders in 3X or 4X, with tippet spools from 3X-5X in either mono, fluoro, or both. You may have to indicator nymph to reach trout during the day, in which case small indicators (especially those with "tell-tales", i.e., little flags) are useful, in addition to size BB or heavier split-shot to get down deep enough. You'll need a liquid floatant to dress your bass flies and any dries you might try. And of course, bring nippers and forceps. A landing net is useful for landing trout or small panfish to keep them from being accidentally dropped in the boat and for helping to revive them before releasing (bass are more easily handled by "lipping" with thumb and forefinger).
You do need a valid 2023 Calif. fishing license so if you haven't bought one yet, now is the time.
Flies: All registrants will be provided with a fly assortment at the lake included in your registration fees, including 2-3 bass flies. But you should still have some of your own flies along in the event you may want to try something different than all the rest of the folks, and in case you lose the supplied ones -- there is no nearby source for flies or other fly fishing gear. (The Fly Shop near Redding is 45 minutes north of the lake.)
Group Meals: We will plan a no-host group dinner Saturday evening at a nearby restaurant.
Fee: The registration fee for this fish-out is $265, which includes the costs for the lake access fee, boat rental, and the fly assortment. Registrants will be responsible for all meals and lodging.
Lodging: The Rolling Hills Casino immediately off of I-5 is adjacent to the lake property. You may choose to stay there, or otherwise select one of the more modest priced motels in Corning only a few miles further north on I-5. There are fast-food and other chain restaurants available in Corning as well.
Limited Registration: This fish-out is limited to the first 7 students to sign-up for each group (we will have 4 boats, plus our fishout leader-Pete Richen), after which an online waiting list will be created for possible replacements for any registrants who may later learn that they can't make it. But in line with the LTFF policy, there will be no refund possible if there is no one on the waitlist willing to take your spot or if you can't find your own replacement.
For further info, contact Bruce Greenwood (brucegre@pacbell.net)
Cost: $265