Paul Clouse and Al Hurwitz trolled Los Vaqueros Reservoir on August 3, 2026. A big surprise! We did not expect the Trout to be biting on a 100 degree day, but they definitely obliged. Using a canopied boat, we hooked up with 12 Mt. Lassen Rainbow Trout, releasing two in good condition, losing two, and keeping eight (see the attached photos). To get the Trout, we had to troll in deep water (mostly 100-120 foot water columns off Cox Cove). We used tandem streamer flies trolled 15 feet below the surface with krill and shad spray applied. Most of the fish were caught between 7:30 and 10:30 AM when the air temperature and direct sunlight were a bit less. The aggregate weight of the eight kept Trout was about 16 pounds. Paul had similar success trolling LVR previously on 7/13 & 7/21/26. Therefore, one can definitely catch Trout in the warm days of summer, if you apply certain trolling strategies. By contrast, we heard that those using bait in the shallows of Cowboy Cove were also catching Trout, showing that PowerBait (or similar presentations) seem to catch them even in shallow warmer water.

What was unusual was the complete absence of a Striped Bass or Largemouth Bass bite. We were expecting more hits from Bass.

As we said, the air temperature peaked around 100 degrees, while the surface water temperature hovered just below 72 degrees (due to cool nights and daytime winds). The excellent water clarity permitted fish to see the lures 15 feet below the surface, even though we were working very deep water columns. There was an occasional nice balmy breeze which kept the intense heat somewhat in check.

We hope to be back soon, if the winds permit.
All the best,
Paul Clouse, Lafayette 
Dr. Al Hurwitz, Saratoga