Lake Davis Trout Restocking Celebration Scheduled
May 17
May 14, 2008
Thousands of Eagle Lake rainbow trout will be planted
into Lake Davis near Portola during the Lake Davis Trout
Restocking Celebration on May 17. This event is
co-hosted by the California Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) and the Plumas National Forest and is part of a
program to return Lake Davis to its status as a
high-quality trout fishery.
“By planting nearly one million trout in Lake Davis
this year, we hope to quickly re-establish Lake Davis as
a quality trout lake with some of the best trout fishing
in California,” said DFG Director Donald Koch.
The event follows joint efforts in September 2007 to
successfully eradicate the invasive northern pike that
devastated the local economy and had the potential to
cause irreversible ecological and economic harm to much
of California had the fish spread to other waterways.
“We look forward to the rejuvenation of the
lake’s reputation as a trophy fishing venue and the
sportsman’s return to Lake Davis,” said City of
Portola Mayor Chuck Spencer. “On behalf of the
residents of the City of Portola we are happy to have
this high profile project behind us. We commend DFG for
the work they have done in this hopefully successful
Northern Pike Eradication Project at Lake Davis."
The celebration will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Coot Bay
along Lake Davis' east shore and will feature a free
fishing clinic, informational booths, and children's
activities, including a visit from Smokey Bear. A
1,200-gallon aquarium stocked with catchable and trophy
trout weighing up to 10-plus pounds will be available
for viewing and photographs. Lake Davis is open to
fishing year-round to licensed anglers. The Plumas
National Forest has many facilities available for
recreation year-round.
Thousands of catchable trout will be planted during
the event, including 3,000 trophy trout ranging in size
from six pounds to 10-plus pounds. Some of the trout
will have $10 reward tags that DFG will use to determine
catch and growth rates. This will also provide
biologists with a way to estimate the number of fish
caught from Lake Davis.
“This could easily be the biggest fishing event of
the year in California, and we're looking forward to
welcoming trout anglers from across the west to come
join the fun,” said Plumas County Supervisor Bill
Powers.
Of the nearly one million trout DFG will stock at the
lake in 2008, most are Eagle Lake strain. The huge
planting in Lake Davis should make it one of the premier
trout fishing reservoirs in California both this year
and for years to come. In February, a Bay Area outdoor
columnist polled five “expert anglers” who ranked
the top northern California fishing spots for the next
five years; Lake Davis was cited as the top fishery by
two experts and as second by another.
To get to Lake Davis and Grizzly Valley Dam from the
east, take Grizzly Road off Highway 70 east of Portola
and then turn left at the “Services” sign. From the
west, in the City of Portola, turn left off Highway 70
onto West Street, which leads straight to the dam.
Honker Cove and Coot Bay are on the east side of Lake
Davis a short distance from the dam. From the dam
proceed toward Grizzly Road and turn left at the
“T,” Honker Cove is approximately 0.6 miles away and
Coot Bay is 0.3 miles further down the road.
Contact:
Randy Kelly, DFG Project Manager, (559) 243-4017, ext.
237
Julie Cunningham, DFG Staff Environmental Scientist,
(530) 832-4754
Lori Wood, Plumas National Forest, (530) 836-2575
Kyle Orr, DFG Office of Communications, (916) 322-8958
