This in itself is not unique among Norcal fisheries, but when you consider that at Shasta there is no compromise in quantity or quality when it comes to the species represented, it becomes clear why I regard the lake so highly. Indeed, if you want big numbers of rainbows and some big rainbows, Shasta provides that and the same holds true when it comes to browns, kings and bass!

I’ve had the opportunity to fish Shasta three times this spring and I’ve experienced outstanding fishing on every trip. My last visit to the lake took place on May 4, 5 and 6 when my buddy Gene and I headed up to the lake to participate in the Kokanee Power Lake Shasta Team Tournament.

As regular Sniffer readers know, I’d fished Shasta’s Pit River Arm a few weeks earlier with Gary Miralles of the Shasta Tackle Company. On that trip we experienced very good action on husky rainbows while trolling in one of the plankton blooms that occur on the Pit during the spring. With that experience fresh in my mind, I planned on trolling the plankton during the tournament.

Since the plankton bloom is typically an early morning affair that takes place miles up the Pit, Gene and I planned to spend Friday night on my Jetcraft 1825 tied up on the upper Pit. This would put us in position to find the plankton right after dawn and position ourselves to drop the lines right at the 6:30 am kick off to the tournament on Saturday morning.

After putting the Jetcraft in the water on Friday morning I steered the boat up stream to the area where I’d caught the trout with Gary. We didn’t see any plankton, but since it was late morning I wasn’t concerned. For the rest of the day we worked our way up toward the dam at the headwaters of the Pit Arm. With the exception of one small king all we were able to hook were spotted bass.

Around 5 o’clock we pulled into a cove and tied the boat up for the night. Little did we know this was where our most exciting moment of the entire weekend would take place. After getting the boat secure, we decided to throw some lures for bass. I went with a Yo-Zuri Banana Boat walking bait while Gene opted for a small crankbait.

We’d caught several feisty bass, when a fish missed my surface lure near a log. I told Gene to pitch his crankbait over to the log. Almost as soon as his bait hit the water he hooked a 12 inch spot. Gene had the fish halfway to the boat when massive largemouth appeared, grabbed the spot and headed back into deep water. Telling Gene to open his reel, I grabbed the net. I hoped the largemouth would hold onto the smaller bass long enough for me to net it so I could take its picture.

Line streamed off the reel and then it came to a dead stop. I told Gene to start reeling slowly. Several moments later both bass materialized about a dozen feet from the boat. The small bass was on the crankbait’s front hook while the big bass was on the rear hook. For a moment the big bass was calm, but then it spooked, started shaking its head wildly and was gone just that fast.

After releasing the small bass we discovered that the big bass had ripped the back hook off the bait! How big was the bass? I can’t be sure. I recently took pictures of a 14 plus and it wasn’t that big, but I’ll bet it was every ounce of 10 pounds!

The next morning we awoke to cold breezy conditions and two hours of searching revealed absolutely no plankton. We tried trolling and it was a bass fest. Discouraged, we headed down to the main body and spent the remainder of the day trolling several different areas.

Every place we went Kamloops rainbows and small king salmon were plentiful, but we could find anything larger than 14 inches. If we would have been fishing strictly for fun it would have been a great day, but since we were in a tournament it was a bit frustrating not to find some larger fish.

After attending the Kokanee Power dinner in Lakehead on Saturday evening and dining on tasty salad and lasagna. Gene and I along with Paul Kneeland, the Sniffer's Advertising Director, and the rest of the Fish Sniffer group headed back to the houseboat that had been provided for us at Sugarloaf Resort and Marina.

With a good night’s sleep under our belts Gene and I headed out for our second day of tournament action early Sunday morning. Much like Saturday, action was plentiful but big fish proved to be elusive. We headed in around noon and drove over to the Basshole to watch the final weigh in.

So how did the other competitors fare? Overall, the fishing was outstanding and I believe that more trout and salmon were caught this year than in 2006. A lot of anglers I spoke with were in the same boat as me, hooking big numbers of pan-size fish with no big fish in evidence.

Yet some anglers did boat monsters. One lucky angler busted a 5 pound king. Tom Hamada busted a 6 plus pound brown. Joe Aksamit nailed a 6 plus pound rainbow, while John Minnis topped everyone in the big trout department with a massive 7.4 pound brown.

In the end Chick Hale’s team held off all challengers, weighing a total of 22.25 pounds of trout to take home the top prize of $3,000. Robert Muhlbeier’s team took home the second place check for $2,000 with a total weight of 21.40 pounds. Mike Giovachini’s team earned $1,000 for their third place weight of 21.29 pounds.

In the big picture the event was a huge success. Kokanee Power earned nearly $20,000 that will be put back into fishery enhancement and I’d wager that every member of the 250 plus teams that participated in the tournament had a great time catching fish and taking in the spectacular scenery.

How About A House Boating Vacation?

While fishing in the Kokanee Power Lake Shasta event, the Fish Sniffer staff stayed on a houseboat at Sugarloaf Resort and Marina provided by Michael Hahn, the general manager of Water Resorts. The houseboat we stayed on dubbed the “Corinthian”, was luxurious in everyway. It was designed to sleep twelve, so our group had plenty of room to stretch out and relax. The boat featured a well-appointed galley with a large refrigerator, a 27 inch satellite equipped television, a satellite radio, a DVD and a CD player. A covered fly bridge and six person Jacuzzi were situated on top of the boat.

For years I’d wondered what it would be like to spend some time on one of Lake Shasta’s famous houseboats. Well, I can tell you that anyone who enjoys fishing, water sports and the great outdoors will have a great time house boating.

There is nothing like spending a day on the water knowing that a hot shower, a great meal and plush accommodations await you back at the “mother ship.” The next day when it’s time to do it all over again. There’s no hassling with your boat or paying launch fees. You simply step into your boat, fire up the motor and you’re off for a day of fishing, skiing or cruising.

If you opt to spend the day on the houseboat, comfort and convenience are at every turn. While the ladies are catching some sun on the upper deck the guys can stretch out and catch a baseball game on the satellite T.V. When it comes to the ultimate outdoor adventure whether it is for a family or a group of friends, house boating tops the list!

In addition to offering houseboat rentals at Jones Valley Resort, Sugarloaf Resort and Lakeview Resort on magnificent Lake Shasta, Water Resorts also provides houseboats at New Melones Reservoir and Lake McClure. For more information about the house boating opportunities that Michael Hahn and Water Resorts provides give them a call, (877) 468-7326.