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Bucks Lake is known for the numbers rather than the size of its kokanee salmon. In spite of a good population of German browns and mackinaw trout that forage upon the kokanee, the salmon are overabundant because of ideal spawning conditions in this beautiful PG&E reservoir, located at an elevation of 5155 feet in Plumas National Forest.
Fortunately, this year the kokanee being caught in Bucks this year are 1 to 1-1/2 inches larger on the average than the fish that were last year, as evidenced by the fish that Bryan Roccucci of Big Daddy’s Guide Service, John Yurkovich, owner of Uncle’s Larry’s Lures, myself and others landed during the Kokanee Power/Feather River College Derby at Bucks Lake out of Sandy Point on Saturday, August 17.
The three of us experienced steady action while trolling Uncle Larry’s spinners and hoochies behind dodgers at 35 to 45 feet deep throughout our trip.
I arrived at Sandy Point at 8:30 a.m. and waited until 9 a.m. until the angling duo arrived on the launch ramp.
“We thought you would get lost again and show up late like you did last year,” quipped Roccucci. “That’s why we didn’t hurry over to get you.”
I got in the boat and the two reported already hooking 20 fish, catching and releasing 7 kokanee and 3 trout, topped by a 16 inch brown, before I arrived. They were fishing the main channel of Bucks Lake.
“We’re not catching the huge numbers of kokanee, brook trout, brown trout and rainbows that we hooked during the derby last year, but the kokanee are bigger this year, ranging from 10 to 12 inches long,” said Roccucci. “I caught a 13 inch kokanee here last week.”
Last year the three of us found wide-open action on trout and salmon while trolling in Mill Creek, catching around 80 fish, the majority released. This year the fishing is still great, but not as hot as last season.
“The lake never filled up this year because of the lack of a big snowpack and the water managers began really dropping the water level three weeks ago,” explained Roccucci. “When a lake drops so rapidly, it makes the fish finicky.”
This PG&E reservoir, part of a system established in 1928 to provide hydroelectricity to Bucks Creek Powerhouse, is a large lake that holds 101,926 acre-feet of water when full. The lake's shores, surrounded by a thick forest of ponderosa pine, sugar pine and red fir, adjoin the remote Bucks Lake Wilderness area.
“We’ve had a hard time getting the kokanee in the boat today,” added Roccucci. “We hope you can change our luck.”
Just like magic, I landed the first three kokanee, ranging from 11 to 12 inches long, while using Roccucci’s Rogue rods that make every kokanee feel like a lunker.
“Dan, you’re the man – you changed our luck,” said Yurkovich.
However, I lost the next several fish, apparently imitating the pattern that had frustrated the two all morning. “You’re not the man anymore,” quipped Yurkovich.
Roccucci noted that he experienced an excellent spring while trolling for mackinaw on Bucks. “We were able to launch a boat in April, one month earlier than normal,” he explained. “On our best day, we landed 8 big mackinaw ranging from 8 to 18-1/2 pounds. We averaged 4 to 8 fish per trip.”
We ended up keeping a total of 9 kokanee and one 14 inch German brown by 1 p.m. The trout fishing had slowed down from earlier that morning. We had three hits while using olive/brown trolling flies in the marina area; I caught the brown near the surface at 11 feet deep.
Compared to most lakes, we had a fabulous morning, with our combined efforts yielding around 40 hook-ups, landing a total of 16 kokanee and 4 trout. The only problem was the persistent wind that made trolling at times tough.
Other anglers reported similar action. “Fishing was excellent – everyone weighed in fish during the derby,” explained Randy Bergquist, derby coordinator. “Anglers caught the kokanee on a variety of spinners and spoons, tipped with corn, at 35 to 45 feet throughout the lake.”
All of the proceeds of the event fund the Feather River College Fish Hatchery. Under the leadership of Zack Parks, the hatchery director at the college, the students stock 5,000 pounds of brown every year in the lake to enhance the brown fishery as well as control the overpopulation of kokanee.
Kokanee Power is donating a minimum of $7500 per year, plus contributing to special projects that come up, according to Zack Parks. Last year the organization’s contrbutions for the program were in excess of $12,000, plus $2700 in operating expenses for the Chester High School Hatchery.
Every year the organization awards a $1000 Phil Johnson Memorial Scholarship to a student working in the Feather River College Fish Hatchery and three $500 scholarships to high school seniors entering the college.
Parks noted that Project Kokanee (CIFFI) pays for the food for the brown trout project. Bucks Lake Marina also contributes monetary and volunteer support for the program.
Kokanee Power and Feather River College volunteers conducted the weigh in, raffle and other activities during the event.
John Zeman and Mike Giovacchini won first place in the adult division by catching five kokanee totalling 41.30 oz., taking home $500.00. They caught their fish while trolling Uncle Larry’s spinners at 35 to 40 feet deep in the lake’s main body. The derby paid checks to the top 15 winners.
Haylee Tripp placed first in the junior division by capturing two kokanee weighing 14.85oz.
Dave Ulllman won first place in the mackinaw big fish division by nailing a 56 oz. fish. He enticed the laker while jigging a Buzz Bomb.
For more information about fishing Buck’s Lake, contact Big Daddy’s Guide Service, PO Box 557, Quincy, CA. 95971, (530) 283-4103. Bryan Roccucci also fishes Almanor, Eagle, Davis and other lakes.
For more information about Kokanee Power, go to http://www.kokaneepower.org, info@kokaneepower.org.
Kokanee Team – Top Five – Five fish Weight
Junior Kokanee – Top Five – Two fish Weight
Big Mack Winner
Big Trout Winner
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