Camas Reservoir set to dry up.

Another fine weekend of fly fishing was had at Little Camas as the wind finally died down enough to allow for more delicate top water fishing. I had my limit (my smokers limit) packed nicely in my cooler by the first two hours of dawn. While I usually just catch and release my fish, the certainty of mass trout die-off this year has convinced me that a quick death by knife is better than slow suffocation as the lake drains.  At the rate the water is going down, I bet we have only two more weeks, then this great trout fishery ends it's six year run. The Idaho Statesman reported that IDFG has removed catch limits, so it was a free-for-all this weekend. I spied one man, who earned a sneered from me, fishing with 4 poles and a garbage can to hold his fish. The trout  are doomed I suppose and the hubris of that fisherman was just hastening the inevitable.  
Whats working: Still having my best luck with leeches which are working for trout and small mouth bass. I landed about 20 fish in 3 hours, more if I hadn't continued to try various nymphs in an attempt to learn more about the lake. Most fish taken were 12-15 inches, larger than a month ago. I spoke with the owners of Little Camas Inn again this week and they reported that a fisherman caught a 25 inch rainbow this weekend, with personal friend of mine reporting a 22 inch fish. Sad to see this great southern Idaho fishery die for the foreseeable future but good for feeding my smoker. All the trout seen here have already been smoked and most scarfed down at a Cinco de Mayo party.

When the wind settles down on this cleaver little shallow reservoir, I can not imagined a more perfect still water fishery.