Renee and I ventured up for a day this week. There was a lot of pine pollen on the lake. We trolled deep with F5 and F7 Rapalas for mackinaw but had no action. We also top-lined Kastmasters and various Rapala colors without success. I spoke with a few anglers who had started before us, and they said they were heading to Silver Lake.

I did see one lucky angler hook into a nice brown trout while trolling a Kastmaster along the far shoreline. I attempted to fish Purgatory Cove with top-lines, but the boat-eating rocks quickly changed my mind.

After trolling for a few hours, we anchored and tried jigging spoons and a gold Kastmaster without a single hit. My sonar showed plenty of large and small schools of fish, but none seemed interested in biting. By 1:00 p.m., we got off the lake and headed to Hope Valley.

As a note, the public launch ramp is open and charges a $20 launch fee. Caples Lake Resort is also open and charges $25. For more information, call 209-258-8888.