The Mackinaw bite at Donner has been leaning more toward quality rather than quantity… that is, if you can get on the water. Recent storms buried the launch ramp in snow, with folks needing a shovel to get their boats on the water. Once out, good-sized macks are holding in 60 to 80 feet, hitting Flatfish and Rapalas trolled very slowly. Water temps are in the low 40s and will continue to drop, pushing fish into even deeper zones soon. The bite is anything but consistent, although most hookups have been good-sized fish, with a 15+ pounder reported last week.

The last CDFW rainbow plant was in early November, but both shore and boat anglers are still finding fish — mainly on small Rapalas or spinners early in the morning.