Lake Christine

Best fished from a float tube, this small gem has great rainbow trout fishing year ’round!

This companion lake to Rock Creek Lake is a great day fishing getaway for small groups who love fishing for stillwater trout. It is a comfortable 50 minute drive from either Red Bluff or Redding, and is easily accessible by paved roads to the ranch gate. Once on the property beyond the gate, you will want a vehicle with clearance to get to the lake.  Besides plying the waters for the rainbows and wild browns, there is plenty to do nearby including sight seeing at the nearby National and State Parks.

While the 2012 Ponderosa fire devastated the area, the scrub oaks and manzanita are making a comeback and the drive into the lake has views of Mt. Lassen making this is one of our more uniquely beautiful locations. Rock Creek itself runs right through the middle of the lake and provides a short spawning section for the lake’s many browns and rainbows. The lake was built in the 30’s as a water source for a historic lumber mill, but now it is used only for the pleasure of our clients. Most of the lake is quite shallow, but the north shore has a channel where Rock Creek once flowed holding many of the lake’s fish, where they ambush terrestrials in the spring and summer.

Hatches of one kind or another seem to occur every day of the season on Lake Christine, and as a result one can use dry flies much of the time. See the section on seasons to get a detailed description of fishing Lake Christine.  You will need a float tube or pontoon craft to really fish the lake properly. Prams or any kind of boat are prohibited at Lake Christine.

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Rates & Reservations

The cost of the daily fishing (costs shown are per person) for the Lake Christine package are:
• Full Day Fishing: $135 per day/per person
• Half Day Fishing: $90 per person

Included in your fishing package is a full day of fishing at beautiful Lake Christine.

Not included in your fishing package at Lake Christine are float tubes and fins, items of a personal nature, food and drinks, fishing supplies, and a CA fishing license.

Non-angling companions are welcome and can spend the day hiking the property and checking out the beauty of the surrounding area.

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Seasons at Lake Christine

Even though Lake Christine is relatively small, it is surprising how selective its trout can be at times and how their feeding habits can change with the seasons.

March to early May:
Just downstream of Rock Creek Lake, the seasonal cycles at Lake Christine mirror Rock Creek Lake. Cold and sometimes discolored water is the norm for the early part of the season. You can be fishing in rain and occasionally snow, or in beautiful sunny weather. It will be cold to cool at night and you may need to dress warmly during the day, although sometimes all you will need is a light shirt, and this can be especially true as you get into late April and May. Usually hatches, especially in the first month or two, will be few and far from prolific. None of this means that the fishing will be poor; on the contrary, some of the best days of the season come in these early months. The fish are coming off of a long, cold winter and are ready to take on some calories. They are hungry, and this hunger can make them gullible at times, enough to make even novice anglers feel like a pro. They can be tough to fool at times as well, and knowing a few techniques for lake fishing will really pay off then.

March will mean off colored, cold water and you usually won't see as many rising fish. However, they will slam those streamer type flies so you will want to have a good supply of various buggers and leech patterns. The larger sizes (#6-#8) can work at this time, but be sure to have some of the smaller patterns as well. Midges seem to be a factor every month of the season so having midge nymphs, emergers and some dries will be necessary. Something to remember is that when you are faced with cold water situations a slow to slower retrieve can be the ticket. That can be true when using these streamers and also with some nymphs. You can get away with heavier tippets in off colored water, but keep that slow retrieve on the back of your mind.

By late April and May the Callibaetis mayflies will begin to hatch, so you will want dries, nymphs and emergers of that fly. Crippled patterns seem to out fish dries by quite a good margin. There can also be other mayfly species hatching and usually these will be small (#16-#18) and light yellow, tan or sulfur in color. There is one terrestrial insect event you could see in May and that is an ant or termite flight. You will know it is going on because every fish in the lake will be working the surface and you will catch more trout during the ant flight than at any other time on the lake. Carry winged ant patterns in May!

June through August:
Summer is always associated with warm to hot weather which means light weight clothing while on the water and maybe a warm jacket or shirt for the evenings, which are usually cool due to the 3200 ft elevation the lake sits at. This warmer weather also means that every kind of insect in the lake and around the lake is becoming active. June is considered Callibaetis month in this country, but you will also see other mayflies, caddisflies, midges, dragonflies, damselflies and the terrestrials (beetles and ants) throughout the summer season.

June and a good part of July can bring an amazing cast of insects doing their thing at Lake Christine. We left off with a tip on the early season about always carrying winged ant patterns and that continues for the month of June as well. We have found that cripple patterns are the best dry fly pattern for imitating the callibaetis hatch. Midges are active every day of this season and here is another tip- watch carefully during this hatch and you will see that the trout are most likely taking the midge before it comes to the top of the water. They will almost always eat the midge when it is stuck in the bottom of the surface film (meniscus) and will ignore anything sitting on top of it. Fishing mayflies and caddisflies in the surface film (using cripples or emergers) can sometimes mean the difference between successful takes and refusals. Streamer type flies will work, especially those that mimic damsel nymphs, but the smaller patterns seem to work best. This season is terrestrial time and you will want to have beetle and ant patterns in your fly box. Beetles in size 14 and ants in size 16-18 seem to be the most productive. These patterns will take fish anywhere on the lake, but all terrestrial fishermen know that these insects seem to like to fall off of trees and bushes that hang out over the water- enough said! One last thing you might keep in mind is to use a loop knot to your flies when lake fishing, since it will help keep the fly looking natural and you can use a size larger tippet.

September through November:
All the information above about summer time fishing will hold true for a good part of the fall season. As the nights get colder and colder the hatches will get fewer and fewer, with the exception of the midges. They seem to hatch out everyday, sometimes for just a bit and sometimes off and on all day. Callibaetis will provide some action much of this season, but the flies themselves will be a size or two smaller than the June variety. Terrestrials will work most of the fall, especially in anD around the lake side willows. During the first part of this season you can almost always get action early and late in the day. However, as the colder weather comes you will find that midday fishing is great.

Lake Christine can now be fished year round and is a great alternative when the streams are blown. Although you will have to watch for snow, the lake rarely freezes and snow lingers rarely. Fish will congregate near the creek entrance keying on food being introduced into the lake. On cloudy days and in low light in the mornings and evenings watch for fish cruising the shallows anywhere in the lake looking for any unsuspecting insects in the water column. Dry-dropper midge setups are effective at this time, and another effective technique is to strip Wooly Buggers.

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Lodging at Lake Christine

There is no lodging at Lake Christine. If you would like to find out about lodging close to the property please call Bryan or Chris at 800-669-3474.

• Photo of cabin at Rock Creek Lake

VRBO's:

Lassen View Cabin
31670 Rock Creek Road
Manton, CA 96007
Phone: 949-228-2722
Website: www.lassenviewcabin.com
• Set upon a 300 acre working ranch, the Lassen View Cabin can accommodate 3 adults and up to 3 children. A scenic 45 minute drive from The Fly Shop and a short hop to Mt Lassen National Park. With 4 miles of beautiful private trails for walking, running or biking, a 2-acre pond stocked with trout, and private access to over a mile of Battle Creek, you will have plenty of outdoor activities to choose from. Let them know that you were referred by The Fly Shop.

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Fishing at Lake Christine

When you reserve the day at Lake Christine, whether you are solo or a group, you will have the lake exclusively all day. While you can certainly cast from the dam, to effectively fish the lake you will need a float tube or pontoon.

The majority of the lake is relatively shallow and a five weight, nine foot rod with a weight forward floating line will be more than adequate for ninety percent of the days on the lake. A rod with an intermediate sinking line will round out your absolute needs when the fish are low on the north side and chasing dragonfly nymphs.



Another staple tactic is fishing a Balanced Leech, stripped on an I-Line, or suspended under an indicator.

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Getting to Lake Christine

Getting to Lake Christine is relatively easy from anywhere. Less than an hour drive from Redding or Red Bluff.

From Red Bluff (45 minutes):
Proceed east on Antelope Blvd. (Hwy 99E) for three miles to Hwy 36. Turn left (north) on Hwy 36 and travel 11 miles to Dales Station. Turn left (north) on Manton Road (A6) and travel 16 miles to the community of Manton. The remainder of the driving instructions can be found in your packet upon the receipt of your trip deposits after booking your trip.

From Redding (50 minutes):
Proceed east on Hwy 44 for 35 miles to the community of Shingletown. Turn right on Wilson Hill Road and travel seven miles to a stop sign. Turn left at the stop sign onto Rock Creek Road and proceed 5 miles to the end of the pavement. You will be crossing Rock Creek at this point. The remainder of the driving instructions can be found in your packet upon the receipt of your trip deposits after booking your trip.

Entering the Ranch:
Pull off the road and park in front of the gate. You will have been given the gate combination after we have received your trip deposits, and you can use this combination to open the gate and let yourself in. Please be sure to close and lock the gate behind you.

Additional Information


Making Reservations to Lake Christine

To make a reservation, please give us a call at 800-669-3474 during business hours any day of the week, or email us at bryan@theflyshop.com or chris@theflyshop.com anytime. We can give you the answers you need, detailed explanations to questions you might have, or check on availability and confirm your reservation in minutes.