Magic Reservoir Fishing Report
**NEXT MOVE:** If the west shore gives nothing in 45 minutes of committed spoon fishing, slide to the sheltered east shore, drop to a slower presentation — a worm or salmon eggs under a bobber over the same 5–15 ft band, or vertical-jig a small spoon for perch if you mark bait — and let the fish come to a dead-still bait in the cold water.
THE CALL: Rainbow trout, slow-rolled spoons and small spinners on the wind-blown west shore, 1:00–5:00 PM today. The major solunar period (2:43–5:13 PM) lands inside the calmest, most manageable wind window of the day, and trout are the listed species that fishes best at the water temperature this lake is almost certainly at now.
WHY IT WINS:
- The last measured surface reading is 60°F from Oct 30 — 319 hours stale. With mid-November nights in the mid-30s and today's high of 59°F, my read is the lake has slid into the upper 40s to low 50s. That is prime trout water; the bass and perch profiles sit at the cold edge of their ranges, so trout get the call.
- Late-fall phase: trout are cruising shallow-to-mid flats and points chasing scattered bait, not holding deep. Expect them 5–15 ft off wind-blown banks and points.
- Wind is 11–12 mph ESE through the afternoon, gusting ~15 — the tools name the west shore as the bank taking the wind and bait, the east shore sheltered. Cloud cover all afternoon keeps light low and the shallow window open.
- No recent catch reports exist for this lake, so fish position is my read, not an observation.
START HERE: The west shore — specifically rocky points and the first drop-offs off wind-blown banks, 5–15 ft. Magic is a shallow-to-mid-depth irrigation reservoir; work the bank the wind is stacking bait against. Water is likely slightly stained from the chop; no clarity data exists, so start conservative.
THROW THIS: 1/4-oz spoon in silver or fire-tiger, cast parallel to the bank and slow-rolled with a snap-pause cadence — cold water wants a dying-bait flutter. Backup on the same bank: a small inline spinner (gold blade, black or brown body) retrieved just fast enough to spin.
BEST WINDOW: Be on the water by 1:00 PM. Forecast shows 57–58°F air, 11–12 mph ESE wind through 4 PM, then it drops to 7.5 mph by 5 PM and under 6 mph after — the 5:00–7:00 PM minor period (6:54–8:24 PM) overlaps that calm-down, so if you can stay, the evening calm is a legitimate second pass. Sunset 5:16 PM.
NEXT MOVE: If the west shore gives nothing in 45 minutes of committed spoon fishing, slide to the sheltered east shore, drop to a slower presentation — a worm or salmon eggs under a bobber over the same 5–15 ft band, or vertical-jig a small spoon for perch if you mark bait — and let the fish come to a dead-still bait in the cold water.