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Mac the Naw: Still plenty of options for late-season fishing, including Lake Tahoe

Doug Busey
Special to the Tribune

Hello fellow anglers; wishing you a warm and a happy holiday fishing season. Although many waters in our area have closed for the season, we still have plenty of options to keep on fishing. The lakes in the higher altitudes have started to freeze and ice fishing will be upon us soon.

I ask anglers to resist the urge to venture out on lakes and ponds until we have at least 8 inches of solid ice. I would also recommend not venturing out on many of our back roads, as the ground is soft and with snowdrifts around hidden corners. You don’t want to be stuck miles away from help with no cell service.

For those who will be out shopping or spending time with family this weekend, I have a couple of suggestions. For that special place on your Christmas tree, stop by Greenhouse Garden Center in Carson City; they have a dedicated tree with ornaments for that outdoor person. Want to spend quality time with family? Come to the Parade of Lights on Saturday night. It begins at 5 p.m. starting from Heritage Park in Gardnerville and finishing at Minden Park. I personally like to see the Kids Fishing Derby volunteer float, but I am a little biased on that one. There will be 40 floats all lit up to kick off the holiday spirit, and I will be enjoying the evening with friends along Main Street. For those who would rather think about fishing, let’s check out our local waters:



LAKE TAHOE: The wind and the chill have been a challenge, but for those who do accept the little chill in the air the reward is great. I talked with Gene St. Denis last week, and he said they had three fish on that were so big they could not land them. Average mackinaw have ranged from 2 to 5 pounds. Best areas have been on the north end of the lake from Tahoe City going east to Carnelian Bay in 150 to 220 feet of water. I recommend getting on the lake as early as possible, as the winds come up about 11 a.m. and navigation can be tricky. Flashers and live minnows have been most productive.

Special note: Only minnows caught on the lake can be used for fishing, they cannot be transported from another body of water. Most anglers use a minnow trap with a can of either cat or dog food in it; drop your trap around the rocky areas with a float. For more information or to get a fishing gift card — which makes a great stocking stuffer — call Blue Ribbon Fishing Charters at 530-544-6552.



CAPLES LAKE, SILVER LAKE, RED LAKE: There have been reports of ice forming on the lake, but it’s not safe enough for ice fishing yet.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: Ventured up last week with my friend Tom Blotter from Minden. We launched my boat from the unimproved ramp area, and after casting for an hour or so with no luck we started trolling; I used a Thomas Buoyant spoon and Tom went with a Rapala. We caught a few rainbows and cutthroat trout up to 2 pounds, and the F05 broken back perch pattern Rapala was the best action of the day. We watched a few shore anglers reel in trout about 12 to 14 inches long. Being on the lake, I realized it still has plenty of weed action — but as I have said in the past, weeds are your friend. We caught most of our fish in 7 to 12 feet of water in the weedy areas. The lake was planted by Alpine County a couple weeks ago with 1,800 pounds of catchable to 3-pound rainbow trout.

TOPAZ LAKE: Has been planted with over 15,000 pounds of trout by the Nevada Department of Wildlife. I have not received the information on the derby as of yet, and the lake is closed to fishing until Jan. 1. If you plan on making reservations for the opener, I would recommend doing it soon. For reservations call 775-266-3338; see you there on opening day.

PYRAMID LAKE: Fishing has been good. Don James and his fishing partner Don Coffin fished near Hell’s Kitchen with a gold chub lure; they caught and released a 31-inch, 18-pound cutthroat trout. Other anglers have been doing well with various colors of spoons on the south end past the nets, with an average catch between 18 to 26 inches.

CARSON RIVER EAST FORK (Nevada side): NDOW has planted the river in the Douglas County area with catchable rainbow trout.

I hope your next fishing adventure is a great one. If you have any questions or reports in our local area, call the Naw Line at 775-267-9722. Have a photo of your catch? Send it to dprice@recordcourier.com. See you on the waters; good fishin’ and tight lines.


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