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Cooler weather brings back the bite

Doug "Mac-the-Naw" Busey, Tribune fishing writer
Provided to the TribuneJarrod Busey, the nephew of fishing writer Doug Busey, caught this 6-pound brown trout Sept. 12 on Lake Tahoe.
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Hello, fellow anglers.

The weather has turned colder and the bite is on everywhere. In my last report I told you I was taking a couple weeks off to spend time with my family. In this report you will see the results of our adventures. Also note the opening and closures of some of our local waters.

LAKE TAHOE: Last Sunday, Renee, my nephew Jarrod Busey and I joined Gene St. Denis for a morning of great fishing. We started off near Sugarpine Point trolling in 100 to 150 feet of water. We were using a St. Denis Dodger followed by a minnow. Right off the bat, Jarrod hooked into a nice 6-pound brown, then followed by Renee with a 3-pound Mackinaw. We had a couple of double hookups during the morning and by 11 a.m. we had landed five more Mackinaw trout and lost just as many. The lake was flat and the weather was clear and warm. This made a great combination for a successful day of fishing. I can not stress the importance of fishing with a person of extreme knowledge of the lake you are on. For more info on a fishing trip on Lake Tahoe, call blue Ribbon Fishing Charters at 530-644-6552.



CAPLES LAKE: The bite has picked up. Jeff Heintz caught a 4- pound rainbow from shore using night crawlers. Charlie Wilson was trolling a gold Kastmaster lure with a piece of worm on Sept. 5. His reward was a 10-pound brown that measured 27 inches long. Many anglers have done very well using medium flashers and half a night crawler in 20-to-40 feet of water. With the cooler night and daytime temperatures head over to Woods Creek and fish for the browns. Casting rapalas into the rocks is most productive. That is where you will find Steve Lightfoot and I this weekend. The water is still up and the marina is open. For more info, call the Caples Lake General Store at 209-258-8888.

RED LAKE: No reports this week. The water is still up, and the clarity is getting better.



BLUE LAKES: No fishing reports, but watch out for the bears if you camp. Robin Christy of Carson City and her boyfriend camped for a couple nights and were rudely awakened by a hungry bear that eat their food and supplies.

CARSON RIVER EAST AND WEST FORK: Last weekend the rivers were planted with 1,000 pounds of mostly brown trout. The water is low and clear. The fish are holding in the deeper holes. My friend, Burl, was fishing with his friends on the west fork last weekend, and they found the fish. But for hours they could not get a rise out of any of them. Then all of a sudden the bite was on and right back off again. They cleaned one of their fish to discover it had five night crawlers in its belly. For more info, call the Carson River Resort at 877-694-2229.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: Two weeks ago my family joined me for a day of fishing and barbecuing. The lake is still higher than usual this time of year, but full of weeds and the barbecuing was better than the fishing. I caught one 1 1/2-pound trout and Jonathon Guy of Minden caught a 2 1/2-pound trout. A few more cold nights should start turning the weeds under. The campground is now open, but for how long we do not know. With the schedule they have been keeping this year, you might want to check with BLM before planning a camping trip.

TOPAZ LAKE: We have until Sept. 30 to fish the lake, as it will close for the season. With the cooler waters, fishing has improved. Kenny Creech and Bob Hall of Carson City were trolling broken back black/gold rapalas last week and caught a nice stringer of rainbows up to 2 1/2 pounds. Linda Fields reported other anglers have come in with as many as eight rainbows up to 2.9 pounds. They were using a plastic crawdad and night crawlers. Another angler told me that when fishing with his wife a week ago, she caught eight fish and he caught a couple. The lake is still high and clear and most of the water-skiers have gone south for the winter. The marina launch is open. For more information, call Topaz Landing at 775-266-3550.

HEENAN LAKE: Opened the third of this month. It is located on Highway 89 on top of Monitor Pass. Special regulations: catch and release only, artificial lure or flies only with single barbless hooks. No gas motors allowed on the lake. The lake is only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until the last weekend in October.

PYRAMID LAKE: Opens on Oct. 1 for the season.

TRUCKEE RIVER, TAYLOR  CREEK AND TROUT CREEK: Will close for the season on Sept. 30, while most other rivers in California will remain open until Nov. 15. But always check for special season regulations on all waters you fish.

Good luck on your next fishing adventure. Get a photo of your catch and send it to syingling@tahoedailytribune.com, or drop it off at the Tribune. If you have any questions in our local fishing world, call the Naw line at 775-267-9722.

Good fishin’ and tight lines.


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