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April 29 opener may cure some angling bugs

Doug Busey

Hello, fellow anglers, and welcome to spring fever.

Yes, the fishing bug is here, and in three weeks or so all the California Eastern Sierra streams open April 29 (with the exception of the streams that lead into Lake Tahoe).

And as of last Wednesday, I took a little venture out to see how our streams are, and with the snowmelt, the Carson River is looking great. Waters are up and clear.



But remember some regulations have changed, i.e. East Fork Carson from Hangman’s Bridge to the Nevada state line is catch-and-release only. Be sure you check out the California fishing regulations before you venture out. Now let’s see what’s going on in our local fishing waters.

South Lake Tahoe: Shore action at Cave Rock is slow for rainbow. On the other hand, jigging for Mackinaw has been good in the Camp Richardson area to the nub. South of Tahoe Keys or the Ski Run area, top liners have had good success using rapalas from Cave Rock to Logan Shoals. Many good-sized rainbow and browns have been caught.



For those of you who are frustrated because you can’t find the minnows, it’s because of the light and heat temperatures, that have moved them out into deep waters. They are still in the relative same area, but you need to go out to 30-to-50 feet of water. Still in the rocky areas, you will find your minnows. Or you can go to The Sportsman, at the South Shore, at the corner of Sierra and Lake Tahoe Boulevard. This is the only place in the South Shore you can purchase live minnows to fish on Lake Tahoe. For more information, call Rick or Jack at (530) 542-FISH.

Caples Lake: Free of snow and still frozen, but you might need an extension on your auger. As of last Wednesday there were 3 inches of ice and 18 inches of slush. There was ice on the bottom. Many anglers have ventured out but no reports of catches, which puzzles me because the waters are unacceptably low. I personally have not seen this lake this low in years. We can only pray for a good runoff. The store is planning to open in two weeks. For more information, call the Caples Resort at (209) 258-8888.

Red Lakes: The lake still has 2 to 3 feet of ice, but the only problem is getting to it. The shore looks solid enough, but do not try to venture out. I went out last Wednesday with my friend, Dan Quilici, and on our journey back to shore I broke through the ice and sunk to my knees and was stuck for five minutes or so. Dan tried to help me, only sinking in himself. We both were free after a while, but it isn’t worth the risk to venture out because you might not come back. My advice is to stay off of the lake until it thaws.

Indian Creek Reservoir: Anglers have been doing good to fair near the dam using inflated night crawlers, with an occasional trout caught using yellow or green power bait. Recently, the lake was planted with catchable rainbow trout.

East, West Fork Carson Rivers: Closed until the last Saturday in April. Don’t miss the Naw-B-Que.

Topaz Lake: Action is still great for trollers using medium-sized flasher blades and a night crawler or a rainbow needlefish. The fish have moved down to 10 to 15 feet beneath the surface, so you need to slow your troll down to 1-1/2 to 2 mph. Keeping an eye on your depth finder due to low waters and structures, shore anglers have had best luck on the north end or just past the bug station before the “S” turn on the California side, again using a night crawler. For more information, call Chuck or Linda at the Topaz Marina at (775) 266-3550.

I hope this helps to put you on fish, and if you happen to have a photo of your catch, please drop it off at the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Attn.: Mac-The-Naw. And if you have any questions or comments, call the Naw line at (775) 267-9722. Leave a message; I will get back to you.

And for you Nevada hunters, don’t forget you need to get your deer tags in by April 16.

Good fishin’!


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