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Mac the Naw: Less than a month until trout season opens in Alpine County

Doug Busey
Special to the Tribune

Hello fellow anglers; as you know it is only 29 days until opening trout season in Alpine County. Many of you are starting to plan ahead for the weekend of April 30. I just wanted to give you some information on the campground situation.

Carson River Resort is open all year, Crystal Springs and Markleeville campgrounds are scheduled to open April 29, Hope Valley campground is scheduled to open May 20, Kit Carson Campground is scheduled to open May 13, and Silver Creek Campground is scheduled to open June 17.

Indian Creek Campground is not scheduled yet, but it has in past years opened the first weekend in May. For the higher campgrounds such as Blue Lakes, Wood Lake, Caples Lake and Silver Lake, I would not start to plan a trip to camp there until mid-June. As the season progresses, I will pass on more information.



Now let’s check out our local fishing report:

SILVER LAKE: Has 3-4 feet of ice with a foot or more of snow on it. Fishing accessibility involves a long trek through the snow.



CAPLES LAKE: Ice is 3-4 feet with a couple feet of snow on it. Matthew Cross was staying at the resort last week and caught a nice 2-pound mackinaw fishing in 20 feet of water using a combination of a gold Kastmaster and a piece of shrimp. Most anglers have been fishing at the dam area. Nightcrawlers or freshwater shrimp from the grocery store have been most productive. Some anglers have made the hike down to the Woods Creek area and have done well with nightcrawlers or jigging Kastmaster lures. Be careful in that area, as the snow can be deep and you need to watch your footing.

RED LAKE: Still 3-5 feet of ice with a couple feet of snow on it. Best action has been early morning with nightcrawlers. Some anglers have been using small Thomas Buoyant spoons or gold Kastmasters. Average rainbow has been 10-13 inches.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: The lake is starting to get a little moss bloom; not summer weeds, but green slime right on the bottom. With the weather clearing up here and there, fishing has picked up a little. I talked to a few anglers that caught their limits of nice 1.5-2-pound rainbows; they were using Powerbait by the dam area. Remember when fishing Indian Creek, you can catch fish in 2 feet of water or 10 feet of water. If you are not getting any bites, change your area, the length of how far you are casting and the color of Powerbait. The fish are definitely finicky some times.

TOPAZ LAKE: Topaz Marina is open with rental boats as well as boat launching. I talked with Chuck this week and he told me a couple anglers did very well early in the morning for fish up to 3 pounds. Blades and a nightcrawler have been productive, and many anglers have been trolling Rapalas. Shore anglers have done just as well on the California side with nightcrawlers. For more information, call Topaz Landing Marina at 775-266-3550.

TOPAZ LAKE DERBY UPDATE: In Week 12, Jose Lopez took first place with a 3.6-pound rainbow, one tagged fish was brought in and 22 fish weighed in at over 2 pounds. In Week 13, Jimmy McKinney from North Carolina caught a 5.9-pound rainbow, there were 15 fish over 2 pounds weighed in and one tagged fish brought in. For more information, contact Topaz Lodge at 775-266-3338.

NDOW FISH PLANTS: The following plants have been over a week: Fort Church Hill Pond, Hinkson Slough, North Pond, Martin Slough, Mitch Pond, East and West Walker rivers.

Good luck on your next fishing adventure. Remember, wherever your destination is let someone know where you are going and when you will return.

If you get a picture of your catch, send it to dprice@recordcourier.com. Have a question or a report in our local fishing area, call the Naw Line at 775-267-9722. Good fishin’ and tight lines.


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