Don Q's Nevada and Northern California fishing report for Oct. 28 and beyond

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and California. This report is for the week of Oct. 28, 2015 and beyond.

BISHOP CREEK AREA, CALIF:
Rick and Patti Apted - Lake Sabrina Boat Landing (760-873-7425) (www.lakesabrinaboatlanding.com) reports:
Lake Sabrina Boat Landing is closed for the season.

BLUE LAKES, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEV:
Will close for the 2015 season on November 15.

BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Bridgeport Reservoir 10/23/15
Call the Bridgeport Marina for info. Lake level is very low.

CARSON RIVER, NEVADA:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10-14-15:
Very low water conditions. Very few places to fish.

CATNIP RESERVOIR, WASHOE COUNTY, NEV:
Will close for the 2015 season on November 15.

CONVICT LAKE AND CONVICT CREEK, CALIF:
Convict Lake Resort (800-992-2260) (www.convictlake.com) reports:
Dear Don
Next weekend is the Morrison Bonus Cash Derby. $2000 in CASH PRICES!
It runs from Friday, October 30th to Sunday, November 1st. 
Come join the fun!
Morrison's Bonus Derby Weekend is part of Ambush at the Lake.
12 Tagged trophy trout will be stocked for the bonus derby weekend.
Cash prizes:
$2,000 in cash prizes for each bonus derby will be associated with the tagged fish and distributed as follows: one (1) $1,000, one (1) $500 and ten (10) $50.
If you are entered in the derby and catch a tagged fish, you will receive payment in the amount of the associated tag number.
Register and get complete details at the general store.
The store opens at 7 am.
Check-in:
Fish must be checked in at the general store by closing on the day of your catch.
Catch of the Week: 
Dave Little from Rosamond, CA with a stout 7 pound 7 ounce Rainbow.
He caught this beast with a Kastmaster while fishing along the North Shore. Way to go Dave!!
Other notable catches this week:
Nick Downard from Ojai, CA landed a fat 6 pound 8 ounce Rainbow while fishing near the marina. Nick hooked this lunker with a Nightcrawler.
John Flynn and Joe Klahorst from Fullerton, CA each hooked a nice Rainbow. They both were fishing at the Inlet with a Thomas Buoyant. John landed a 6 pound 6 ounce Rainbow and Joe with a 5 pound 6 ounce Rainbow.

CROWLEY LAKE, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Crowley Lake 10/23/15
Frustrating! The bite continues to be inconsistent here.
Some days they just flat out get lock jaw and move out to 25 feet to feed on tiny freshwater fleas called daphnia.
Water temps are slowly cooling with the fish moving into shallower water during west winds & low light periods. The best fishing occurs during those conditions.
You can find some nice browns cruising in 9 feet along Sandy Pt. & Hilton Bay.
Streamer fishing with perch imitations, or small rainbow trout profiles can be a good call right now.
Intermediate full sinks, or heavier sinking tips are the right lines to cast Loebergs & Punk Perch patterns along what remains of the weed lines. 
Still water nymphing with leech & perch fry patterns superior to midges.
Minor chironomid hatches will continue to occur during periods of high pressure.
Gillies, crystal emergers, & midge pupa patterns are good calls as the upper flies during hatches. Twin gillies, or a broken back gillie as the upper- along with dark zebras,  copper tiger midges, BB tigers and zebras will get you take downs during pupal ascents.
If you locate some clean water along the weeds, try an assassin, punk perch, or crystal leech as your upper fly.
Hang a midge pattern as the dropper/lower fly below an Under-cator.
We will be guiding on our Fish Magnets through 10/30/15 here.
Tubes, & shore fishing until 11/15/15.

FORT CHURCHILL COOLING PONDS, LYON COUNTY, NEV:
Closed until the second Saturday in February, 2016.

HINKSON SLOUGH, LYON COUNTY, NEV:
Closed until the second Saturday in February, 2016.

HOBART RESERVOIR, WASHOE COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10-14-15:
Opened on May 1 and has been fishing well for those making the short hike in to the lake. Artificial flies and lures (single barbless hooks) are required.
Editor's Note: Hobart is closed until May 01, 2016.

HOT CREEK, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Hot Creek 10/23/15
Still pretty tough here with limited open water.
Some fall caddis, & micro mayfly (tricos)  currently. Dark bodied, or natural colors for the caddis bodies are the hatch. Light olive to gray for the Mays. Keep them well dressed to ride high in the foam. Pheasant tails, & bird’s nest patterns are best for nymphs.
Small parachute midge; or mayfly patterns used with a 10 foot leader are best for surface presentations when the fish are on the midges/or clusters.
There are a few sections that can be fished with a dry dropper nymph rig.
The hoppers are now present. A stimulator is a good profile for them. Use these in the wind, as the terrestrials get blown off the banks, & the trout hunt for them along the shoreline.
Try my hi-vis caddis pattern, it works well here.
Dead drifted broken back zebras, small gillies, scuds, flashback PT’s, or assassin birds nest bead heads in #18 are good calls for the dropper. Size 18 or smaller crystal olive caddis larva or zebra midges are good calls as droppers.
This is a year around fishery with special regs in place.

LAHONTAN RESERVOIR, CHURCHILL COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
The boat ramp is closed and the reservoir is quickly receding. Fish will actually be concentrated and the persistent angler can catch fish.

MARLETTE LAKE, WASHOE COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
Open July 15 through Sept. 30.

MASON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
Closed for the season and will reopen on the second Saturday in February.

OWENS RIVER, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Middle Owens River (Bishop area) 10/23/15
Water conditions have been excellent with flows currently at 170 CFS.
Fishing has been very good using the “dip & strip” method of pulling streamers as we are consistently  getting a good mix of rainbows, browns, & mini-bass.
Wading the WT section at this release is fine; although you may need a staff to access some sections.
Streamer fishing using Loebergs, Punk Perch, & Spruce-A-Bu’s with a moderately weighted sinking tip is a good call for fall fishing here.
You will continue to see caddis, & small mayflies (tricos) present below the dam at PVR through October.
Have some #18/20 light bodied adults, light assassins #18, and FB pheasant tails for nymphs, #18 & 20.
Trico mayflies are very small- #20-24 and can be difficult to see.
I suggest you use a dry/dry rig with the lead fly being the larger caddis adult 2-3 feet from the point fly.
The light bodied fall caddis emerge when the barometer goes up.
Use hi-vis caddis #16 & 18. Nymphing with crystal olive caddis larva, assassins, and broken back midges are also good when the hatch is off. Dry/dropper bead head rigs can be effective in the deeper riffles.
This fishery remains open year around.
Special regs from the footbridge at Pleasant Valley campground to the fishing monument 4.7 miles downstream.
Upper Owens/ McGee Creek 10/23/15
Fishing remains spotty for larger migratory fish moving up from Crowley.
Water levels are consistent; but lower than normal.  
Dry/dropper techniques can be effective during warmer periods.
Overall conditions remain good here with a few larger fish holding in the deepest pools.  
The sections up from Benton Crossing are much better for numbers, more bigs down from the monument.
You can get into a few decent browns on hopper patterns.
The Trico mayflies are the main attraction during the fall for surface action.
Small parachute BWO profiles in the #20/22 range will get looks. Some larger browns hitting crystal leeches fished with a sink tip in the deepest pools. Stimulators, hi-vis caddis, & natural caddis are good calls for the warmer periods. Use mayfly adults during the cloudy days. I
like a tandem nymph rig in the deeper pools using an assassin, FB PT, or crystal leech as the upper-put an egg, or smaller Assassin as the dropper.
Aquatic weeds are an issue in lower sections below the Benton Crossing Bridge.
McGee Creek proper has some small browns and a few decent rainbows.
Dry dropper rigs, & nymphing with FB PT’s, Assassins, & olive crystal caddis below an Under-cator, or hi-vis caddis or hi-vis para BWO will work. 
Special regs are in place here year around.
The section from the Bridge down to the monument is now closed until next Memorial weekend 2016.
You may fish down from monument to the lake-same regs as Crowley.

PINE FOREST COMPLEX, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEV:
Onion Valley Reservoir: 
Blue Lakes:
Knott Creek Reservoir: 
These waters will close for the 2015 season on November 15.

PINE FOREST COMPLEX, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
Closed November 15 (Opens the Second Saturday in June---June 13, 2015) Access to the Pine Forest best with a 4-wheel drive. Roads in to the Pine Forest are in decent shape in advance of the opener.

RYE PATCH RESERVOIR, PERSHING COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
Rye Patch is fair to slow for catfish, wipers and walleye.

SACRAMENTO RIVER (LOWER), CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
King Salmon:
October 23, 2015, King Salmon fishing on the Sacramento River. 
The river is at 5,400 CFS.
Sacramento River salmon fishing is going good.
The fishing has slowed a bit this week, the water is dropping. 
Rain is expected over the next few weeks this will be great for the salmon fishing, as this will bring up more fish and brighter fish.
Bouncing roe and back trolling Flatfish lures.
We are fishing every day.

SACRAMENTO RIVER (LOWER), CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
As of  October 23, 2015 water flow is currently 5,400 CFS.
Lower Sacramento River fishing report - Lower Sacramento River Rainbow trout fishing is excellent.
Over 30 fish days on the Sacramento River right now for Rainbow trout.
Water is clear and low.
We are fishing from Redding to Anderson , CA, Bonneyview Bridge to Jellys Ferry Bridge is excellent.  
The largest fish have been caught the last few days in the Bonneyview area.
Working great is egg pattern, Cinnamon Pupa, and  PMD’s.   
We are spin fishing and fly fishing. 
            
SPOONER LAKE, DOUGLAS COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
Fishing has been slow and the weed beds are reaching out about 30-40 yards from the shoreline. Recent gill net surveys showed healthy populations of rainbow trout in about 5-6 feet of water right now.

LAKE TAHOE:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
Lake Tahoe is the place to be if you are fishing from a boat in northern Nevada. It may be one of the few places you still can launch a boat and catch a fish. Anglers have been reporting good success catching Mackinaw in the 3-5 pound range. Anglers are concentrating in the 150 – 300 feet with white dodgers and minnows. Kwikfish and broken back lures have also been working.

LAKE TAHOE:
A report of limits of Mackinaw Trout being caught at a depth of 150 feet on flasher blades and minnows in front of Homewood on the west shore.

TOPAZ LAKE:
Closed until January 01, 2016.

TOPAZ LAKE:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
Season opens January 1, 2016. For a group of hard core anglers this is an annual tradition and anyone participating will get a jump on the 2016 fishing season.

TRUCKEE RIVER, WASHOE COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
Flows in the Truckee are less than 100 cfs and that means more rocks than deep pools to fish in. Fish when the water is cool if you’re going to practice catch-and-release. Reports of great bass fishing in the lower river around Lockwood. Trout fishing has been limited, but the upper river near the California border should provide decent fishing with cooler temps. Flows are not expected to fishable until later in the fall, if then.

WALKER LAKE, MINERAL COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
No new updates. No Lahontan cutthroat have been reported or seen at Walker Lakes since 2009. Launching is not possible right now.

WALKER RIVER, EAST, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10/14/15:
The East Walker River is very low (22 c.f.s) and very clear. Adequate water flows throughout the year are going to be a big problem for this popular fishery. Fish in the spring because there is no guarantee that the river will fishable past late spring or early summer. Check the regulations for rules governing fishing on the East Walker.

WALKER RIVER, EAST, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
East Walker River 10/23/15
Running at 22 CFS. 
This fishery is open year around with special regs in place.

WASHOE LAKE, WASHOE COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) report updated 10-14-15:
Washoe Lake dried up in 2004 and it has been difficult to recover the fishery as drought continues to haunt western Nevada. It is very low again this year. Fishing is expected to be poor.
Editor Note: Washoe Lake has been dry for quite some time.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com