Doug Busey fishing report: Drought conditions a big concern among anglers

Hello fellow anglers: I took last week off and went fishing. Some days I forgot that we are still in January. Although I enjoyed fishing without my overalls on, it scares me to think what the summer will have in store for our local lakes and rivers given the drought conditions. Lake Tahoe is just above its natural rim and still going lower.

Lahontan Reservoir in Nevada looks as big as Indian Creek. In Alpine County, the flow in the Walker River is not enough to put a trickle in Topaz Lake. We need to do a rain dance or say a lot of prayers that we get some snowpack in our Sierra's soon.
I talked with Dave from the Caples Lake Resort. They received 3-4 inches of snow last Saturday and most of that has dissipated. Let us check out our local fishing report and I will share my fishing adventures with you.

LAKE TAHOE:
Top lining has been hit and miss for anglers using Rapalas and Trophy Stik lures. This time last year the bite was very good for browns and rainbows. Although it has been slow, a few anglers have reported 6 to 13 pound mackinaws top lining.

Deep lining has been good for most anglers. Best action has been reported at the Tahoe shelf or Cal/Neva areas. They have been trolling in 150 to 250 feet of water with blades or a dodger followed with a live minnow. Most mac's have been in the 3 to 6 pound class, with a few in the 7 to 16 pound class. For more information call Gene St Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters at 530-544-6552.

CAPLES LAKE:
Last Monday some friends joined me for a nice day of ice fishing. The lake had 10 to 12 inches of ice on it with no snow on top of it. Which means it was very slick. In the morning the lake would crack and pop which made it very uncomfortable for some anglers.

I fished with Rodney Tschetter and his friend Brandon Jones and Renee Heinichen, Who some know as Mrs. Naw. We fished with nightcrawlers and Kastmaster lures. After about 4 hours of fishing we caught two small mackinaws a small rainbow and a nice 3.4 pound rainbow trout. Not a great day of fishing, but a good day with friends.

Special note, you will see some people working on the dam. They are replacing some defective parts on the gates. So do not be alarmed if you see divers in the water. They are doing the work now so they will not having to drain any of the lake this spring. The Resort is open for Cabins and Lodging rentals.
For more information call the Caples Lake Resort at 209-258-8888.
With the small amount of snow they received last week, the lake is not a sheet of ice like it has been.

RED LAKE:
Last week the lake had 12 inches if ice on it. The fishing has been a little slow for anglers. Most were using small spoons or Kastmaster lures to jig with, while some used 1/2 of a nightcrawler. Average size was 8-13 inches.
Some ice fishing advice. If you are not getting any bites in one hole, drill another one.
Best areas to fish are from just before the turn in the dam to around the turn only 15 to 30 feet from shore. No need to go out in the middle.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR:
Last Wednesday I ventured out with Renee to find 3 to 4 inches of ice still on the lake. The scary thing was 3 anglers were out ice fishing and about 75 feet away from them was partially open water. They chucked at us when we did not join them. I have a rule, I will not venture out on any lake that does not have at least 8 inches of ice on it. And with stories I have heard from past anglers, I will not ice fish on Indian Creek. Give it a couple weeks and it will thaw for us all to enjoy.

TOPAZ LAKE:
On the first week there were 11 tagged trout and 13 trout that were over 2 lbs brought into the Topaz General Store. The biggest trout for the week one was 4.5 pounds caught by Steve Gilbert from Minden NV. Second biggest for the week was 3.8 pounds caught by John Hayes from Smith Valley.
Reports of many anglers with limits of small rainbow trout.

The biggest issue was the boat launching situation. Topaz Landing Marina was and is still closed due to low water in the lake. Only small boats could launch at the Nevada boat launch.

I ventured up with friends Geary and Deanne Ness last Friday. We fished for 2 hours on the California shore then moved to the north shore by the park area and fished for another 2-3 hours. We threw everything we had in our tackle boxes from bait to lures and did not receive one bite the whole day. We drove over to the boat launch to see that it was closed and the water level was only up on the ramp by 10 feet.

What an strange feeling to see no boats on the lake and only a few other shore anglers the whole day, In January. I talked to Chuck Fields at the Topaz Marina, he told me that the water level had actually gone down since opening day, and that this was the first year he has not been able to at least put in rental boats in over 20 years. Again here comes that praying for rain part.

For more information on the Topaz Lodge derby call 775-266-3338

PYRAMID LAKE:
Geary Ness and I ventured out for a long day of fishing last week. We arrived at 8 AM and did not even put the cold weather gear in the boat. We trolled from Windless Bay to Sutcliffe area. Caught and released one Cutthroat just shy of the slot limit and had a couple long distant releases. We had our best luck on joined frog pattern or rainbow Kwikfish lures. We fished in 90 to 125 feet of water with our lures in the 70 foot range. I recommend launching at Pelican Point just north of Sutcliffe. A Nevada license is not required, but a tribal permit is. They are available at the Sutcliffe store for $9, boat launch is also $9.

Good luck on your next fishing adventure.

If you get a photo of your catch, send it to donquilici@hotmail.com. If you have a question or report in our local fishing world call the NAW Line at 775-267-9722. See you on the waters-or the ice. Good Fishin and tight lines.