Fishing Report: Planting has begun, and anglers are already starting to reel them in

Hello fellow anglers, what great time of year. The rivers have opened in California. Which, depending on the new regulation that is being decided on, may not close on November 15th.

As well as Alpine county, the lakes in Inyo and Mono Counties have opened and have been producing some beautiful fish, which I will share later in this report. It's hard to believe how fast the time goes.

A reminder to my fellow young anglers, on June 1st will be the annual Sawmill Pond Free Kids Fishing Day in South Lake Tahoe. There is no preregistration need to enter. The event will start at 8am and run until noon time. There will be plenty of volunteers on hand from the Optimist Club and the Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters of South Lake Tahoe. For more information you can stop by or call Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters at 530-541-8208.

On that same weekend, June 1st and 2nd will be the Lampe Park Free Kids Fishing Day. Kids need to pre-register for this event for the allotted time slots. They are always looking for new sponsors and volunteers. For more information on sponsorship or donations call Steve Hamilton at 775-392-3579 or sctawhamilton@aol.com. Or you can contact the president of the 2019 Kids Fishing Derby, Samantha Calvillo at 775-508-8556.

Take a day and become a volunteer for either event, the rewards will last you a life time. I will be on hand at both events to help in what ever way I am needed. Now for your area fishing report.

LAKE TAHOE: Excellent Mackinaw Fishing! We have been getting limits of Mackinaw Lake Trout all week, from 1 to 15 pounds. Depths have ranged from 60, 100, 150, 200, and 250 feet depending on the areas fished on the lake. Cal Neva Point, Tahoe City Shelf, Sugar Pine Point, Ski Run Mound, Tahoe Keys Shelf, and Camp Richardson Shelf are all stacked and loaded with Lake Trout. Surface water temperatures range from 46 to 48 depending on areas as well. Bounce the bottom periodically as well. Large fat minnows trailed behind dodgers or flashers is highly effective. Change speeds every now and then to initiate a strike to following fish. We have been getting several browns and rainbows (from 2 to 5 pounds) on occasion with the mackinaw in 60 to 150 feet as well. Cave Rock boat launch is now open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Law Enforcement is out on the water and they are checking for boats on the water for safely requirements so be ready. Air temperatures are forecast-ed from lows of 30 degrees to highs of 55 to 68 degrees the next ten days. The lake is full and the launches are in great shape. Cheers! Captain Gene St. Denis Blue Ribbon Fishing Charters (530) 544-6552

SILVER LAKE: The lake is starting to thaw, but has plenty of snow all around the lake still.

CAPLES LAKE: The lake still has plenty of ice on it. As I spoke with Joe Voss last week, they still had 3-4 feet of snow in the parking area. They are trying to get the resort open for Memorial weekend, but the docks may not go in until June. I will keep you updated.

RED LAKE: The lake has started to thaw, the middle of the lake had some blue water tint to it. There was still a lot of snow around the edges of the lake. The parking area has been cleared and the CDFW are planing to plant some non-Heenan cutthroat trout in it very soon.

BLUE LAKES: Road closed at the 1st gate. I would guess the lake this year will open just before the 4th of July. Again, I will keep you posted.

EAST CARSON RIVER CALIFORNIA SIDE: The water level has been fluctuating with the warming temps over the last few weeks. It has cleared a little and has been clearing up with a green tint to it. Alpine County has scheduled to plant heavily over the next couple of weeks with good sized rainbow trout. I would recommend to check with the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce to get more information on the tagged fish contest that will be held this month. They can be reached at 530-694-2475.

WEST FORK CARSON RIVER CALIFORNIA SIDE: The river is running very fast from Sorensons to Woodfords bridge. The area from Blue Lakes road to Sorensons is looking very good. Alpine County has scheduled a heavy plant of good sized rainbows over the next couple of weeks. As a note, the rivers usually gets 1800 lbs planted between them. When I say a heavy plant, I think we can expect to see almost 4000 lbs planted over the next couple weeks. For more information, stop by the Creekside Lodge in Markleeville.

MARKLEEVILLE CREEK: The river is high but running a little calmer and clearer in the morning time. The CDFW is schedule to plant next week along with Alpine County.

WOLFE CREEK: The gate is close and the river is running very fast. I would recommend to stay away until they can check the road for mudslides and debris.

SILVER CREEK: Running high and sometimes getting very cloudy. I would recommend to fish the Carson until the runoffs have settled down.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: The water level is up and the weeds are starting to show up. Renee and I fished up there last week for a couple hours. We got plenty of bites and caught one fish, I should say, Renee caught the one fish. Dave Cortez from Carson fished by the campground and caught a nice 4-5 pound rainbow. The CDFW has a plant scheduled for next week of catchable sized rainbows. We saw a couple anglers next to us that caught a nice 2 lb rainbow using a night crawler. We were using various colors of powerbait. The dirt road is open and clear. The campground is now open for the season. For more information stop by the Creekside Lodge.

BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR: Renee and I joined Tom and Shelly Blotter for the opener this year. We stayed at the Bridgeport Reservoir Marina and Campground. This was our first time staying at the campground. We usually camp somewhere on the shore line. They offer tent camping on the lake as well as pull through RV spots with full hook ups. The marina offers boat launching and mooring as well as boat rentals. They have a well stocked store and primo fish cleaning station. The staff is well educate on the whereabouts and how to catch big fish. Tom and I trolled the lake for three days and caught and released over 50 good sized rainbows and browns, with the average fish in the 14 to 17 inch class. We also caught a few in the 2 to 5 lb class. Funny thing about the lake, you will find that most boat anglers head to the other side of the lake and fish off what is known as Rainbow Point. They anchor and fish with night crawlers or Powerbait and do very well. No special talent to fish this body of water. We had a great experience and have made plans to go back before the temperatures get unbearable. For more information on the Bridgeport Marina call them at 760-932-7001 and ask for Chase.

NEVADA FISH PLANT SCHEDULE: Kuenzli outponds, Mountain View Pond, Wilson Common Pond, Davis Creek, Marilyns Pond, Liberty Pond, Mitch Pond, Martin Slough, Baily Pond, Hinkson Slough.

One special note to travelers and campers: as we went through the Agriculture Station at the California state line, we were asked about more than just fruits and veggies. They asked about our firewood and its origin. I received a good education on why they inquired about our firewood. If you have wood with bark on it and is not seasoned (green), you could be transporting bark beetles and other uninvited guests that could devastate our forest lands. One another note, use only seasoned wood that has the bark removed, or you can purchase from a local store and just keep the receipt.

Good luck on your next fishing adventure. I hope to see you on the waters. If you get a picture of your catch, send it to editor@recordcourier.com. Good fishin' and tight lines.