Alpine County

The Carson Water Subconservancy District is offering a two-day bus tour of the Carson River Watershed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on June 11-12, 2014. The Carson River Watershed “Get on the Bus Tour” will cover a variety of watershed topics and locations from the headwaters in Alpine County, CA to the terminus at the Carson Sink near Fallon.

Opening day of fishing in California is Saturday, April 26 and while thousands of anglers will be looking for their own sweet spots along rivers, lakes, reservoirs and streams, there is little doubt that most favorite waterways have been affected by the ongoing drought.

Hello fellow anglers. There is less than four days to go before the California fishing season officially opens. When the sun comes up on April 26, 2014 there will be a lot of casting going on.

I urge every angler who has purchased a sport fishing license to also pick up a copy of the fishing regulations. The game wardens will be out checking to make sure that we all follow the regulations.

Hello fellow anglers. Well here we are only two weeks away from the California opening day fishing season. This when most lakes, rivers and streams open for the year, and some rivers change limit and tackle regulations.
Check your regulations before you go fishing to know these changes.

Monday, April 7 was the day that Elaine and I went trout fishing, and it was also the day that things did not go my way, again, as usual. The previous day, I asked her if she would like to go fishing at Indian Creek Reservoir in nearby Alpine County, Calif.

She replied that she wasn't interested, because it was a Sunday and the reservoir would probably be crowded with shore and boat fishermen.

Another winter storm is moving into the Sierra late tonight with heavy snow expected in the Sierra through Friday, especially south of Highway 50, according to the National Weather Service.

Low pressure will move into the Sierra late Thursday night and Friday bringing a period of rain and snow to western Nevada. The heaviest precipitation will occur in Douglas and southern Lyon counties Friday morning with rain and snow decreasing by the late afternoon.

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.

Hello fellow anglers: I hope your Thanksgiving was a grand memory. I spent my Thanksgiving day, fishing in the morning and enjoying family the rest of the day.

I do have a special early Christmas present for you all later in this report.
But first I would like to say thank you, to all the anglers that have called the Naw line or have shared their fishing adventures over this last year. I hope I have answered all your questions, and as well you have educated me.

We all like to brag about our fishing adventures.

Elaine and I spent an enjoyable day in the Great Outdoors last Sunday, which included spincasting for trout and taking photographs.

It was a fun-filled day that you might want to replicate in the near future, before Old Man Winter arrives with all of his cold, frost, snow and ice.

This is a final reminder that many nearby California waters will close to fishing on Friday, November 15.
So if you want to fish any of them, you better hustle because you are rapidly running out of time.
Those waters will not re-open until the last Saturday in April next year (April 26, 2014), and that is a long, long time to wait to wet your line.

Hello fellow anglers, Time is running short if you plan on fishing the rivers in Alpine County.
November 15, 2013 is the last day to fish on any of the rivers in California, with the exception of a few that will remain open to catch and release.

In our local area, the east fork of the Carson River from Hangman's Bridge to the Nevada state line is on that list.
Check your CDFW regulation book for other tributaries that will remain open. All of the lakes in Inyo and Mono Counties will also close on November 15th. 

This is my annual reminder that many California waters will close to fishing on Friday, November 15. So if you want to fish any of them, you better hustle because you are rapidly running out of time.

Those waters will not re-open until the last Saturday in April next year (April 26, 2014), and that is a long, long time to wait to wet your line. Here is a partial list of some of the nearby waters that will be closing:

January 30, 1924 - October 12, 2013 Harold Richard Duarte, age 89, of Tucson AZ, formerly of Alpine County and Santa Clara County. Born in Centerville, CA. He served on the ...

A woman who claimed to have been pulled over and beaten by a man pretending to be a law enforcement officer retracted her story, Alpine County Undersheriff Rob Levy said Saturday night.

Hello fellow anglers. I would like to start out by telling you of a friend of mine. I started writing this column in 1992. I had my many sources of information from local law enforcement to departments of fish and game in the two states that I wrote about.

The most influential and most informative was Dave Zellmer from the Alpine County Fish and Game Commission.

This is my annual reminder to enjoy the spectacular displays of the colorful leaves on quaking aspen trees, also known as 'quakies' at this time of the year.

On Sunday morning, Elaine and I took a drive to Hope Valley, California to see those colors and they are spectacular. If you want to see them, do not delay — you better hurry because they are at their prime.

Just got back from a 1,200 mile trip up the coast and into Oregon to fish and enjoy family. Renee and I enjoyed all the rivers on the way. The Russian, Klamath, Eel, Illinois, Chetco, Smith and the Rogue. Caught a few fish and had a great time.

While in Gold beach Oregon we received over 2 inches of rain in one afternoon.

UPDATE: Alpine County Undersheriff Rob Levy provides new information regarding an assault of a woman Sunday night near Hope Valley who was stopped by a vehicle occupied by a man impersonating a police officer.

Authorities are looking for a man, described as a white, stocky build, approximately 40 to 50 years of age, 6 feet, two inches in height, 225 pounds, with dark hair and a bushy mustache. The male may have sustained injuries.

The male suspect’s vehicle was described as a newer full size diesel pickup, white in color, with possibly having aftermarket custom rims. Here is a news release issued Tuesday afternoon:

Hello fellow anglers, the weather is cooling and the sun now setting at 7:30 p.m. A few things to remember this time of year. The yellow jackets and the bears are out in full force getting ready for winter hibernation. Both fierce and are looking for all the food they can get. But we have to remember that feeding bears is against the law.

A Dense Smoke Advisory has been lifted, at least for now, for the Carson City region, but continues in the Sierra for Alpine County south of Markleeville and Mono County north of Mammoth Lakes, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

The second Free Fishing Day in 2013 in California will be Saturday, Sept. 7. The first was way back on Saturday, July 6.

On Sept. 7 you will be able to fish wherever you like without the need for a fishing license. However remember that you will need to abide by the rules and regulations that govern whatever water(s) you will be fishing.

Be sure to obey those rules and regulations, and don’t do something illegal. If you do, and if you get caught, it could be a very expensive experience.

Labor Day weekend, Friday Aug. 30 through Monday Sept. 2, is just around the corner and for many it will be the last big outdoor adventure of 2013. So, where to go on that weekend?

Well, be advised that no matter where you go (unless it is to some God forsaken location in the middle of nowhere), you can expect to encounter big crowds of people also wanting to enjoy an outdoor outing for the holiday.

California has two Free Fishing Days in 2013 which are close to holidays. The first Free Fishing Day in 2013 is today, July 06 (associated with the Fourth of July) and the second is on September 07 (associated with Labor Day).

So, on Saturday, July 6, you will be able to fish wherever you like in California, without the need for a fishing license.

However, you will need to abide by the rules and regulations that govern whatever water(s) you will be fishing.

CARSON CITY — Open dead-tree firewood cutting areas in Hope Valley and Leviathan and Poor Boy begins Monday, The Carson Ranger District and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest announced.

Meanwhile, live-tree cutting areas will open on July 15. Areas include Beagle (Dog Valley area), Scotts Lake (south of Woodfords, Calif), and Thomas Creek Canyon (off of Mt. Rose Highway).

In the live-tree cutting areas, only designated trees may be cut and slash must be piled. Designated trees are described on the live-tree cutting area maps.

Several lightning-sparked fires have been reported Sunday throughout northern and western Nevada and the Sierra, according to the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. Fires were also reported in Alpine County near Markleeville and Grover Hot Springs.

Go here for the latest fire roundup from the Dispatch Center and here to navigate the site.

Memorial Day Weekend (May 24-27) is coming up, just around the corner, the weather is forecast for gorgeous conditions, and for countless folks in this general area, it will be their first big outdoor adventure of 2013.

So, where to go on that weekend? Well, be advised that no matter where you go (unless it is to some God forsaken location in the middle of nowhere), you can expect to encounter big crowds of people also wanting to enjoy an outdoor outing for the holiday.

So, be prepared for lots of company wherever you go or whatever you do.

It’s that time of the year to pick up your copy of a widely-distributed and widely-read annual publication known as “Fishing The California Alps.”

That outdoor newspaper is your personal guide to the fishing, camping, sightseeing and vacationing world in our general area and it has many pages of in-depth information provided by lots of experts in their specific areas of knowledge and experience.

Be sure to use this 2013 edition as your handy and ready-to-use guide on what, when, where and how to enjoy the Great Outdoors.

This is my annual reminder that it’s almost time to have fun fishing in the High Sierras once again.
On Saturday, April 27 the 2013 fishing season will open for all applicable lakes, reservoirs, streams, creeks and rivers in the State of California.

That season will then remain open until Friday, Nov. 15.

If you’re new to this area, here’s some information that can be useful if you would like to fish on that Opening Day or the entire Opening Weekend: 
Some of the nearby streams, creeks and rivers that will open:

If you have a 2013 California fishing license and if you are looking for somewhere to fish that is fairly close to the Carson City area, look no further than Indian Creek Reservoir (ICR) in nearby Alpine County.
You just might want to seriously consider ICR as it contains cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout, plus even some bass.

That trout-filled reservoir is a mere 39 miles from our front door and it is easily reached from here by two different directions:

Last Thursday, Doug ("Mack The Naw") Busey of Douglas County and I spent a very enjoyable day, fishing at Indian Creek Reservoir in Alpine County, Calif.

Indian Creek Reservoir (ICR) is a man-made reservoir located in the backcountry between Woodfords and Markleeville. ICR and its surrounding area is managed and maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).