Nevada Department of Wildlife

This is my annual pre-Christmas reminder that Topaz Lake, which is located along U.S. 395 at the Nevada-California state line, will open its 2014 fishing season, one half hour before sunrise, on Wednesday, January 1.


If the weather is decent, if you don't have a massive hang-over, if you like to fish and if you don't have anything else planned, this could be a fun way to start the New Year. Are you interested?

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and Sierra. This report is for the week of Dec. 18-24.

RENO, Nev. – University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, with other partners, is embarking on a large-scale three-year project to find more efficient ways to increase water conservation and plant growth, and decrease the release of fossil fuel in the Great Basin.

This is a reminder that if you are planning to fish in the State of California in 2014, be aware that you will need a new license as of January 01. You can purchase that license and any applicable stamps at a number of local outlets or on the Internet.

If you need to buy a license and stamps, here is some info:

Here's this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, northern California and the Sierra, including Lake Tahoe.

Your best bet, at least for now, is to stay off any ice until it is determined the ice is thick enough to hold human weight. Ice fishing reports should trickle in over the coming weeks. This report is for the week of Dec. 11-17.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Dec. 4.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Nov. 27.

Hunters have killed 14 black bears in Nevada so far this year. The Nevada Department of Wildlife says six have been killed west of U.S. 395 since the season began Sept. 15.

Here are some close-up photographs of mule deer found foraging for food among Carson City's west side back, front and side yards. Nevada has an estimated population of 110,000 to 112,000 mule deer, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Since early fall there have been a handful of deer colliding with cars resulting in some fatalities. When driving along dark streets, motorists are urged to look for deer crossings through neighborhood roadways and yards.

Here is this week's fishing report of rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and southern Oregon. This report is for the week of Nov. 20-27. Many California mountain waterways are closed for the season but a few remain open for fishing.

A bear captured Friday in Carson City was released back into the wild south of Gardnerville on Saturday and an 8-year-old female bear captured Saturday in Zephyr Cove was released Sunday, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

NDOW and biologist Carl Lackey were assisted this weekend by personnel from the Montana-based Wind River Bear Institute of Florence, which also brought a bear dog, Soledad, with them. Soledad assisted Lackey's own dog, Rooster, with the releases.

Nevada Department of Wildlife officials handled two bears on Thursday, trapping one near Reno while the other was found injured at Lake Tahoe and had to be euthanized.

The injured bear was found in Incline Village at around 8 a.m. Game wardens had been informed the bear was hurt, possibly by a vehicle, and was observed not being able to use its back legs. The bear was tranquilized and examined by a veterinarian before being put down due to the severity of its injuries.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Nov. 13. Friday, Nov. 15 is the last day to fish in most California waterways. Go here to learn more. Opening day for California fishing is the last Saturday in April.

More black bears looking to fuel up before bedding down for the coming winter were caught in Carson City by Nevada Department of Wildlife officials Friday and then sent back into the hills on Saturday.

A female black bear without cubs was trapped in west Carson City, an area that has seen it share of bears this fall. The female bear was a recapture from earlier in October when she was first caught in west Carson City.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Nov. 6-12.

An orphaned male bear cub in Verdi that has eluded the Nevada Department of Wildlife since Friday was captured early Sunday morning in Verdi. The 30-pound black bear was caught in a culvert trap placed near the area where its mother and another cub were hit and killed by a car on the old Highway 40 near the intersection with Bridge Street in Verdi. The carcass of its dead mother was used as bait to lure the cub to the trap.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 30 to Nov. 5.

Nevada celebrates its birthday every year with the Nevada Day Parade down the main drag of the state capital, Carson City. This year, a Sierra Nevada 400 pound male black bear nearly “crashed” the parade, the Nevada Department of Wildlife reports.

Early Saturday morning, reports began coming in to the Carson City Sheriff’s office that there was a bear in east Carson, near Lone Mountain Cemetery, about a half mile from the parade route, said NDOW spokesman Chris Healy.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 23-30.

UPDATE: Nevada Department of Wildlife personnel captured a large male black bear Wednesday morning behind the Reinhold Sadler House on Mountain Street, a couple of blocks from the Governor's Mansion.

The bear was hit with one tranquilizer dart and then climbed a tree, where it stayed for 30-40 minutes, until it was driven down with pepper spray and hit with a second dart, in front of several onlookers.

Bear activity around Carson City continues to keep Nevada wildlife managers busy. A 350-pound male black bear was caught early Tuesday morning in west Carson City.

The bear had never been handled before and was expected to be released sometime Wednesday morning, said Nevada Department of Wildlife black bear biologist Carl Lackey.

Elaine and I recently returned from an interesting, three-day, two-night visit to Elko, way over in Northeastern Nevada. We are both members of the Board of Directors of the Nevada Operation Game Thief (OGT) Citizens Board.

That OGT Citizens Board has been in existence since 1987, and it is the small, private group that pays rewards for information that leads to the conviction of poachers of Nevada's wildlife.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 16.

When a bear hungry for pears crashed through the fence of a retired couple's Potomac Place home early Saturday, a Carson City Sheriff's Office deputy and Home Depot came to the rescue.

Donna and Bill Hancock were surprised when they awoke early Saturday morning to see the damage that a bear left behind as it foraged for food overnight in their backyard. The bear took down a portion of the couple's fence in order to get to pears in a tree.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 9. Go here for Doug Busey's latest fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in and around Carson City and Lake Tahoe.

ALMANOR LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:

A 200-pound female yearling bear decided to explore the streets of Carson City on Friday night, climbing over fences, going through backyards and finally climbing up a tree before being tranquilized by a Nevada Department of Wildlife game warden.

The hungry bear cub was even chased by a couple of cows when she lumbered through Lompa Ranch field, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong. Deputies and two mounted officers on horses had been pursuing the bear since early Friday evening attempting to coax her west toward the foothills.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) is reminding big game hunters sooner is better than later when it comes to completing and submitting their Big Game Hunt Questionnaires.

The important hunting and harvest data gathered from the questionnaires helps guide game management, including tag quotas, in future hunting seasons.

Here is the latest fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 2-9.

ANGEL LAKE, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Fishing is picking up with the cooler temperatures and hoppers are on the hillsides above Angel.

However, anglers are still reporting a few slow days here.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Sept. 18-24.