By Don Quilici
CAPLES LAKE, CALIF: Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (530-694-2930): reported that there are still more than five feet of ice on the lake.
DAVIS LAKE, CALIF: Last Saturday, the lake was still ice-covered, but there was some water beginning to show along the edges near the dam.
FT. CHURCHILL COOLING PONDS, NEV: Elmer Bull of the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) reported the fishing is rated as still slow, Fishing is better on the east side of the ponds.
HINKSON SLOUGH, NEV: Elmer Bull reported that the fishermen are doing really good at the Slough. Mostly float tubers with some shore fishermen.
They are using small, black, bead-head Midge flies with a strike indicator and letting the fly sink 3-6 feet.
INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR. CALIF: Dave Kirby reported that the reservoir is now ice-free.
Brandon Brown of Woodfords caught a 7-pound (24 1/4-inch) rainbow on Saturday. He was shore fishing with a nightcrawler.
Fishing has been slow, a few trout are being caught, mostly from float tubes.
The reservoir will receive its first, private trout plant of the year, this week, from the Susanville Hatchery.
Doug Busey of Douglas County reported that he counted 32 vehicles parked from the dam to the ramp on Saturday.
Summit Lake (Above Indian Creek Reservoir): A fisherman reported that he hiked in, through about 2-3 feet of snow. There was a little open water showing and he never got a bite.
LAHONTAN RESERVOIR, NEV: Missy Swain at Burke's Market at Silver Springs (775-577-2750) reported: "The fishing has really picked up. It is incredible. They are catching everything (Crappie, Walleye, Wipers, White Bass, Stripers, White Catfish, Channel Catfish), all over the reservoir.
The Dam area is slow. The Silver Springs area is the most productive. They are catching Wipers and Walleye at Beach No. 4. Beach No. 12 has been good.
Jean Warner of Silver Springs was fishing with her husband Bud. She caught an 11 1/2-pound White Catfish from shore on Chicken liver."
LAHONTAN RESERVOIR, NEV: Charlie Adams, age 5 1/2, of Carson City caught a 6-pound Walleye on Saturday.
He outfished his dad Chuck, grandfather Roland and cousin Durby. Charlie caught the Walleye on a minnow purchased from Burke's Market. That fishing party caught a total of 3 Catfish and 2 Walleyes.
NORTH PONDS, NEV: Elmer Bull reported that there is not much action as the fish seem to be feeding an ample supply of bugs on the bottom. They are catching a couple of fish, but the action is mostly slow.
PYRAMID LAKE, NEV: Doug Ouellette at the Gilly Sporting Goods Store in Sparks (358-6113) reported: "The fly fishermen are using black Woolly Bugger, Woolly Worm or foam Popcorn Beetle flies. They are doing best with Chartreuse/white or black/red Bettles.
The spincasters are using the usual TOR-P-DO type lures. The best colors seem to be Chartreuse or Frog.
The boaters are trolling with Lyman, Apex or U-20 lures. They are doing best with Lyman lures.
The jiggers are jigging with Gibb's Minnows or Maribou Jigs."
RED LAKE CALIF: Jack Cooke and Scott Mattheus of Carson City fished there, last Thursday.
Cooke reported that there are still 54 inches of ice on the lake.
He said, 'We only got one fish between the two of us, but the "Russians" (A group of ice fishermen from Roseville, California) must have caught about thirty, including three Cutthroat trout over 15 inches long.
They caught 3-4 tagged fish, which have been tagged by California Fish and Game."
LAKE TAHOE - North Shore:
Mickey Daniels of Mickey's Big Mack Charters (800-877-1462) said: "Same as last week: We've been catching Mackinaw trout early in the morning and tagging and releasing the smaller ones. I troll in the deep-water area in front of Carnelian Bay and King's Beach with silver Herring Dodger flasher blades with live minnows or large Apex lures."
LAKE TAHOE - South Shore: Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters and Tahoe Trophy Trout at South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (530-544-6552): "Ski Run Shelf continues to be good-to-excellent for Macks. We are trolling with silver Herring Dodger flasher blades and live minnows at a depth of 200-300 feet."
LAKE TAHOE - East Shore: Gene St. Denis: "Fishing has been good for Macks on the Cave Rock Shelf, when trolling silver Herring Dodger flasher blades and live minnows at a depth of 160-280 feet."
TOPAZ LAKE: Chuck Fields at Topaz Lake Marina (775) 266-3550 reported, "They did real good over the weekend. Lots of fishermen and lots of limits. The rainbow trout were running about 1.5 pounds as an average.
The best fishing was trollers who were trolling in the top 15 feet of water with Fire Tiger Rapala lures.
The fish seem to have gone down a little deeper with the warmer weather.
Frank McConnell, a local fisherman, I think that he is from Gardnerville, caught an 8-pound, 2-ounce (29 3/4 inches) rainbow from shore on a combination of Power Bait and a worm.
There have also been some 3.5 pounders taken, mainly trolling with Fire Tiger lures.
TRUCKEE RIVER, NEV: Doug Oullette reported that the fly fishermen are doing well on the recently planted cutthroat trout.
WALKER LAKE, NEV: Gene Phelps of Carson City reported that he and his fishing partners got skunked for the first time in a long time, last week.
He reported that they had the entire area south of the Town of Walker Lake, all to themselves.
They tried every lure they had, plus bait fishing with salon eggs and Power Bait.
An absolutely perfect day: Nice light ripple on the water but no fish.
WALKER LAKE, NEV: Bob "Slick" McCulloch and Norm Budden of Carson City fished in their chest waders last Friday. McCulloch caught the head only (no body) of a cutthroat trout at Hospital Point. Later that day, Budden caught the body only (no head) of a Tui Chub on the south end of the lake. Those were their only catches of the day.
WILDHORSE RESERVOIR NEV: Dennis Dunn at the Wild Horse Resort (775) 758-6472 said, "Our Perch derby went extremely well. But, I think that next year, we will probably hold it on only one day (Saturday) so everyone can get back home on Sunday.
Our weather today (Wednesday) looks like it is going to snow, so we are staying inside by the fire where it is warm."
