Mac-the-Naw: Memorial Day Fishing Report

Hello fellow anglers.

Welcome to Memorial weekend. Just a local report to let you know what's open and what's not in our area. 

First, I'll answer a couple questions about Indian Creek reservoir located just out of Woodfords off Highway 89 in Alpine County.

The most frequent question is, why does the lake never get up to the high water mark on the dam?

The lake was formed in 1967 to store waste water that is piped from the Tahoe basin by South Tahoe Public Utility District.

It was a perfect location for minimum snow pack run off for 3 square miles. For a lake that is not good, but for a storage facility it was the best location. In 1989, the reservoir was switched over to receive water from the old irrigation ditch off of the west Carson River and the water from the treatment plant was sent to Harveys Place, which is located right behind the dam.

As many anglers remember, there were three bubblers in the lake to attempt to aerate the lake to sustain fish population. Basically what it did was stir up the phosphorous on the bottom creating the green slime we all know as algea.

This will give you an idea of why the lake never gets to the old original water line. The only water the lake receives is rain, slight snow runoff and the water pumped from the Snowshoe Thompson ditch.

As a special note: There is also the water rights issue that controls these flows  Now in the mid 1990's the bubblers were turned off to let the lake settle. But we still had the algea bloom every year.

This year I think will be different. At the end of last year, STPUD started and finished a project that was presented to them by Dr. Alex Horn. It is called a Speece Cone. It has a 20-foot by 20-foot platform with a tall cone in the middle which produces pure oxygen in the lake and locks down the phosphorous.

In anglers terms, that a great thing for our fisheries. So far this year the lake has been extremely low of the slimy algea we are all known to hate. The oxygen will disperse throughout the entire lake giving a cleaner and a healthier appearance.

I would like to thank the South Tahoe Public Utility District for the information on this project and their on going forward efforts for a great fishery at Indian Creek Reservoir.

Now lets check out our other waters.

LAKE TAHOE: Mackinaw action has been good on the west side of the lake in 150 to 250 feet of water. The Trophy Stick lure has been the most productive.  Elaine Quilici from Carson City caught a 20-pound, 9-ounce mackinaw measuring 37.5 inches near the Cal/Neva point area on May 7. Ed Ervin from the Carson area caught a 23-pound mackinaw. Erik St. Denis was casting a gold Kastmaster at the Cave Rock ramp and caught eight small rainbows and an eight-pound mackinaw. Note: The Caverock launch ramp was closed for repaving last week, check before you head out.

For more information, call Blue Ribbon Charters at (530) 544-6552.

CAPLES LAKE: The lake is starting to thaw and the water has come up to the 44 foot mark, and is expect to be within five feet from being full this spring.

With the help of the Eldorado Irrigation District, the resort is planning to be open for the holiday weekend with rentals and launching. And most important of all, the EID has begun this week to restock the lake.

For more information, call the Caples Lake Resort at 209-258-8888.

RED LAKE: Also thawing nicely, A few anglers have tried with little success.  By this weekend the lake should be open completely. With that, the brook trout bite usually begins to pick up.

For more information, call the Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters at (530) 541-8208.

CARSON RIVERS EAST AND WEST FORK, MARKLEEVILLE CREEK, SILVER CREEK, WOLF CREEK: Both rivers are running high. But fishable, trick is to cast only a few feet from the bank where you find those slower moving pools. Salmon eggs or night crawlers are your best bet at this time. Lures are just to light for the swift currents. Alpine County has planted both rivers for this long weekend.

For more information, call the Carson River Resort at (530) 694-2229.

SILVER LAKE: Located on top Carson pass on Highway 88, the lake is also clearing of ice and should be the best spring fishing ever heard of. As many know, this is where they placed the fish from Caples last year to repair the dam. The lake contains mackinaw, brown and rainbow trout.

INDIAN CREEK: I camped with friend Tim Dondelinger and his son James last weekend. Both days were great.the water still clear as the sky was. Tim caught one small rainbow and James caught a nice 18-inch rainbow. Both were using power bait. I caught a few small rainbows on a white elk hair fly ... Campground is open. Very little algea in the lake.

TOPAZ LAKE: The fish are now going deeper to hide from the heat of the day, and jet skiers. Shore fishing has been slow. Some trollers using chartruse or fire tiger rapalas or needlefish have had some success. This report was provided by Don Quilici of Carson City.

For more information, call the Topaz Marina at 266-3550.

Good luck on your next outing. If you have a photo of your catch you can send it to jcrandall@recordcourier.com or drop it off at The Record-Courier. If you have any questions in our local fishing world you can call the Naw line at 775-267-9722. Good fishin' and tight lines.