Doug Busey with a perch that he caught in Bridgeport Reservoir and ate.
Hello fellow anglers.
Nice weather we have been having the last few weeks. Renee and I went out with Geary and Deanna Ness to camp and fish Bridgeport reservoir a couple weeks ago.
Nights were nice and the afternoons were hot. But I have to say, the evenings were not too inviting when you’re out on a lake and lighting starts striking all around you. I never knew my boat could go that fast as we got off the lake immediately.
The fishing was good the first day. We trolled the whole lake and discovered that all we needed to do was to stay in the area directly out from the Bridgeport Marina. Geary and I caught and released a dozen fish up until we were directed to get off the lake. Another day, I fished with Renee and we fished for three hours and caught and released another dozen trout 12-16 inches. One thing I love to fish for at Bridgeport Reservoir is the perch. I lost one over 3 pounds or so and did get one to the boat. I am a fan of catch and release, but I must say, I did keep that one and enjoyed a wonderful dinner.
Now as for the lake conditions. There was very fine green algae throughout the lake. The algae was so fine that it clogged my speedometer port on my engine. If that ever happens on your vessel, the port is usually located on the back side of your lower unit. It can be cleaned gently with a small needle or a very small drill bit. Either tool is to be used by hand and only push in no more than 1/2 of an inch so as not to damage the venturi tube that connects to your speedometer. It should be done on land and not on the water for cautionary measures. I would not recommend fishing a Rapala, unless you use a F3 and get it down past the algae. Geary and Deanna fished for a few hours off the shore and caught a few nice rainbows down by the bathtub area. I talked with a couple anglers who made their way through and around the thick weeds and fished very successfully where Robinson and Buckeye creeks enter the lake. They were using inflated nightcrawlers. The lake level is still very high and always fishable, if you know what and how to use your baits correctly. We were fishing with lead core with a brown wooly bugger fly to bypass the algae and weeds. If you plan on going to Bridgeport Reservoir, call the Bridgeport Marina in advance to make reservations, and bring an extra can of gas with you, because the gas prices in Bridgeport are over $7 a gallon.
For more information call or stop by the Bridgeport Marina. And if you get a chance, tell Chase I said hello. Between there and now the weather has lightened up a little as far as thunder and lightning, but it is still hot out there. Make sure you bring plenty of water, sunscreen and a lot of patience on the road. Just with the various construction sights along the way. We added 30 minutes to our arrival time. As for our local area, I took a little time to get to most of the Alpine County fishing areas to give you this report.
CAPLES LAKE: The lake level is still up and holding. The CDFW planted the lake recently with catchable rainbow trout. A few anglers have been doing good with Rapalas deep off the dropoff in front of the resort. While others have been using small flashers and worms. Be watchful of the rocks, many are not marked with a buoy. Shore anglers have been doing fair by the dam area with salmon eggs or nightcrawlers. The resort is open for boat rentals and cabins. The EID day use area is open for boat launching. For more information, stop by the Caples Lake Resort.
RED LAKE: Not many anglers up there lately. Which may be due to the cautionary stage of the blue green algae on the lake right now. Do not allow pets to swim or drink out of the lake.
BLUE LAKES: The lake level is still high. The boat ramp is a little low, but usable. I spoke with a couple anglers this week while I was up there, and they caught their limit of nice rainbow trout. They were using small cowbells and a worm. The upper lake was not open to traffic but is accessible to hike into. The CDFW recently planted the upper lake with catchable rainbows. If you have never been up there. I would recommend taking a drive up and enjoying the beauty of the area. From Highway 88 it is about seven miles in on a paved road. Each turn is a picture postcard through Faith valley and along the west fork of the Carson River. There are a couple small campgrounds along the road, but also has many private primitive camping areas.
WOODS LAKE: The lake is planted a few times a year by the CDFW with catchable rainbows. They have a primitive camp area with many hiking trails.
INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: The campground is closed until possibly next year. They are working on getting the area back open for camping and boating. As of this week, they have not detected any blue green algae. But it’s always good to use a little caution and rinse your catch at home in fresh water before eating or freezing. Fishing has been spotty from day to day. The lake has rainbow and cutthroat trout as well as largemouth bass.
WEST FORK CARSON RIVER ALPINE COUNTY: The river is low but still vey fishable for those who don’t mind a little walking. Drifting salmon eggs into the deeper areas has been productive. Down in the Woodfords canyon area I saw a few small rainbows in the faster deeper waters. I spoke with one angler using a copper jon and a prince nymph and had been doing fair. The CDFW planted the river last week with catchable rainbows.
EAST FORK CARSON RIVER: The river is running low right now, but very fishable. The CDFW planted the river a week ago with catchable rainbows. I have not heard back from Alpine County to see when they will be planting fish. A few anglers have been catching some nice rainbows up to 3 pounds using green or salmon peach powerbait. A few fly anglers have been nymping the faster waters and doing well. As we get into August, they should be letting a little more water out of Kinney reservoir to raise the river up a bit. For more information stop by the Carson River Resort.
TOPAZ LAKE: The lake is still at a high level, the highest I have seen in a long time for this time of year. Fishing has been slow and a little tough. Trollers, you need to be on the water at 5 a.m. and start fishing shallows and work your way into deeper waters by 9-10 a.m. I would recommend the deep drop off on the south end of the lake. Flashers and a worm or an F3 or F5 perch Rapala.
I now plan to get out more now with the thunderstorms moving out of the area. I would also like to remind all anglers and campers, there are no campfires allowed out of designated campground areas. And smoking is only allowed in your vehicle or in a clear five foot circumference area anywhere in the sierras. Let us all be fire aware. Hope to see you on the waters soon. If you get a photo of your catch. Send it to sports@recordcourier.com. Until then, good fishin’ and tight lines.
