Topaz Lake opens on Saturday morning

Topaz Lake, which is located on the Nevada-California Stateline, along U.S. 395, will open for the 2000 fishing season, one hour before sunrise on Saturday.

If you would like to participate in that opener and if you have never fished at Topaz Lake, here is some information that might be helpful to you:

- To reach the lake, take U.S. 395 south from the Carson City area for about 40 miles.

Once you're there, you can fish equally as well from shore, a float tube or a boat.

- From shore: your best locations to catch fish will be along the north end or along the highway side of the lake. Try different colors of Power Bait or nightcrawlers, fished right on the bottom. If you like to spincast, take small lures such as Daredevils, TOR-P-DO's, Kastmasters, Super Duper, etc.

- From a float tube: fly fish with small flies such as hares' ears, Prince Nymph or stone flies.

- From a boat: you might want to slowly troll along the shoreline on the far side of the lake or near the rocky point by the Douglas County Campground. Slowly troll with silver flasher blades plus nightcrawlers or with lures such as a black/gold or black/silver, No. 5 Count-Down Rapala. If you're lazy, you might want to anchor your boat and bottom fish on the south end of the lake, near the mouth of the West Walker River. Fish with Power Bait or with nightcrawlers.

- You'll catch German brown trout and rainbow trout, up to about 5-6 pounds. However, the average size will be much closer to about 1-2 pounds each. There are also a few Tiger trout, which is a hybrid crossbreed between a male Eastern brook trout and a female German brown trout.

- Topaz Lake will remain open to fishing until Sept. 30.

Note: The lake limit is five trout, 10 mountain whitefish and 15 warmwater game fish, of which not more than five may be black bass.

Also, the area within a 100-yard radius of the Topaz Marina is closed to fishing.

For information, call the Fisheries Bureau of the Nevada Division of Wildlife in Reno at 688-1500 during regular hours, Chuck or Linda Fields of the Topaz Lake Marina at (775) 266-3550 or the Topaz Lodge at (775) 266-3338.