Note: This will be the last weekly fishing report until May 1.
A 6.6 pound rainbow trout
caught at Frenchman Reservoir
LAKE ALMANOR: No report.
-- LAKE ALPINE: The Ebbett's Pass Road (Calif. S.R. 4) is closed for the winter.
BLUE LAKES (UPPER AND LOWER): No report.
BOCA RESERVOIR: No report.
BURNSIDE LAKE: No report.
CAPLES LAKE: No report.
-- CARSON RIVER (WOODFORDS, CALIF. AREA:): A report of two fishermen who received tickets for fishing in the river over the weekend. The Carson River in California is closed to fishing until the last Saturday in April.
CRATER LAKE (Near Kit Carson Pass): No report.
DAVIS LAKE: No report.
FORT CHURCHILL COOLING PONDS: No report.
-- FRENCHMAN RESERVOIR: Shirley and Richard Wiggin of Wiggin's Trading Post at Chilcoot (530-993-4683) checked in with this report: Spring fishing is now in full swing. Bank fishermen are doing well in the cove areas of the lake. They are floating nightcrawlers off the bottom. Various colors of Power Bait are also working well.
On March 27, two California fishermen caught a 6.5 pound rainbow trout while trolling near shore between Frenchman's Boat Ramp and Crystal Point. They were using Krocodile lures. Fly fishermen are seeing good results with either olive or brown-colored Woolly Bugger flies. Both boat ramps are open and the road around the lake is in fairly good shape. There is still some snow in the shady areas.
FROG LAKE: No report.
HINKSON SLOUGH (On the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area): No report.
-- INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (530) 694-2930 (after 10 a.m.). gave this report: A fly fisherman caught and released one 5-pounder and two 1.5 pound rainbows. He was using a float tube and Woolly Bugger flies. The bait fishermen also did very well with Power Bait or inflated nightcrawlers. We saw four limits checked in, with none of the trout over 2 pounds.
-- Summit Lake (above Indian Creek Reservoir): The ice is completely gone. Fly fishermen are doing very well. They are using float tubes and sinking lines with either Woolly Bugger flies or Scuds. The rainbow trout are reportedly schooling in the shallow areas of the lake. There was a total of one 3-pound and four 1-1.5 pound rainbows caught and released by two fly anglers.
-- KINNEY RESERVOIR: The Ebbett's Pass Road (Calif. S.R. 4) is closed for the winter.
LAHONTAN RESERVOIR: No report.
NORTH POND: Closed.
PYRAMID LAKE: No report.
RED LAKE: No report.
-- SACRAMENTO RIVER: Kirk Portocarrero of Outdoor Adventures Sport Fishing in Redding, Calif. (800) 670-4448: Redding to Anderson: The rainbow trout fishing is fair to good with 10-20 fish per day, all catch and release. River is at 4,000 C.F.S. and steady. Water is low and clear. Late afternoon has been best. Good bug hatch with the warm weather. Temps in the 80's, all week. Fishing with spinning gear with Flatfish lures and Glo-Bugs. Fly fishing with Nymphs, Glo-Bugs and Fox Poopahs No. 14. Working the area from the Posse Grounds to Anderson River Park.
SILVER LAKE: No report.
-- SHASTA LAKE: Kirk Portocarrero: Weather is beautiful. Fishing is fair to good. Trolling for rainbow trout and King Salmon in the Sacramento Arm of the lake. Using Shad pattern lures. Bass fishing is good. Using rubber worms, crank baits and spinner baits.
STAMPEDE RESERVOIR: No report.
LAKE TAHOE - North Shore:
-- Mickey Daniels of Mickey's Big Mack Charters (800-877-1462): See today's column by Don Quilici.
-- Gene St. Denis of Tahoe Trophy Trout at South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (530-544-6552): "The Mack fishing has been slow but steady. I've been working off of Cal-Neva Point and Dollar Point. Our best action has been with silver-colored, Herring Dodger flasher blades with live minnows. We have been getting 4-9 fish per trip with the largest last week being 8.5 pounds. The minnows are now in medium-shallow water (about 30 feet deep)."
-- LAKE TAHOE - South Shore: Gene St. Denis said: "Just like the rest of the lake: Mack fishing is slow but steady. The best fishing has been early in the morning in front of Ski Run Blvd. or the Edgewood Golf Course. The best action has been jigging with white Herring jigs tipped with minnows in water that is 120-200 feet deep."
-- LAKE TAHOE -- East Shore: Gene St. Denis said: "The Mack fishing has been slow at Cave Rock Shelf. We've been trolling at depths of 200-300 feet with silver-colored, Herring Dodger flasher blades and live minnows. Toplining for rainbows and German browns has been slow in the afternoons, poor in the mornings. We've been picking up some rainbows, up to about 4 pounds. A shore fisherman at Cave Rock Landing caught a 6 pound rainbow on a worm."
-- TOPAZ LAKE: Linda Fields of the Topaz Lake Marina (775-266-3550) reported, "The fishing has finally picked up, with the nice weather. Yesterday was really good. There were lots of shore fishermen and lots of boats, even for an Easter Sunday. The boaters were doing very well with different types of lures, such as Rapala, Kastmaster and Needlefish. One boat caught and released more than 20 rainbow trout. The fish were running up to about 18 inches. We had a report of a 5-pound rainbow that was turned in at the Topaz Lodge. The best fishing has been later in the morning. The shore fishermen are using bait like red salmon eggs, nightcrawlers or Power Bait. The boaters are trolling about 150-200 feet off shore and at a depth of about 10 feet."
WALKER LAKE: No report.
WALKER RIVERS (EAST-WEST-LITTLE):
East Walker (Nev.): No report.
West Walker (Nev.): No report.
WASHOE LAKE: No report.
WEBER RESERVOIR: No report.
-- WILDHORSE RESERVOIR: Dennis Dunn of the Wild Horse Resort (775-758-6472) gave this report, "It's sunny, nice and warm and the snow and ice are really going fast, now. Heck, it's 40 degrees, right now (Monday morning). The reservoir has open water showing around the edges and there is open water fishing in the Hot Creek area. Now is the time of the year to catch the big rainbows in that area. Whatever you do, do not venture out on the ice, it's too thin. They are catching lots of perch, as usual, up to about 11 inches. The fishermen are using small, white, plastic Crappie jigs with the hook tipped with either a piece of worm or mealworm. The mealworm is working the best."
WINNEMUCCA LAKE: No report.