BLUE LAKES AREA, CALIF: Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (530-694-2930): "Super Bowl weekend is always quiet, up here. There was no one here. Everyone was hiding on Sunday. We had a few snowmobilers on Sunday morning but they were all back home by 3 p.m.
CAPLES LAKE, CALIF: Doug Busey of Douglas County reported that the ice thickness is about the same as at Red Lake: About 1.5 feet thick, under about 2 feet of compacted snow. He says that you need an extension on your ice auger.
DAVE LAKE, CALIF: Last Saturday, there was a mix of thin ice and open water. The thickest ice was at the dam, but appeared to be too thin to venture out onto.
INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR, CALIF: Dave Kirby reported that there were a few fishermen, but no reports of anyone catching any fish.
With the warm weather forecast for this week, he says that there should be good fishing.
LAHONTAN RESERVOIR, NEV: Missy Swain at Burke's Market at Silver Springs (775-577-2750): It's absolutely beautiful, today (Tuesday). Not a breeze and a ton of sunshine. The water level is tremendous and this warm weather will keep filling up the reservoir. No fishing reports, as the weather needs to warm up a little more. In fact, I'm hugging the wood burner, right now."
PYRAMID LAKE, NEV: George Molino of the Pyramid Lake Store and Pyramid Lake Charters (775-476-0555) reported: "I haven't been out too much due to the wind and now with the high pressure in the area.
On Feb. 1, Bob Nacamaura caught a 4.5 pounder while spincasting with a spoon.
On Feb. 3, Linda Clem of Reno caught a 9.75 pounder while spincasting with a spoon.
Overall the fishing has been pretty good from both shore and boats.
"The Nets" is probably your best place, right now, because it is that time of the year when the fish are moving back into shore.
There have been quite a few fishermen at that place."
RED LAKE, CALIF: Doug Busey reported ice fishing on Super Bowl Sunday.
The weather was gorgeous, with lots of sunshine, and there were only five anglers on the entire lake.
He caught a limit of 3 brookies and 2 cutthroat.
He was using worms in one hole (5 feet of water) and a Kastmaster lure in another hole (16 feet of water).
The ice is about 1.5 feet thick, under about 2 feet of compacted snow. He says that you need an extension on your ice auger.
SACRAMENTO RIVER: Hank Mautz of Professional Guide Services (800) 355-3113 or www.davejocobsfishing.com: The Sacramento River is unfishable due to high flows from Keswick Dam, but should be fishable in the near future. The river is currently at 30,000 C.F.S.
SACRAMENTO RIVER: Kirk Portocarrero of Outdoor Adventures Sport Fishing, Redding, Calif. (800-670-4448: Water flows are currently at 30,000 CFS.
Have been drifting the Redding to Anderson stretch for wild rainbows.
Practicing all "catch and release."
Fly fishing is fair to good, using No. 14 or No 16 Prince nymphs, No. 16 Micro Mayfly nymphs and Fox's Poopahs.
March and April are great months to catch huge wild rainbows on the lower Sacramento River. This one of the best areas in Northern California.
As spring approaches, so does warmer temperatures, meaning very productive trout fishing.
SHASTA LAKE, CALIF: Kirk Portocarrero: Still a little cold for any productive trout fishing or salmon. Picking up a few trout near the surface to 30 ft.
McCloud Arm is best bet, trolling, using bright colored lures on these overcast days.
Watch for fishing to improve as we move towards March and April, as temperatures will get a warmer and trout fishing productivity will increase.
SMITH RIVER, CALIF: Kirk Portocarrero: "Weather clearing a bit. Water lower today at 13 feet, and expected to get lower. Fishing is good, after getting rain over the weekend. Currently catching nice, chrome Steelhead, 4 to 8 fish a day. Roe has been working well. Also using lures."
SMITH RIVER, CALIF: Hank Mautz: Even though the Smith River was high and colored up this past week, fishing for chrome bright Smith River Steelhead continues to kick out beautiful Steelhead averaging 8 to 11 pounds.
Various techniques prove to be the ticket to get hook ups on a daily basis.
Some of these techniques include hot shotting with NO. 30 or No. 35 Hot Shots in well defined traveled water, or side drifting both from a boat or from the bank and making multiple drifts.
A third method would be fishing stationary from either the bank or drift boat with a piece of roe and a bright colored spin-n-Glo and a piece of roe.
Look for hot pink and white winged spin-n-glos for high colored water.
Anglers should note this technique called plunking can be very productive.
Steelhead anglers looking to pursue Smith River Steelhead can expect much lower and clearer water conditions starting Sunday February 6 through Sunday February 12th as weather forecast for the Crescent City area is calling for partly cloudy to sunny skies for the upcoming week.
Currently the Smith River is at 19.10 as of 8:00 p.m. on Sunday 2/5 and dropping fast.
Anglers looking to fish the south fork Smith River can expect colored up water for the next couple of days due to a recurring slide earlier this season.
LAKE TAHOE - North Shore:
Mickey Daniels of Mickey's Big Mack Charters (800-877-1462): "The fishing has been good.
We have been getting our Mackinaw trout early in the morning, and tagging and releasing the smaller ones.
We have been catching lots of fish, but nothing big.
I've been trolling 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 - North Shore:
Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters and Tahoe Trophy Trout at South Lake Tahoe, Calif. (530-544-6552): "Good limits on every trip with the good weather. We have been trolling for Macks with silver Herring Dodger flasher blades and live minnows at depths of 120-280 feet, along the edges of the drop-offs. The fishing has been slow to excellent, dependent on the wind. I've been fishing Agate Bay, Cal Neva Point and Dollar Point. The Macks are running 2-7 pounds. The biggest last week was 8.5 pounds."
LAKE TAHOE - South Shore: Gene St. Denis: "Fishing has been slow to excellent, dependent on the wind. I've been trolling at Ski Run Mound, Ski Run Shelf and Camp Richardson.
We have been trolling 180-300 feet deep with silver Herring Dodger flasher blades and live minnows.
Friday, I went out along and caught my 6th Mack of the year that weighed more than 15 pounds. It was 16.6 pounds (35 inches). One hour later, I caught a 10.2 pound brown (a Loch Leven female). Both fish were taken on AC Plug-type lures, off the Ski Run Shelf."
LAKE TAHOE - East Shore: Gene St. Denis: "Shore fishing and toplining are producing an occasional rainbow (up to 6 pounds) and mostly Macks in the 2-15 pound range.
TOPAZ LAKE: Chuck Fields of the Topaz Lake Marina (775) 266-3550 reported: "It was a pretty good week, fishing and weatherwise, but the wind did blow on Saturday.
Don Richter of Modesto caught a 5-pound, 2-ounce rainbow on the 3rd, trolling an orange Rapala lure. His brother, Gary, caught a 2-pound, 7-ounce rainbow, also on a Rapala lure.
On Jan. 31, Tom Garcia of Gardnerville caught 4 fish totaling 11-pounds, 7-ounces. The largest was 4-pounds, 9-ounces. He was trolling Thomas Buoyant lures at the south end of the lake.
There was a 5-pound, 10-ounce tagged fish caught off the north shore with Power Bait.
WILDHORSE RESERVOIR, NEV: Dennis Dunn at the Wild Horse Resort (775) 758-6472: "Man, is it every cold, up here.
It got down to -26 degrees last night, and it is only -4, right now (Monday at 10 a.m.).
The ice is at least 2 feet thick and the fishermen are catching lots of perch and some big trout.
The trout are about 6-8 feet below the ice and the perch are down about 20-30 feet.
Fish for the trout with lures like Kastmaster or with nightcrawler and slowly jig, up and down.
Fish for the perch with small, white-colored, lead-head jigs with a plastic tail, together with a mealworm or party-sized marshmallow on the hook. Drop that combination down to the bottom, bring it up about 1-2 turns on the reel handle and slowly jig, up and down."