Topaz Lake opening day lures hundreds of anglers

At least 200 boats were launched at Topaz Lake on New Year's Day for the opening day of fishing.

Taking advantage of the sunny day, anglers participated in the annual Topaz Fishing Derby, which runs Monday through April 15.

Chuck and Linda Fields, owners of the Topaz Landing and Marina, said the boats launched from points at Douglas County campgrounds and the Topaz Landing, as anglers from as far away as Southern California came to the lake for the annual event.

"It's just beauteous," Linda Fields said as she signed up participants in their "derby within a derby" at the landing. "The sun is shining, it's just beautiful. They're catching fish, the jetty is full, and there is no w-i-n-d. We just spell that word out, we don't say it."

The landing runs a private derby within the Topaz Lake derby on opening day. Each participant puts $5 into a winner-takes-all pot and at 3 p.m. the angler recording the largest fish of the day wins the entire pot. This year the award was $380.

Palmdale, Calif., resident Sam Alexander hooked a 7 pound, 14 ounce rainbow.

The largest catch of the day won the main, $380 opening-day derby and had a tagged value of $500 from Topaz Lodge and Casino.

Other tagged fish winners were Clarence Cunha, of Carson City, with a $500 blue tag weighing in at 4 pounds 4 ounces, Louis Zeni, of Gardnerville, with a $500 blue tag weighing in at 7 pounds. Zeni's fishing partner Ken Trumpower, also of Gardnerville, hooked two tagged fish, a 4-pound, 15-ounce orange tag for $50 and a 4-pound, 15-ounce $250 green-tagged rainbow. William Gibbs of Wellington took a 3-pound, 4-ounce catch, and Herb Simms, of Minden, caught a 4-pound, 9-ounce trout; both won $50 for their orange-tagged rainbows. Richard Tucker, of Wellington, won $100 for his pink-tagged 6-pound 8-ounce rainbow. Phil Hoffman, of South Lake Tahoe, won $100 plus a first-tagged catch bonus of $25 for his 1-pounder.

The derby continues through April 15.