Fishing is excellent on Lake Tahoe, especially for Mackinaw

Hello fellow anglers.

Fishing has picked up for some local lakes and dropped off for others. But just a reminder to get us all in a good mood: Mark your calendar for March 8 because that will be the day we turn our clocks ahead this year. That is less than a month away.

Now for some local reports in our fishing world:

LAKE TAHOE: Fishing has been excellent, reports guide Gene St. Denis. Trolling at Cal/Neva and Sugar Pine points have been most productive. Work it in 80 to 280 feet of water and get your presentation right down on the bottom. Average Mac has been 2 to 6 pounds with a couple in the 9- and 10-pound class. Gene has reported limits on a daily basis. Rainbow and brown action, on the other hand, has been slow. For more information, call Blue Ribbon Charters at 530- 544-6552.

CAPLES LAKE: The ice is only 14 to 16 inches thick, which is very unusual for this time of year. There is a base of 2 to 5 feet around the lodge area. A few anglers have ventured out around the dam area to Woods Creek. In the last 1.5 weeks, anglers have caught an 8-, 10-, and a 13-pound Mackinaw trout as well as a few rainbow trout. Most anglers have been using night crawlers; some have been using small silver spoons jigging right off the bottom. Just a note, the resort is open for cabin rentals and discount ski passes for guests. Why not go fishing for a day and ski the next? For more info, call the Caples Lake resort at 209-258-8888.

RED LAKE: The lake as of last Sunday had about 16 inches of ice coverage. Anglers were doing fair with worms or jigging gold Kastmaster lures. Please always use caution when venturing out on frozen bodies of water. This time of year is especially perilous with our temperatures not staying around the freezing mark during the day. And always take a buddy or tell someone where you are going and when you will return.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: As of last Saturday the fishing was fair to good; Average fish being caught was around 13 to 16 inches. I talked to a few anglers who had done well using half a night crawler casting closer to shore. One angler showed me a very impressive picture of his catch earlier in the week. We both guesstimated 7 pounds. On Sunday, Renee joined me to catch Super Bowl supper. Same scenario, fishing was good. But to give you a helpful hint, if you do not get a bite in 20 to 30 minutes, move over 10 feet, it will make a difference. I watched one angler most of the afternoon catch his limit, while two anglers 30 feet to his left never received a bite. Best bait of the day was half a crawler and a dip bait or salmon peach power bait. Meanwhile, the fly-anglers had good success with olive wooly bugger or copper john flies. Also as a note, Sunday when we left with our dinner, the lake was 98 percent ice free and there was a slight cloudiness to the water, but mostly weed free on the north end where we fished.

TOPAZ LAKE DERBY: I received no reports from the general store this week. As of Jan. 27, the following were the lucky anglers for that week: George Ness, a local, 4.5-pounder on power eggs; Ken Robertson, of Yerington, 4.4-pounder on worms; Don Romine, of Gardnerville, 3.6-pounder trolling a triple teezer lure; Ken Dines, a local, 3.1-pounder on worms; and Jeff Dines, Topaz Ranch Estates, 2-pounder.

TOPAZ LAKE: Linda Fields told me that very few anglers have been out, despite the great weather. In fact, last Saturday there wasn't one boat one the lake that she could see. Unfortunately, the fishing has not been good this week. The lake has risen a little with the rain and runoff received the week before. And as for my own fishing adventures last week, I am not one of the weekly anglers to report. But I had a great experience fishing and feasting at the lodge. A win-win situation. For more information, call the Topaz Marina at 775-266-3550.

CARSON RIVER EAST FORK: Just past Markleeville, from Hangman's Bridge down to the Nevada state line is open to catch and release all year. Artificial lures and flies only. As a reminder, the Carson River Resort is open for lodging all year. For more information, call 877-694-2229.

Hope this helps you on your next fishing trip. As the weather gets better I will be adding more places to fish in this report. If you have any questions in our fishing world call the Naw line at 775-267-9722.

If you get a photo of your catch, e-mail it to sports@nevadaappeal.com.

And for those of you that think the Naw just writes and doesn't fish, Look around. I might be right next to you. Just look for the sign of the fshnfol.

Good fishin and tight lines.