Doug 'Mac the Naw' Busey's Lake Tahoe and Sierra area fishing report for week of Feb. 12

Hello fellow anglers, a lot of fishing going on around our area. But a word to this wise. Although we have had nice weather this last week, the higher mountain roads can be very dangerous if you are not paying attention. Just last week I drove up to Caples Lake to do some ice fishing and got caught ahead of a multi-vehicle crash near Kirkwood.

On the drive, four vehicles passed me as I was doing the speed limit. Those people thought it was just another spring drive on a beautiful mountain road.

As I went though Hope Valley, a sheriff's patrol vehicle came up behind me with flashing lights. I thought, "Oh he is after one of those speeders that passed me." Then came a fire truck. I figured an accident was up ahead. When I reached Caples Lake Resort, another fire engine was behind me.

As I rounded the bend in the road and pulled to the side, all traffic was stopped and cars everywhere. I realized this was not a small fender bender and found a way to turn around and went to Red Lake instead. I found out when I got home there had been a 16-car pile up. This possibly was caused by someone not paying attention to the driving conditions around them. Highway 88 has four to five foot snow drifts along the roadway.

During the day, the snow melts into the roadway and then freezes over night. Many areas of the road do not get direct sunlight, which in turn makes the road into an ice rink. If I had been speeding to get to my destination, I might have been right in the middle of that accident. Slow down, take your time. The fish will still be there when you arrive. Now let us check out our local fishing report.

LAKE TAHOE:
Mackinaw action has been good off the Tahoe shelf and the Cal/Neva point. Average fish has been 2 to 7 pounds with a couple in the 11 pound range. Trollers have been dragging the bottom in 130 to 180 feet of water with flashers and a live minnow. Top linning has been fair around Eagles Point or Deadman's Point. Anglers have been successful with 3-1/3 to 5 inch Rapalas. Best patterns have been silver and black or rainbow. For more information call Blue Ribbon Fishing Charters at 530-544-6552.

CAPLES LAKE:
The ice is about 4 feet with 12 to 18 inches of snow on top. Most anglers have been using gold Kastmasters to jig or fresh water shrimp. Drew Meteer from the resort caught a 20-inch mackinaw this week. Cub Wolfe and Tom Grothous from Smith Valley, Nev., caught 3 mackinaws from 15 to 21 inches. A couple weeks ago Chris Leake and friends from Clovis, Calif., caught a 22-inch and a 28-inch mackinaw and an 18-inch rainbow. Be prepared to put your gear on as there is a 3 to 4 foot berm of snow when you arrive. For more information call the Caples Lake Resort at 209-258-8888. The resort also has cabin rentals available throughout the season. Also note, the resort has only one entrance and exit due to the snow conditions. The main entrance and parking area is under 5 feet of snow as of last weekend.

RED LAKE:
The parking area is plowed and as a reminder, no trailers are allowed to park behind the dam area. The lake has about 4 feet of ice with 18 inches of snow on top of that. At the end of the parking area is some snow stairs that someone has built to make the trek to the top of the dam a little easier. It is also where for some reason, people have taken their dogs to do their business. So be careful for little land mines when you step up. There was about 35 people enjoying Red Lake last Saturday afternoon. I spoke to a few anglers and I only heard of three fish caught during my three hour fishing adventure. I was not one of those lucky anglers.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR:
The lake is thawed and fishing has been spotty. The dirt road off Diamond Valley is a muddy in a few areas while the paved road is open all the way in. The county and a few locals have also been plowing the paved road after each storm. But always use caution, there are a few areas where the sunlight does not see the pavement. For more information call the Creekside Lodge at 530-694-2511.

TOPAZ LAKE:
The lake is rising slowly. The largest fish weighed in for the derby last week was a 4.6 pound tagged rainbow and the second largest was a 4.03 pound tagged rainbow, both anglers remain anonymous.

There were five tagged fish brought in, and 40 trout over 2 pounds. One angler, Scott Clark, caught a 3.10 pound rainbow. Most have been using Powerbait or night crawlers. I fished with Paul Aguilera last week and we trolled Rapalas until it was time for Super Bowl 50.

We had many long distant releases caught a couple nice fish. The Topaz Marina is not open as of last week. I talked to Chuck Fields last week and he is working on getting the rental boats out. The Douglas County Park is open for shore fishing and the boat launch is open with plenty of water. Right now they still only have the one ramp in use. For more information on lodge reservations or the derby call Topaz Lodge at 775-266-3338.

MASON VALLEY WILDLIFE AREA:
Located outside of Yerington, the wildlife area will open for fishing Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The areas open will be: Hinkson Slough, North Pond and the Fort Church Hill Cooling ponds. Check your regulations for special restrictions in this area. Also as an added bonus, the Nevada Department of Wildlife has planted these three areas with rainbow trout.
Good luck on your next fishing adventure. If you have a question or a report in our local fishing world call the Naw Line at 775-267-9722. Have picture of your catch, send it to jeff@carsonnow.org. See you on the waters. Good fishin and tight lines.