Outdoors with Don Q: California fishing season begins Saturday

This is my annual reminder that it’s almost time to have fun fishing in the Golden State once again. On Saturday, April 25 the 2015 fishing season will open for all applicable lakes, reservoirs, streams, creeks and rivers in the State of California.

That season will then remain open until Saturday, Nov. 15. If you’re new to this area, here’s some information that can be useful if you would like to fish on that Opening Day or for the entire Opening Weekend:

High Mountain Passes are open for travel but drivers take note: Snow is in the forecast over passes slated to open by Saturday. The National Weather Service in Reno says up to a foot in the higher elevations. Go here for the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Reno.
The near-to-total-lack of snow in the high country has resulted in Ebbetts, Kit Carson, Monitor and Sonora Passes being open to vehicle travel, which is unreal for this early in the year. 
Some of the nearby streams, creeks and rivers that will open:

The West Carson River, the East Carson River, the West Walker River, the East Walker River, the Little Walker River, the Truckee River, Bishop Creek, Buckeye Creek, Convict Creek, Red Creek, Robinson Creek, Rush Creek, et al, will open, just to name a few of many moving waters.

Moving waters affected by the drought:
However, be advised that many, if not all, of the creeks and rivers listed above have been adversely affected by our prolonged drought. You would be well advised to switch to lakes or reservoirs for the Opener.

Some of the nearby lakes, reservoirs and ponds that will open:
Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Lake, Crowley Lake, Intake No. 2, June Lake Loop (Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake and Silver Lake), Lundy Lake, Mammoth Lakes Basin, North Lake, Sabrina Lake, South Lake, Upper Twin Lake and Lower Twin Lake, Virginia Lakes area, Weir Pond, etc. are some of the many that will be opening.

Lakes and reservoirs affected by the drought:
Boca Reservoir, Bridgeport Reservoir, Grant Lake, South Lake and Stampede Reservoir are just some that are at or near record low levels. Heck, even Lake Tahoe has dropped below its natural rim.

Your best bet for fishing lakes and reservoirs:
If you have a boat, a good choice will be either Upper Twin Lake or Lower Twin Lake, about 15 miles west of Bridgeport via a paved road. The last two California state record brown trout (25+ pounds) came from each of those two lakes. And, who knows, with lots of luck (and a little bit of skill), you might be the one to break that record at either lake.

Try trolling with silver flashers and lures along the deep drop-offs on the back sides of both lakes. You’ll have plenty of other boats and shore fishermen for company.

Huge crowds:
If the weather is decent and warm, you can expect to encounter huge crowds of Opening Day and Opening Weekend fishermen all along the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, no matter where you go.
Part of the reason for the big crowds is that many of the waters in Inyo and Mono Counties will have been planted with thousands of rainbow trout by the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

Closer to home, some Alpine County waters will have been planted by the Alpine County Fish Commission, which receives its rainbow trout from a private hatchery in Susanville. Those trout can run up to 7-8-9 pounds.
So, there will be some nice trophies waiting for some lucky anglers.

If you do plan to fish any of those waters, don’t say that you weren’t warned about crowded conditions, both on shore and out on the water.

Nearby walk-in waters that will open:
The opening of the fishing season also means that hikers and backpackers will be able to fish at countless, backcountry lakes such as: Burro, East, Fremont, Gilman, Upper and Lower Hover, Lane, Nutter, Upper and Middle and Lower Par Value, Poore, Roosevelt, Secret and West, plus many others.

Finally:
If you go on Opening Day or for the Opening Weekend, good luck to you. No matter where you go, it’ll be fun to be fishing again in the Golden State.

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can’t tell you where Elaine and I will be on the 2015 Opening Day of the California fishing season. If he grins and says, "They are planning to fish at Davis Lake (north of Portola), which is open year-round and does not attract big Opening Day hordes of fishermen," he could be one of our regular fishing partners.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor of Carson Now. Don's wife, Elaine, is the Outdoor photographer. They live in Carson City and can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.