Fishing Report: Last chance to fish certain waters before winter closures, NDOW plants continue
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Fri, 11/05/2021 - 10:42am
Hello fellow anglers. We have some changes going on which are coming real soon.
The first would be changing our clocks back on Saturday night. Yes it is sad, we will lose an hour of fishing in the evening, but you have a little more time in the morning of light to get to your destination.
Now on Nov. 16, regulations will change for all areas in California. The lakes east of highway 395 in Mono County will close for the season. This will include Bridgeport Reservoir.
Most rivers and streams in California will remain open to fishing with special regulation changes such as catch and release, artificial lures or flys with barbless hooks, and a zero limit.
Check the California regulations online for each body of water you fish to make sure you are obeying the new changes.
Reminder, there are no printed editions of the regulations in stores for California, you must go online to verify your regulations for the area you are fishing. One other note to remember: many BLM areas in Alpine County are still closed due to the Caldor and the Tamarack Fire and are scheduled to open on Nov. 30.
LAKE TAHOE: Mackinaw are in full spawn mode. Larger fish from 4-10 lbs are being caught from 140-220 ft down across the south shore. Smaller immature mackinaw have moved up and fish from 1-3 lbs can be caught in 20-40 ft water as they are corralling bait. The larger fish are full of eggs and milt and meat is off color. Smaller fish not mature to spawn are nice, firm meat and much better to harvest for table fare. Rainbows, Browns, and the stocked Cutthroat seemed to really back off with the large storm we had. Many mature trout went into river systems to spawn or follow the spawning fish. Including the Kokanee which have been observed in Taylor, Upper Truckee, Trout creek and also large shore schools by chimney beach. For more information call Tahoe Toplinners at 530-721-0593.
TAYLOR CREEK, UPPER TRUCKEE RIVER, TROUT CREEK: All located on the South end of Lake Tahoe are closed to fishing until the 2022 season.
CAPLES LAKE: The lake level has come up a few feet with the last few storms. The fishing reports have been slow to come in. The Caples Lake Resort has closed for the season. I talked with Joe Voss from the resort, and he saw a few large fish cruising the shore by the dam. Most of the snow on the north side of the lake has melted. The ice should be starting to form within the next month or so. This is a good time to get up and throw some kastmasters or a night crawler off the shore.
BLUE LAKES: The road is closed at the 1st gate.
BURNSIDE LAKE: The road was open as of last report on Oct. 22, but will close at a moment's notice. Use caution if you venture in.
RED LAKE: The lake has started to get a little ice around the edges in the morning, but it melts off in the afternoon. I will be waiting for 8 inches of ice around mid to end of December to start the winter ice fishing festivities.
WOODS LAKE: Closed for the season.
INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: The area from Diamond valley Rd to airport Rd is closed due to the Tamarack fire and is scheduled to open on Nov. 30.
CARSON RIVER WEST FORK CALIFORNIA SIDE: The water was running low but the fishing is still active. Joe Voss fished the Woodfords Canyon area with an indicator and a dropper and caught a few nice rainbows. Regulations change on Nov. 16 to catch and release artificial lures or fly with barbless hooks, zero limit.
CARSON RIVER EAST FORK CALIFORNIA SIDE: The river has cleared up after the rains we had last week. Many anglers have been doing well with mice tails or salmon eggs. Regulations change on November 16th to artificial lures or flys only with barbless hooks, zero limit. I would highly recommend doing some late fall/winter fishing. For more information, stop by the Carson River Resort. Note: The BLM area from the Carson River Resort downstream to the Nevada state line is still closed due to the Tamarack fire.
HEENAN LAKE: The lake will remain open until Nov. 30. Catch and release artificial lures or flys only, zero limit. This is only if Monitor Pass is open.
TOPAZ LAKE: I spoke with the Topaz Lodge and they will not be having their annual fishing derby this year. The lake level has come up with our recent rainfall. The NDOW has planted the lake this week with 9500 rainbow trout. Fishing has been good to fair with our ever changing weather patterns. The Douglas County boat ramp is open. Reminder to those who may not know: Topaz lake is now open all year to fishing, but we still plan to bring in the New Year as we usually do, hope to see you there.
BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR: The lake level is still down, but has come up a few feet over the last two weeks. I fished last weekend with Tom Blotter of Minden, NV. We started at 7:30 a.m. and fished until 2 p.m. We caught a few nice browns and a couple rainbows using Rapalas. The lake was flat and the fishing was slow. Some shore anglers were fishing down by the dam and reported the conditions. The lake will close on Nov. 16. The Bridgeport Marina is still renting boats, but will start to shut down for the season after closing day. For more information, stop by the Bridgeport Marina and Campground.
NDOW FISH PLANTS: Baily Pond, Mitch Pond, Seamans Pond, Topaz Lake.
Good luck on your next fishing adventure. If you get a picture of your catch. Send it to kelsey@carsonnow.org
Hope to see you on the waters soon. Good fishin' and tight lines.
