Doug 'Mac the Naw' Busey's Lake Tahoe and Sierra fishing report: Remembering a great angler and friend

Hello fellow anglers, Christmas is right around the corner soon followed by New Year's Day. Time seems to get away from us throughout the year, but when Christmas comes we all start to think about family and friends we have had over the years.

We get cards from people we've not heard from in years, who have, in some way, been an important part of our lives. A short story I would like to share with you about a person that has been a part of my life and how it has shaped many friendships.

As many anglers know, I have been fishing Indian Creek Reservoir for 20 years or more. Steve Lightfoot has been my fishing partner for all of those years. We've met many fellow anglers on our adventures, our two favorites were Jessie and George.

These two would tell us stories of their past fishing adventures, and in their stories were the greatest fishing tips we've ever received. Later on in life I met Deanna Lucier ( Steve's step daughter ) who in turn introduced me to her son Jonathan Guy, who Steve and I would take fishing with us at Indian Creek Reservoir and Red Lake.

At the age of 5, Jonathan had mastered the art of ice fishing, He would catch 5 fish before Steve or I could catch one. At that time Deanna was not an avid angler. Our friendships grew over the years to later be introduced to Geary Ness, Deanna's new boyfriend and avid fellow angler.

A year and half ago Geary and Deanna were married and I was introduced to Geary's grandfather George who is the same George I met at Indian Creek Reservoir 15 or more years earlier. We had a lot of catching up to do. And we have done so on many camping/fishing trips and barbecues we've shared together with the Ness family, the Guy family, along with the Lightfoot family and the Busey's.

But there is never enough time to completely catch up with life and the times you share with people. I am sorry to say, On Dec. 14, 2015 George Raymond Ness Jr. passed away. I had the privilege to know George, to be his friend, to learn from him with his lifetime of experience, and to listen to the best guitar picking angler I have ever heard. Thank you for being a part of my life. To George's family, I am proud to be counted as one of your friends. To all fellow anglers that read this. Make sure you tell that person who has made a difference in your life what they meant to you.

Now that winter is officially here on Dec. 21, lets check out our local fishing report:

LAKE TAHOE:
Mackinaw action has been good. Average fish has been 2-8 pounds with a few in the 9-15 pound range. Best areas have been Sugarpine Point and the Tahoe shelf near Tahoe City. Anglers have been using flashers and a live minnow or an occasional U20 silver/white Flatfish in 120 to 180 feet of water.
Later as the sun rises recommendation is to move to deeper water down to 280 feet. The top lining has been fair. Eric St Denis caught a 5 pound rainbow on a Rapala off Deadmans point. Also a report of a 5 pound brown was caught at Skunk Harbor. For more information or to book a charter on Lake Tahoe call Blue Ribbon Charters at 530-544-6552.

CAPLES LAKE:
The resort is open for winter and the snow has piled up. Last report was at 3-5 feet. Due to the snowy conditions, I have not had any reports of the ice condition. Most of the snow blows off of the lake. But that still means when we ice fish in January, we will be bringing the bigger shovel to get to the ice. For more information call the Caples Lake Resort at 209-258-8888.

RED LAKE:
A fellow angler told me there was about 2-4 feet of snow around the lake. They did not check the ice condition. I personally will wait until January to do some ice fishing. Finally I will be able to use my new snow shoes this year, that I bought 2 years ago.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR:
I fished the lake last week, walking three-quarters of the way around using spinners, spoons and Powerbait. Only in the last hour of fishing did I start to catch some nice rainbows. Most were caught on a rainbow pattern Thomas Buoyant spoon and couple on rainbow Powerbait.

I talked to a few other anglers who did not have any luck and left after 3 hours. Persistence does pay off. But I would like to address the people who use the lake for skeet shooting. While I was there, I picked up 85 shot gun shells and 16 spent 38 special casings from the shore of the lake. This is right where most anglers drive down to fish and launch their boats.

I also noticed that in the lake out as far as I could see, it looked like little orange land mines on the bottom of the lake. While hunting is allowed at Indian Creek Reservoir. Leaving your garbage is not. In fact it is in violation the of the California Fish and Wildlife code 5652.

It is a violation of state law to deposit rubbish, garbage, litter etc within 150 of state waters and may be punishable by fine and or possible incarceration. The shells are gone, but we have to live with looking at orange saucers in the lake.

I also do not know why any one would fire a pistol across an open lake. The game warden has been notified about this incident. If you decide to fish the lake remember that the paved road is not plowed and the dirt road off Diamond Valley can be muddy and slippery.

TOPAZ LAKE:
The lake will open to fishing on January 1, 2016. The Topaz Lodge fishing derby will be in full force. I will be on the lake the first week of January. Searching for the $100 tagged fish. The Topaz Marina as of now will not be open. The Douglas County campground and boat ramp will be open. I have not received any information on the lake level as of yet.

I will have a special Topaz lake report on Wednesday Dec. 30 with all updated information. For more information on lodging or the fishing derby call the Topaz Lodge at 775-266-3338.

Good luck on your next fishing adventure. If you get a picture of your catch you can send it to jeff@carsonnow.org. If you have any questions or have fishing report for our local area, call the Naw Line at 775-267-9722. Good Fish'n and tight lines.