Alpine County

The lightning-caused Washington Fire that started June 19 in Alpine County south of Markleeville is 90 percent contained as of Friday morning, fire officials said.

Mop-up and repairing areas damaged by various suppression activities will continue through the weekend within the fire’s perimeter, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center.

UPDATE 6:10PM: A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for South Central Washoe County, Northwestern Lyon County and Storey County until 9 p.m. At 5:58 PM Doppler radar indicated a thunderstorm producing heavy rain across the area. A flash Flood is expected within the areas.
***
Another series of strong thunderstorms have developed south of Carson City along the Eastern Sierra and Highway 395 corridor this afternoon and appear to be pushing northward, bringing heavy rain and the potential for flooding, a National Weather Service forecaster said.

State Highway 4 through Markleeville, south over Ebbetts Pass, is now open for through traffic only. This comes after a day of progress for firefighters battling the Washington Fire in Alpine County. The Bureau of Land Management said that as of 9 a.m. Sunday firefighters had reached 37 percent containment, with the fire burning 17,697 acres.

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — Firefighters on the Washington Fire, 3 miles south of Markleeville, California continued to optimize lower wind conditions to increase containment.

Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch reports significant progress was made Thursday towards containing the western flank of the fire south of Markleeville. The fire, named after the Lady Washington Mine near the origination point, has burned 16,490 acres and is now 15 percent contained.

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — UPDATE 7:30 a.m., Thursday: Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch reports firefighters made progress for the second consecutive day Wednesday on the 17,205-acre Washington Fire eight miles south of Markleeville, Calif.

Firefighters upped the containment of the fire to 10 percent on the sixth day of suppression efforts. The primary tactical priority continues to be preventing the fire from reaching Markleeville. The next priorities are to contain the fire in the Wolf Creek and Monitor Pass areas.

Carson City Health and Human Services has been receiving several calls about the impact of the smoke from the Washington Fire in Alpine County, Calif. Smoke from wildfires is a mixture of gases and fine particles from burning trees and other plant materials.

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — UPDATE 6:30 a.m.: Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch reports firefighters made progress Tuesday on the 16,553-acre Washington Fire eight miles south of Markleeville, Calif. Lighter winds and conditions more conducive to aggressive ground and air suppression helped crews contain five percent of the fire by the end of the day.

Tinder-dry vegetation, exceptional drought conditions, increasing daytime temperatures and several human-caused fires have prompted multiple agencies to implement fire restrictions beginning Friday on public land throughout western Nevada.

Tinder-dry vegetation, exceptional drought conditions, increasing daytime temperatures and several human-caused fires have prompted multiple agencies to implement fire restrictions beginning Friday on public land throughout western Nevada.

UPDATE 10AM TUESDAY: Washington Fire swells to 16,544 acres. Crews are working to construct a containment line south of Highway 89 and north of Highway 4 to prevent the fire from spreading toward Markleeville. Smoke continues to waft into Carson Valley and Carson City.
***
GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — UPDATE 5 a.m., Tuesday, June 23: Smoke from the Washington Fire in Alpine County drifted over Carson Valley early Tuesday morning, plunging air quality into the “very unhealthy” range, according to the Nevada Division of Environmental protection.

UPDATE: Washington Fire near Markleeville in Alpine County, Calif., grows to nearly 15,000 acres, zero percent containment. Go here for updated story.
***

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — Monday, June 22: The lightning-caused Washington Fire in Alpine County south of Markleeville grew to more than 8,000 acres as it moved through to the north side of Highway 89 and into Bagley Valley Sunday.

Crews managed to contain an estimated 10 percent of the perimeter of the fire by Monday morning.
The extreme fire activity being witnessed with the Washington Fire is primarily due to strong erratic winds and severe drought conditions. These two variables also played a role in firefighting efforts for both air and ground support yesterday.

A Dense Smoke Advisory until 5 a.m. Monday morning has been issued by the National Weather Service due to smoke from the Washington Fire burning south of Markleeville in Alpine County, Calif. As of 4:30 Sunday afternoon the fire had burned 6,500 acres.

UPDATE 7:30PM: The Washington Fire burning in Alpine County, south of Markleeville has burned 6,500 acres, according to the latest from Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center.

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch reports a 75-acre wildfire, dubbed the Washington Fire, is burning near Silver Peak in Alpine County, pushing up a large plume of smoke visible from Carson Valley south of the Gardnerville Ranchos.

Hello fellow anglers, I have to tell you that last weekend's Lampe Park Kids derby was rewarding. The fishing was slow both days, but there were a few nice fish caught. At one time I felt as if I were at a ball game. I could hear the crowd  cheering  at one end of Willow Creek with the voices in unison rising and lowering as a 4-year-old angler was reeling in a 7 pound trout.

Memorial Day weekend is nearly here and for many it is the first outdoor adventure of 2015. Pack your rain gear for the long holiday, just in case as there is a chance of showers. So, where to go on the long weekend?

Hello fellow anglers and welcome to Memorial weekend. Before I get to our local report, I have to tell you about some great people.
As many have heard, due to the lack of rain in the Carson Valley, the 26th annual Lampe Park Kids Fishing Derby was going to be moved to Mitch Pond. I am here to say, due to the generosity of the Carson Valley Ranchers, they have collectively agreed to give the amount of water needed for the five day derby event. That my friends is what community is all about. I tip my hat to the Carson Valley Ranchers for stepping up and making a difference for the kids.

This is a reminder to pick up a widely-distributed and widely-read, outdoor publication known as “Fishing The California Alps.”
That annual newspaper is your personal guide to the fishing, camping, sightseeing and vacationing world in this part of the West, and it has many pages of detailed, in-depth information provided by experts in their specific areas of knowledge and experience.

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:

Hello fellow anglers, I am counting the days to the California opening fishing season. On April 25, 2015 most of California lakes, streams and rivers will open for fishing. Always check your regulation book for every body of water you fish. Regulations can change and some waters do not open until later in the season.

Hello fellow anglers, we shot past spring and are now starting summer. This weekend we will be in the 70 degree temps for all surrounding areas. But do not let mother nature fool you, our weather can and will change dramatically this time of year.

So far as I have been keeping a journal, there has always been snow or a heavy frost on the ground on the last Saturday in April, otherwise known as opening day fishing season in California.

Hello fellow anglers, spring has sprang in our local area. With our temperatures this weekend to reach into the 70 degree range, we are all getting the fishing bug. Renee and I set out on another fishing adventure through Alpine County last weekend. This report will reflect on our adventures.

SILVER LAKE:
The lake is completely thawed out, and many anglers have been fishing along the shore. The Kit Carson Resort is scheduled to open mid April this year. Anglers have been using Kastmaster lures and power bait. A few fish were caught in the 8 to 13 inch range.

Hello fellow anglers, someone asked me the other day, when does fishing season open? I told him, I fish all year around. The rivers and streams in Alpine County are closed until April 25, 2015, but the lakes are open all year. As for ice fishing, that has come to a close for this year.

Due to our unusually strange winter, the higher lakes have started to thaw out. I talked with John Voss from Caples Lake last week. John said he has not seen such an early thaw in 40 years.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carson City District, American Forests, Nevada Conservation Corps, and Alpine County are partnering to rehabilitate the Airport Fire area by planting trees starting Tue., March 10 and concluding on Sun., March 15, 2015.

This fire burned 81 acres of BLM and Alpine County land during the 2011 fire season and is located near the Indian Creek Recreation Area and the Alpine County Airport along Airport Road.

Hello fellow anglers, the fishing report this week will be a little different. I have not had the opportunity to fish myself for a few weeks and the reports that I have received are not that encouraging. I will give you what reports I have and give you personal tips on other waters. I will tell you one thing though. I will be fishing this weekend somewhere to rid myself of fishing withdrawals.

LAKE TAHOE:
This time of year is usually the best time to fish for bigger mackinaw at Lake Tahoe.

The Alta Alpina cycling club is hosting two weekend fun rides this weekend in the Carson Valley and Alpine County to help promote cycling and casual fun rides in and around the Carson Valley. All cyclists are welcome to join the group.

Hello fellow anglers, I would like to extend to you a "Fish you a Merry Christmas" wish. The weather outside may be cold and dreary, but for us die hard anglers we are just getting started. Ice fishing will be coming soon as well as the Topaz Lake opening season.

After a break in weather systems today, unsettled conditions will return through the end of the work week with rain expected in the Carson City region, up to two feet around 7,000 feet at Lake Tahoe and possibly several feet in the high Sierra, according to the National Weather Service.

Winter conditions will impact travel across Sierra passes from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday as a deep system pushes onshore out of the Pacific. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for much of the Sierra.

It's safe to say that we are now ready for winter, here at our home in Carson City and at the Quilici Cabin near Davis Lake in Plumas County, Calif. Forecasters are calling for a winter storm to blow in Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. It takes quite a bit of time and effort, but each year a whole host of activities take place at both locations in anticipation of Old Man Winter's arrival.
Here's what I mean: