Hello fellow anglers. Hard to believe that opening day fishing season in California is only four weeks away. One thing we can all plan on is, all the back country lakes and roads will not be open until June or July.  The one thing we can count on is the Carson River and a few of the  lakes in the Inyo an Mono County area. Opening day will be on April 27th this year, and with our rain and snow totals, there will be plenty of water everywhere. Before we get to out local report, I would like to share some stupidity with you. Last Sunday I took a few hours and fished off the shore at Topaz lake. It was  a very pleasant morning until I heard a familiar noise. I watched a young man shooting a BB gun at various targets, then started shooting at the water fowl on the lake. I figured that as soon as his parents realized what he was doing. there would be an immediate halt to this action. No, this was not the case. I watched in dismay as the father took the rifle and began shooting at the water fowl as well. Luckily their aim was way off. I have Cal Tip on speed dial and was about to make a call, when they all packed up and left. This may have seemed innocent to them. But teaching your kids to shoot at or attempt to kill wildlife for an afternoon of sport is unacceptable. I will not make the mistake of waiting the next time. I urge all fellow anglers to put Nevada's Operation Game Thief and California's Cal Tip in their phones and do not hesitate as I did... Now for a local fishing report.

LAKE TAHOE:  Best areas to fish for mackinaw trout is off the Cal/Neva point or around Carnelian Bay. The drop offs in the area are dramatic and can change from 100 to 600 feet quickly. The shelf out from Tahoe City is also productive. On the south end, many anglers are successful toplinning with #9 to a #11 Rapala from the Cave Rock area to Logan Shoals.

CAPLES LAKE; They received another 18 inches of snow last week. Ice fishing is still unimaginable. The resort is looking at mid June to open.

RED LAKE; The lake received a foot of snow last week. I talked with a fellow angler that watched two people attempting to ice fish a couple weeks ago. With the amount of snow on the lake right now. That wore me out thinking about it.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR; A few angler have been up to do some shore fishing. They reported the fishing was fair. They had best action on inflated night crawlers. Average trout was 12 to 15 inches long. the campground usually opens the 1st weekend in May.

TOPAZ LAKE; Fishing has still been slow. I caught 4 rainbows last weekend using green Powerbait. I fished on the south end of the lake. I spoke with a couple trollers that caught a few of the planter fish in the 8 to 12 inch class. I trolled the lake a couple weeks ago and had  fair success in the morning and then the bite quickly turned off. Pictured here is Rick Shoemaker that caught a nice 5 lb trout a few weeks ago. When I weighed in my fish, I noticed an angler had weighed in a fish over 9 lbs that week.

TOPAZ LAKE DERBY REPORT;  Week 10,  1st place was Jeff Bovero with a 6 lb 13.2 oz 26 inch trout. 2nd place was Robert Hartman with a 3 lb 5.5 oz 19.5 inch trout. Week 11, 1st place was Gary Nelson with a 6 lb 13.2 oz 26 inch trout. 2nd place was Ron Willson with a 4 lb 8 oz 22 inch trout. No tagged fish have been brought in for a few weeks now. The derby ends on April 14th at 6 pm. For more information call the Topaz Lodge at 775-266-3338.

NDOW STOCKING REPORT: Eagle Valley Reservoir, Topaz lake, Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds, Mountain View Pond, Mitch Pond, Baily Pond, Hinkson Slough, Sparks Marina.
As we progress into spring, these reports will be getting more detailed. I hope to see you on the waters soon. If you get a picture of your catch send it to editor@recordcourier.com.
Good fishin' and tight lines.