Hello fellow anglers.

What a roller coaster ride it was for opening day fishing season until now. Between weather and winds, I was not sure where to go. I fished on the East Carson River an hour or two at a time between rain storms. The fishing was slow, but did get a couple nice rainbows.

But I have to tell you. The river is running fast and cold, and those trout are anchored to the bottom with their mouths closed. I threw things I thought I would never throw in that river, and still only a couple. But that is why they call it fishing and not catching.

One thing I would like to warn you about when fishing fast cold waters. Stay on the bank and leave the waders at home. I did bring mine, but did not get them out once. When the water is that high and fast, it only takes a split second to slip into that cold water and then your waders fill up fast.

We almost had a catastrophe on this opening day. One angler did slip into the river with his waders on and luckily he had the sense to unclip them asap. Which saved his life. He lost a fishing rod, his waders and maybe a little dignity. But he is here to fish another day.

On another note. There are some rivers and tributaries that are not open to fishing until the Saturday preceding Memorial weekend. Make sure you check your regulations before you start fishing. I personally had a question while I was fishing last week. I stopped and looked up the regulation on my phone and found that what I wanted to use was acceptable. It is that easy!

Now that the sun has reappeared, I will be venturing out further into our fishing world From Bridgeport Ca to Alpine County and up to Oregon. My nephew has been torturing me with daily pictures of 10 to 30 lb king salmon on the Rogue River. So I guess I will be taking a trip here real soon, to see if I can wow you with a picture of myself holding one of those beauties.

I also want to remind all young anglers that the Lampe Park Kids Fishing derby is on June 6th and 7th this year. So isf you have not registered yet, I would go to dcnvkidsfishingderby.org to get signed up.

We are also needing more volunteers for this event. If you would like to volunteer, go to DCKFDVoluteers@gmail.com. It is a great way to spend a weekend, helping kids get hooked on fishing by netting fish, clean fish, setup and takedown. Plus you will get a free lunch for volunteering.

For those that would like to donate a raffle prize or become a sponsor of this great event, you can call Tom at 775-781-9922 or email at tomzgolf@earthlink.com. I hope to see you all there. Reminder, this is a family event as well as a kids day.

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LAKE TAHOE:
The fishing has been slow. Not many anglers have been getting out due to weather. I talked with my friend and fellow angler Jason. He told me that he could see the large fish on his graph as they came up to look at his presentation, but would then turn around and go back down. He did get a couple nice macs on his last trip out. Flashers and a live minnow have been the ticket. When you get their mouths open long enough. For more information go to rubyjeancharters.com.

CAPLES LAKE:
The lake is ice free and the fishing has been fair for shore anglers with inflated crawlers. The public ramp was not open as of this week. But for those that want to get out and troll. The Caples Lake Resort will allow shore launching at the marina for a $25 fee as long as there is someone on site. I would call ahead to let them know when you are planning to come up. For more information call them at 209-258-8888.

WOOD LAKE:
The gate was not open as of the 30th of April.

RED LAKE:
The fishing has been hit and miss. Half a night crawler or salmon eggs have been the best options when the bite is on.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR:
Both roads are open. I have fished it a few times with bait and lures with no luck. I have seen one angler that takes his small aluminum boat down and trolls with flashers and a worm. He does fairly well. Also a few float tubers have been out having decent luck. I personally will not take my boat down that long bumpy dirt road.

WEST FORK CARSON RIVER ALPINE COUNTY:

The waters in Hope valley were flowing well. A few nice fish ranging 1.5 to 3 lbs were caught on spinners or salmon eggs. I would recommend staying out of the Woodfords canyon until the waters slow down a little. For more information call the Creekside Lodge at 530-694-2511. 

EAST FORK CARSON RIVER ALPINE COUNTY:

The river is full of fish. The county planted the river twice last fall and again for the opening day weekend. But the water is running fast, very cold and a little cloudy. Fishing has been slow for both lure and bait anglers. I walked 3.4 of a mile along the river last week and got not one hit.

I personally will wait for the water temps to rise a little. But I must say, we had the best time over the opening day weekend. We stayed at the Carson River resort Rv park. The owner, Phil, smoked up some brisket one day and some ribs another day. All anglers that stayed the weekend gathered around the wood stove and told fish stories for hours. I met new friends and saw old friends. For more information call the Carson River resort at 530-694-2229.

TOPAZ LAKE:
The fishing has been good for small rainbows, with an occasional 2 to 4 lber caught. Anglers have been using flashers and a threaded half a night crawler. Or jointed Rapalas in a perch or blk/slvr pattern.

BLUE LAKES:
The road is open to the 3rd gate as of this week.

WOLF CREEK:
The road is now open. But I have not had any reports and I have not ventured up there as of yet.

BURNSIDE LAKE - TAMARACK LAKE - WOODS LAKE - HIGHLAND LAKES:
The road is still closed as of this week.

TWIN LAKES:
The opening day was very good. There was a nice 9.5 lb rainbow caught. I have seen the picture but still waiting to get it to me to share it with you. Most anglers were using Rapalas or flashers and a crawler. Or just a naked nightcrawler. Dont forget your boat inspection before getting on the water.

BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR:
The fishing was hot on opening day. I saw many fish in the 2 to 4 lb class caught from a boat or from shore. Mike Granger from Nacimiento Ca caught a nice 7.3 lb rainbow. Most anglers were using a Rapala or a naked nightcrawler while trolling. Shore anglers were catching with an inflated nightcrawler. Best shore area was by the bathtub at the far end of the lake. I just might see you up there next weekend. For more information call the Bridgeport Marina at 760-932-7001.

NDOW FISH PLANTS FOR THE LAST WEEK:
West Walker river in Wilson Canyon, Mason Valley wildlife ponds #1 2 and 3, Baily Pond, Wilson Pond, Davis Creek Pond, Wilson Common Park Pond, Mnt View Park Pond.

CDFW FISH PLANTS ALPINE COUNTY:
No fish plants scheduled as of this week.

GULL LAKE:
Please refer to the previous report below regarding the trout plants prior to Opener last weekend. Hopefully CDFW will be on a more regular trout stocking schedule this season which I consider to be at least every two weeks. Last year, due to one of their hatcheries going down that serves this area the schedule was less often.

Yesterday we had a great day out there with “The Vanimal" getting eleven Rainbows up to 3 lbs. Best baits were Mice Tails, Garlic Pinch Crawlers, and Salmon Peach Powerbait. If CDFW does stock regularly the fishing should remain good until the next bigger Rainbow stocking by other entities (like before Opener) prior to Memorial Day Weekend.

UPPER OWENS RIVER ABOVE BENTON FALLS:
Last week at The Owens was a bit slow overall getting one 12” Cutthroat the day we were there. That should change during the next two weeks. We did see a good number of 20” plus early arrivals mostly moving upstream and a couple spawning pairs (which we laid off of) with some “drones” hanging around.

As the run increases in numbers we’ll again lay off the active spawners and fish the deeper bends and cut banks below the spawning beds for those fish that are in more of a feeding mode with Yellow Spot and Flashback Pheasant Tail nymphs, Egg Patterns, San Juan Worms, and streamers like Wooly Buggers.

Typically each season this run peaks during Mother’s Day week lasting another week or two after.

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Good luck on your next fishing adventure. I hope to see you on the waters soon. This next week is gonna be a warm one and I will be out testing a lot of waters.

If you get a picture of your catch, send it to editor@recordcourier.com.

Good fishin' and tight lines.

Good luck on your next fishing adventure. If you have a question. a report in our local fishing area or have a photo of your catch, send it to nevada@fishreports.com. Hope to see you on the waters. Good fishin' and tight lines.