Lakes - April 5 Fishing Report

Mountain Hardware & Sports, Lakes - April 5 Fishing Report
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Boca Reservoir
Donner Lake
Jackson Meadows
Little Truckee River
Prosser Lake
Stampede Reservoir
Truckee River

*Designates best areas to go fishing now.

ALL RIVERS AND CREEKS ARE CLOSED NOW UNLESS OTHERWISE DESIGNATED BY DFW RULES!!!

NOTE FOR THE WEEK:
COLD MORNINGS and REASONABLE DAYTIME TEMPS FOR NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS! STILL LOTS OF SNOW AROUND SO ACCESS WILL BE LIMITED. MID WEEK WE WILL SEE A DECREASE IN TEMPS WITH AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND. The plan is to start stocking Pilot Peak Strain Cutthroats this season in BOCA, STAMPEDE, DONNER, AND PROSSER RESERVOIRS with hopes that they will survive AND attain trophy sized proportions in the years to come. THIS MEANS AS AN ANGLER ONE SHOULDN’T BE KEEPING THESE SUB-CATCHABLE SIZE CUTTHROATS BUT PUTTING THEM BACK SO IN TWO YEARS THEY WILL ATTAIN SIZES SUCH AS 15-18 INCHES! YOU ARE STEWARDS OF THESE WATERSHEDS SO ACT LIKE IT FOR OTHERS TO ENJOY DOWN THE ROAD! Stocking from the DFG has been rather sparse this year considering the amount of stocking that other regions have received.

WEATHER FOR THE WEEK:
LOW’S IN THE 30’S AND HIGHS GETTING NEAR 60 MOST THE WEEK WITH A DIP IN TEMPS NEAR THE WEEKEND AND SOME TORRENTIAL RAINFALL.

**DONNER:
THE FISHING HAS STILL BEEN GOOD FOR SHORE FISHING! ACCESS LIMITED! Last stocked the week of 10/8! Boat launch is MORE accessible now with the water level coming up BUT limited for parking for parking boat trailers. The lake level is at 46% and holding steady. Reports of good Mack fishing for those who fish off the boat. Macks can be found at depth of 18-75 feet and most concentrations of these fish can be found around ledges and drop-offs. Mack that are closer to the shore right now are ranging from 2-5 pounds mostly and have been hitting small spoons such as Kastmasters, Krocodiles and larger spinners. Throw everything you have at the trout now, ie: powerbait, nightcrawlers, and salmon eggs and combinations of these baits, spoons and spinners of different varieties. By casting closer and then working your way out a little further one can detect what depth the trout are cruising and having patience is key to success now. Get a guide for this lake and learn the ropes! Guides listed on bottom of this page and all are highly recommended! This lake was planted the week of 5/21, 6/25, 7/9, 8/20 AND 10/8 with Cutthroat trout or Rainbow trout! *

**BOCA:
ACCESS LIMITED! Dropping quickly as out-flows have INCREASED to 864 CFS below dam. No Ice except some along the shorelines! Some people have been able to launch boats from the shore at the inlet. Kokanee fishing here has been slow as water temps are just 45 degrees. Fishermen will find most of the fish at the Dam or at the North end of the lake to the last riffle of the Little Truckee River (special regs exist here so read up on the rules). Great fishing for the Cutthroat and Rainbows from shore with the occasional Brown thrown in! With steady flows coming out of the LT fish won’t be so apt to venture up the river, but one will find that some spawning fish will return to the lake. Access to the boat launch is done with the recent snow. CAMPGROUND ON WEST SIDE OF LAKE IS CLOSED! Was Stocked the week of 7/9 AND 10/8!

****STAMPEDE:
ACCESS IS EXTREMELY LIMITED! Lake is steadily dropping and now sits at 82% and with flows being bumped to 541 CFS. Fish will be difficult to find for the shore fisherman with the lake so full so have patience locating fish! With an aggressive stocking of Pilot Peak Strain Cutthroats over the next few years this lake hopefully will produce trophy sized Cutties such as those in Pyramid. When access opens finding trout from the shoreline can be hit or miss. Right time right place scenario! Not much on the Macks here as the theory is the population was depleted by random die offs during the drought years. Smallmouth Bass fishing can be good in the Davis Creek arm of the lake once temps are right. Hint, fish structure! THE ONLY WAY TO ACCESS CAMPGROUNDS AND BOAT LAUNCH IS BY TAKING 89 TO HOBART MILLS AND THEN THROUGH RUSSEL VALLEY VIA DOG VALLEY ROAD! ROAD HAS SNOW ON IT AND LAUNCH IS NOT ACCESSIBLE YET. CAMPGROUNDS ARE CLOSED! This Lake was Stocked the week of 6/4 and 7/16!

*PROSSER:
ACCESS LIMITED! LAKE HAS COME DOWN TO 39% CAPACITY AND CONTINUES TO DROP. Lake is wide open, but fishing is hit or miss. Late stockings in the fall of 2017 could help though but hasn’t paid off yet. Since this lake hasn’t seen many stockings of fish over the past few years fishing may be slow until the DFW starts to plant it consistently this summer. There was a stocking of Cutthroat in the Fall of 2016 that were destined for Webber Lake and there have been reports of anglers catching these fish ranging from 14-20+ inches but they are few and far between with this put and take lake. Smallmouth bass have made a reappearance around the dam which can be fun for newbies and veteran anglers alike! The more pressure this lake receives the more difficult smallmouth will be to catch. They are like Carp and are very sensitive to angling pressure! One must change up their strategies on these fish if they are going to be successful. The plan is to start stocking Pilot Peak Strain Cutthroats this season with hopes that they will survive and attain trophy sized proportions in the years to come. THIS MEANS AS AN ANGLER ONE SHOULDN’T BE KEEPING THESE SUB-CATCHABLE SIZE CUTTHROATS BUT PUTTING THEM BACK SO IN TWO YEARS THEY WILL ATTAIN SIZES SUCH AS 15-18 INCHES! YOU ARE STEWARDS OF THESE WATERSHEDS SO ACT LIKE IT FOR OTHERS TO ENJOY DOWN THE ROAD. This Lake was Stocked the Week of 5/21, 6/4, 7/30, AND 10/1!

**DAVIS LAKE:
ACCESS LIMITED! Lake is wide open, but access may be limited in some parts. Some big Rainbows that we knew where in here have now appeared! Anglers had been taking some in the range of 18-22 inches before the lake iced over and they will be waiting for those willing to ice fish. Look for a good season here but only with increased plants by the DFW! 530-836-2589 AND ASK FOR MARK! This lake has only been stocked once on 6/25!

***FRENCHMANS:
ACCESS LIMITED! Wide open but access can be limited around certain portions of lake. If you can get to Turkey Point it will be your best bet. Inflated nightcrawlers and powerbait working the best. For the Fly flingers midges suspended or on a slowwww retrieve. CONTACT OUR BLAIRSDEN STORE FOR FURTHER INFO! 530-836-2589 AND ASK FOR MARK!

Lakes Basin:

**TRUCKEE RIVER
(GENERAL REG SECTION FROM TAHOE CITY TO TROUT CREEK): CLOSED!!!

*LITTLE TRUCKEE RIVER
(ABOVE STAMPEDE): CLOSED!!!

**JACKSON MEADOWS:
SNOWMOBILE ACCESS ONLY! STOCKED TWICE IN OCTOBER, FINALLY! CHECK ROAD CONDITIONS REGULARLY NOW AS SNOWFALL WILL CLOSE ROAD!

**PYRAMID LAKE
FISHING better here and will continue to as the season progresses! Both boaters and Shore fishermen having good reports from day to day. Boaters will be Jigging or trolling through bait balls to be most productive. Fly guys are using INDI techniques over the standard stripping techniques now but that also depends where they are fishing. Some very large Cutties have been caught this time of year, so it’s feast or famine! BE CAREFUL AND IF BOATING BE SURE TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY PLAN AND LIFEVESTS!