Lakes - Feb 4 Fishing Report

Mountain Hardware & Sports, Lakes - Feb 4 Fishing Report
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Boca Reservoir
Donner Lake
Little Truckee River
Prosser Lake
Stampede Reservoir
Truckee River

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

NOTE FOR THE WEEK:
COOL MORNINGS and MODERATE DAYTIME TEMPS FOR JANUARY! No weather in the forecast for about a week or so. Looking pretty bleak for summer if this holds up. 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:
NO WEATHER TO SPEAK OF. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20’S AND HIGHS REACHING THE 60 DEGREE MARK. IS IT SPRING ALREADY???

**DONNER:
THE FISHING HAS STILL BEEN GOOD FOR SHORE FISHING! Last stocked the week of 10/8! Boat launch is getting tricky as larger boats will bottom out! The lake level is at 38% and holding steadily going down. Boat launch is open and 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:
Sitting at 78% CAPACITY as out-flows have decreased to 88.5 CFS below dam. No Ice except some along the shorelines! Lake is still pretty full and ice buildup will be slow because of this. 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 will be stocked the week of 10/8!

****STAMPEDE:
Lake is steadily dropping and now sits at 88% and with flows being decreased to 131 CFS. For years, this lake has suffered through drought and with the overabundance of water this year the lake has rebounded well. 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. For now, those with boats have had great success catching Rainbows and Cutthroats trolling the drop-offs throughout the inlets in depths of 15-35 feet of water. Start turning your attention to the larger Rainbows that are being found outside the Sagehen and LT arms now! They can be found in about 12-18 feet of water usually close to a shelf that leads to shallow water. Best access will be by a boat, but some are doing well from the shoreline. 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. 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, BUT BOAT LAUNCH IS STILL OPEN! CAMPGROUNDS ARE CLOSED! This Lake was Stocked the week of 6/4 and 7/16!

*PROSSER:
LAKE HAS COME DOWN TO 39% CAPACITY AND CONTINUES TO DROP. Some ice in the inlets of this lake but the rest of the lake is wide open. Late stockings in the year have made fishing here successful for most. 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:
Lake is mostly covered with an UNSAFE layer of ice now! One will have to wait till the ice firms up and then there should be some good ice fishing this winter! 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:
Pretty much ice free now! If there is any open water around 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:
STOCKED TWICE IN OCTOBER, FINALLY! CHECK ROAD CONDITIONS REGULARLY NOW AS SNOWFALL WILL CLOSE ROAD! Should be good for little while but with any put and take lake it won’t last very long as winter will be here soon. Lake level is at 44% capacity and continues to drop. Fishing early in the season was good but it seems without any stockings this summer things have been tough. Lots of small trout ranging in sizes from 6-10 inches. Larger fish will be difficult to locate and will take more than just a few trips here to figure out this lake. Working the face of the dam at certain depths can sometimes bring up a larger trout or just getting out early in the morning and working the shoreline. Nightcrawlers and Salmon Eggs will be better here than Powerbait for the bait fishermen. The lure fishermen will have success with small Rapalas and minnow imitations along with those in boats. Great lake to get away from the swarming crowds of Tahoe. Stocked the week of 9/17, 10/1, and 10/22!

**PYRAMID LAKE
FISHING DECENTLY BUT WITH THE ONSET OF SOME WEATHER IT SHOULD IMPROVE. Look for the bait balls and be ready to strip or jig bait fish patterns! Both boaters and Shore fishermen having limited success. Jigging and trolling through bait balls will be the most productive technique. 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!