Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3823 Oct 25-Nov 8 | Page 19
VOL.38 • ISS. 23
Sacramento River Map Facts
Licenses: Any person, 16 years of age or older, must have
a valid California or Nevada sport fishing license to fish
in Lake Tahoe. Surrounding lakes and streams require a
license for the state in which the person is fishing.
Seasons: Fishing on Lake Tahoe is open year round for
mackinaw, brown, rainbow and Lahontan cutthroat trout
and kokanee salmon.
Live Bait: No fish may be used for bait or possessed for
use as bait in Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Lake or Donner Lake
unless taken from that lake. Live bait in these lakes are
limited to the following: Lahontan redside shiner, Tui chub,
Tahoe sucker, Lahontan mountain sucker, Piute sculpin and
Lahontan speckled dace. Chumming is illegal.
Information: Direct specific fishing regulation questions
to: California Department of Fish and Game(916) 355-7040,
2019/2020 Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations Handbook
Nevada Division of Wildlife, (775) 688-1500, 2019/2020
Fishing Regulations
Charter Boat and Guide Services:
Tahoe Sportfishing, South Lake Tahoe, 900 Ski Run Blvd
#101, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150,, (530) 541-5448, (530)
541-5448,
https://tahoesportfishing.com
Mickey’s Big Mack Charters, Captain Mickey Daniels,
5146 N Lake Blvd, Carnelian Bay, CA 96140, (530) 546-4444,
mickeysbigmack.com
Blue Ribbon Fishing Charters, 1398 US-50, Glenbrook, NV
89413, (530) 544-6552,
www.blueribbonfishing.com
California/Nevada Border
El 6240
Agate
Bay
El 6232
Carnelian
Bay
Tahoe
Vista
El 6245
Washoe
Lake
Incline
Village
El 6269
Squaw
Valley
Kings
Toiyabe
National
Carson
Forest City
Mickey's Beach
Big Mack El 6245
Charters
El 6235
Tahoe City
El 6240
Alpine
Meadows
El 6600
Lake
Tahoe
National
Forest
El 4687
Limits: The daily limit for Lake Tahoe is 5 trout, but no
more that 2 mackinaw. Most other lakes and streams in the
Lake Tahoe Basin have a limit of 5 trout.
El 5820
Hours: Fishing in Lake Tahoe is legal one hour before
sunrise to two hours after sunset. In all other bodies of
water in the Tahoe area (Sierra District) fishing is legal one
hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.
Lake Tahoe
Truckee
I-80
To
Sacramento
17
Oct 25 - Nov 8, 2019
MAP FEATURE
El 6229
Tahoe
Homewood
El 6235
DESOLATION Meeks
WILDERNESS Bay
Blue Ribbon
Charters
El 6259
Fishing Notes
Summer: This is a great time to visit the lake.
The mackinaw will be suspended under
schools of kokanee and can be taken using a
variety of methods. Rainbows and browns
will be in the shallows and can be taken on 4
inch minnow plugs.
Fall: This is a wonderful time at Lake Tahoe. The
mackinaw will be concentrated on the bottom,
making jigging a great option. Browns and
rainbows will be aggressively feeding along the
shoreline as they prepare for winter. Winter: This
is the toughest season at Tahoe. For the best
success target mackinaw in 200 to 300 feet of
water with rigged minnows trolled behind
dodgers. Patient, methodical anglers will achieve
the best success.
Spring: This is the time to target big mackinaw,
brown and rainbow trout in shallow water. Large
rainbow trout pattern minnow plugs trolled far
behind the boat are your gateway to success.
Toiyabe
National
Forest
Genoa
El 3800
Emerald
Bay
Tahoe
Sport Fishing
El 6240
South
Lake Tahoe
Cascade
Lake
El 6464
Fallen
Leaf Lake
Stateline
Tahoe Keys
Marina
El 6250
To
Sacramento
successful with this effort alone.”
of Lake Tahoe, the average fish weighs 2
“On the other hand, the kokanee have
to 3 pounds.
been very successful in Tahoe. There can
“The biggest mackinaw caught while
definitely be coexisting fish, even if all
I’ve been out fishing was 26 pounds,
of the fish are being predated upon by the while the largest I’ve caught personally
lake trout. Lake trout will eat anything,
weighed 12 pounds,” Readinger stated.
including a rainbow, brown or kokanee,
“A couple of my buddies caught macks
but numbers of kokanee are higher this
weighing 14 and 16 lbs.”
year than in long time,” he said.
Whether the original strain of Tahoe
Reflecting on this year kokanee season, cutthroat will again thrive or not in Tahoe
Gordon said he found the bite that we
is a big question.
enjoyed that day in Emerald Bay over
“Is Lake Tahoe poised to become
2-1/2 weeks ago.
Pyramid Lake South with ladders lining
“I think they just got trapped there,
the shoreline in the hopes of catching
they got lost. The rest are in Taylor Creek monster-sized trout? We may be about to
getting ready to spawn or spawning.
find out,” the CDFW stated.
I’ve seen this happen one other time
I guess we will.
– five years
ago. Catching
Dan Bacher, Michael Romero, Dixie Romero and another angler hold up their limits of
50-plus fish per
kokanee salmon caught during an afternoon trip aboard the Hopper 1 on Lake Tahoe with
day that late in
Captain Donny Readinger of Tahoe Sportfishing on Sunday, October 6.
season unheard
Photo by Captain DONNIE READINGER, Tahoe Sportfishing, South Lake Tahoe.
of,” he noted.
Now that they
are finished
While nothing close to record-size has
around and go directly to the marina.
kokanee
been caught since 2013, Readinger noted
“The fast-growing, prehistoric strain
fishing this
that one angler landed a 22 inch kokanee of Lahontan cutthroat trout are native to
aboard one of their boats this year.
Lake Tahoe but disappeared long ago as a year, the boats
On the same weekend that we went
result of overfishing and land use changes. will continue
targeting
kokanee fishing, the U.S. Fish and
Their reintroduction to nearby Pyramid
mackinaw.
Wildlife Service introduced introduced
Lake in Nevada has turned Pyramid into
Fishing is
3,000 tagged Pilot Peak strain Lahontan
a worldwide fishing destination with
productive
cutthroat trout into Lake Tahoe for
hook-ups of 10- to 20-pound-plus trout
year-round, but
the first time as part of the festivities
almost routine,” according to the Cali-
the mackinaw
surrounding the annual Fall Fish Fest
fornia Department of Fish and Wildlife.
action is best
at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center on
The hatchery also released 2,000 Floy
in the winter
Highway 89. The service has made a
tagged Lahontan Cutthroat Trout at Sand
when angling
number of plants of other Lahontan
Harbor on Oct. 7th in support of the
cutthroat strains into the lake before, but
Nevada Department of Wildlife’s research pressure is the
lightest and
they have not been successful.
on lake movement and use of tributaries,
I thought about going to the fish
according to Lisa Hecki, project leader for the fish are the
most active.
plant on noon on Sunday before I went
the hatchery.
While huge
fishing, but a nightmarish line of cars
In respect to the plant, Zach Gordon,
mackinaw roam Michael and Dixie Romero of Monterey each hold up a couple of kokanee
in horrible traffic on Emerald Bay
the manager of Tahoe Sportfishing, said,
the clear waters contrasting the different stages of the spawn that the fish are in.
Boulevard prodded me to turn back
“I don’t think the reintroduction will be
Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.