Fishing Report: Weird weather can’t keep the fish from biting (much)
Jason, Ruby and Macy Blanchette” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.carsonnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jason-Ruby-and-Macy-Blanchette.jpg?fit=296%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.carsonnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Jason-Ruby-and-Macy-Blanchette.jpg?fit=780%2C791&ssl=1″ />
Hello fellow anglers. Sorry for being away for a little bit. I had to take a short pause after the Douglas County Kids Fishing Derby 2 weeks ago.
It was a huge success, and I wish I had the room to thank all the sponsors and the volunteers that came together. Without them, this event could not happen. Many do not realize, but it takes almost a year of planning to put on such an event.
If you want to be a part of the 2026 derby by either volunteering your time, or donating cash or prizes, you can go to dcnvkidsfishingderby.org. Hope to see you there.
Now for our local fishing report.
First we have to get a handle on our weather. It was in the high 90’s last week, and the winds have been relentless. The first full day of summer, which is the 21st, the weather heads back to the mid 70’s and even high 60’s in some areas. Yes this has been a strange year for fishing, but things will smooth out real soon.
My recommendation for trollers: get up early and be on the lake by no later than 5:30 a.m. That still gives you three to five hours on the lake before the “W” comes up.
I also urge boaters to make sure all of their safety equipment is up to date and readily available. IE: life vests or jackets, throwable cushion, Bilge pump if you have one, horn and a flag. I even have a throwable bag attached to my boat. Never had to use it, but I have thrown it a few times, just to familiarize myself with it. I hope you never need any of these items, but always be ready for yourself, or another boater that may need help.
Here is a brief fishing report. Not many anglers getting out due to high waters and high winds.
LAKE TAHOE: Fishing has been good when you can get out. I spoke with Jason Blanchette the other day. He went out with family, and they were trolling big plugs on the west side of the lake early in the morning until about 10:30 a.m. They caught a nice 17.6 mackinaw and a couple others in the 5 to 8 lb range, and a couple smaller ones. Tahoe has a very early morning bite. For more info go to Ruby Jean Charters or email J3blanchette@yahoo.com.
CAPLES LAKE: The lake has been fishing well, not great. Most trollers have been using raplas or small flashers and a half a worm threaded on. Shore anglers by the spillway have been using salmon peach or rainbow powerbait. The resort is open for cabin rentals and boat launching. I would call ahead for restaurant hours. For more information go to capleslake.com
BLUE LAKES: The road is open as of now to the lower lake. The upper lake is not accessible right now. If you want to camp at lower Blue, I would call PG&E for the status to see when or if it may open.
SUNSET LAKES- TAMARACK LAKE: The road is open to both lakes. I especially like to fish lower sunset for the brook trout either with flies or salmon eggs. The average size is only 7 to 11 inches, but they are a tasty fish over an open fire while you’re camping. As a note, there are no gasoline motors allowed on the lake. Bring your canoe or kayak.
BURNSIDE LAKE: The road is now open. I would recommend driving slow. The road is a little windy and bumpy.
KINNEY LAKE: Have not heard any recent reports. But the lake was planted by CDFG.
WOODS LAKE: The road is open to the lake. I personally like to hike down to Caples Lake and fish by the falls with small spinners or flies. Then afterwards I fish the lake.
WEST CARSON RIVER ALPINE COUNTY: Fishing has been a little slow. If you start out on the westside of Hope Valley and work your way through the meadow, you will have better luck. But a word of caution: those fish spook real easy. So take your time as you fish your way downstream. I am keeping an eye and ear out for any future fish plants. For more information stop by the Creekside Lodge.
EAST FORK CARSON RIVER ALPINE COUNTY: The fishing has picked up a little now that the water has mellowed a bit. Power eggs, either red or orange have been productive. Hendrix Potkin and his cousin Cleo Potenzone were fishing the area lately and caught a nice rainbow on a chartreuse sierra slammer. The trout weighed in at 3.6 after it was cleaned. The Carson River Resort is open for cabin rentals, tent and RV camping. Plus they have a fully stocked general store of all those things you forgot to bring. For more information call 530-694-2229.
JUNE LAKE AREA FISHING REPORT: (As my friend “Knot” told me this week) we did make it to Upper Rock Creek above Mosquito Flats in Little Lakes Valley fishing the creek and first four lakes getting mostly small Brooks and an occasional small Brown or Rainbow all on a Black Ant. The fish were very active, grabbing our offering continuously. During future trips we’ll be tossing Caddis and Mayfly patterns also. At some point we cross the creek to fish since most anglers stick to the hiking trail side of the creek, lakes, and ponds. We also hit Mine Creek along the Bennettville Trail in Tioga Pass. The water here is still cold so the resident small Brookies were not actively feeding except in a couple small, shallow ponds catching a few on the same Black Ant. This should change in a couple weeks as the run-off subsides so we’ll mix in some dry flies during upcoming trips.
Upper Owens River: The big Cutthroats have headed back to Crowley after their May spawning run so now it’s pretty much dry fly fishing for mostly smaller Browns with Caddis and Mayfly patterns. The last two years some bigger Browns have come up in July so we’ll stick with those dry flies and also streamers stripped upstream along the cut banks. We’re hoping for a good hopper season drawing up some bigger Browns this late July into September casting Hoppers, Foam Ants, and Stoneflies. Regardless of how the hopper season pans out this is a good time of year to fish those patterns.
Gull lake: Even though the catching has slowed a bit since the pre-Memorial Day stockings we’ve been having good success getting up to 16” Rainbows utilizing the methods described in the Way and Means below. Coming up is another round of big Oregon Rainbow stockings before the Fourth of July that bolsters the fishing right through to another round of stocking before Labor Day. There’s nothing better than spending a Summer’s day on good ol’ Gull Lake!
Good luck on your next fishing adventure. If you get a picture of your catch, send it to kelsey@carsonnow.org. I hope to see you on the waters soon. Good fishin’ and tight lines.
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