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Northern CA Freshwater Fishing Report
Carson River opener produces big cutthroats and rainbows
BY PAT YOUNG/WON Staff WriterPublished: May 04, 2012
MARKLEEVILLE — As predicted this past week, colder nights prevailed in the Eastern Sierra and slowed the runoff in the Carson River drainage, making for very fishable conditions for the hundreds of anglers who descended on the Markleeville area for the trout season opener. Bait fishing in the slower pocket water produced some beautiful cutthroats to 17 inches and fat rainbows to 4½ pounds.
When WON called Todd Sodaro at the Carson River Resort on Sunday, he handed the phone to a young San Jose man who had a fantastic opening day experience. “I came up to the Carson River with three of my friends and we all caught fish,” Lauren Nezes said. “I caught a limit that included a beautiful 17-inch cutthroat and four rainbows up to 20 inches. The fishing was very good if you just fished the slower water along the shore with bait. I used a fly rod so I could stay back away from the water’s edge and just dipped salmon eggs into the pockets where the fish could get out of the heavy current.”
The current was running at 2000 cfs before the opener and had slowed down to 1100 cfs by opening weekend — too high for fly fishing, but plenty slow enough for those using bait and lures. Sodaro said the flows would continue to slow daily as the runoff diminished.
Sodaro said that the DFG would be planting 1,400 pounds of cutthroats early this week in the West Carson and East Carson, and possibly in Markleeville Creek. Fishing in the West Carson was very good due to the lower flows in that part of the watershed and limits very common. Markleeville Creek also got a lot of fishing pressure on opening weekend. The next Alpine County trophy trout plant will most likely be scheduled for this next week. The biggest fish he saw over the opening weekend was a 4½-pound rainbow, so none of the really big trophy fish were caught — they’re still out there!!
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MARKLEEVILLE — As predicted this past week, colder nights prevailed in the Eastern Sierra and slowed the runoff in the Carson River drainage, making for very fishable conditions for the hundreds of anglers who descended on the Markleeville area for the trout season opener. Bait fishing in the slower pocket water produced some beautiful cutthroats to 17 inches and fat rainbows to 4½ pounds.When WON called Todd Sodaro at the Carson River Resort on Sunday, he handed the phone to a young San Jose man who had a fantastic opening day experience. “I came up to the Carson River with three of my friends and we all caught fish,” Lauren Nezes said. “I caught a limit that included a beautiful 17-inch cutthroat and four rainbows up to 20 inches. The fishing was very good if you just fished the slower water along the shore with bait. I used a fly rod so I could stay back away from the water’s edge and just dipped salmon eggs into the pockets where the fish could get out of the heavy current.” The current was running at 2000 cfs before the opener and had slowed down to 1100 cfs by opening weekend — too high for fly fishing, but plenty slow enough for those using bait and lures. Sodaro said the flows would continue to slow daily as the runoff diminished. Sodaro said that the DFG would be planting 1,400 pounds of cutthroats early this week in the West Carson and East Carson, and possibly in Markleeville Creek. Fishing in the West Carson was very good due to the lower flows in that part of the watershed and limits very common. Markleeville Creek also got a lot of fishing pressure on opening weekend. The next Alpine County trophy trout plant will most likely be scheduled for this next week. The biggest fish he saw over the opening weekend was a 4½-pound rainbow, so none of the really big trophy fish were caught — they’re still out there!! |
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