Fishing report through Jan. 25

Here is this week's fishing report for January 18-25. This report covers streams, lakes and rivers in Nevada, Northern California, southern Oregon and the Sierra.

ALMANOR LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:

Surface temps on Lake Almanor are about 40 degrees and clarity is at 6 ft. on the west basin, and 7.5 ft. on the east basin. Lake levels @ 4485.68 ft. Recommended bait this week includes eggs and suspending crawlers about 3 to 5 ft. up off the bottom(add some Pro-Cure Garlic scent for a special kick), 1/6 oz. nickel Speedy Shiners W/hammer finish, and the red and gold Speedy Shiner.
The fish are really feeding on Smelt, so don’t forget to add a healthy application of Pro-Cure “Trophy Trout Super Gel” on whatever you’re trolling and sit back to enjoy the show. 
— Courtesy of Almanor Fishing Adventures

AMADOR LAKE, CALIF:
It will be planted this week by the California Department of Fish and Game.

ANGEL LAKE, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
The road to Angel Lake is now closed for the winter.

BISHOP AREA, CALIF:
The fishing season for the Bishop area is closed.
 
BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, CALIF:
The fishing season for Bridgeport Reservoir is closed.

CARSON RIVER, CALIF:
East Carson River: The fishing season for the East Carson River is closed upstream from Hangman’s Bridge.
West Carson River: The fishing season for the West Carson River is closed.

CONVICT LAKE, CALIF:
The fishing season for Convict Lake is closed.

CROWLEY LAKE, CALIF:
The fishing season for Crowley Lake is closed.

EAGLE LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Due to the cold weather, fishing is pretty much over at Eagle Lake for the season. Warmer days might liven the fish up for those who want to try their luck though.
— Courtesy of Big Daddy Fishing

EAGLE LAKE, CALIF:
Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Fly Fishing Guide Service (760-935-4250): (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Many of you have been waiting to get my trip dates for Eagle Lake this year and I wish I could give them to you at this time.
Eagle has suffered through this dry period and I would like to hold off announcing the spring 2012 trip dates until February when we get a better picture of how the lakes condition will be.
The issue will not be the historically excellent fishing this year; it is accessing the lakes main body to and from the marinas and launch ramps with our large fish magnets. Let’s hope Eagle gets clobbered with rain and snow soon so we can look forward to another epic spring here.

EAGLE VALLEY RESERVOIR, LINCOLN COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Overnight temperatures are in the single digits and that’s keeping the ice in fishable condition. Anglers are catching 12- to 14-inch rainbows through about nine inches of ice near the dock and at the north end of the reservoir. Park Supervisor Ben Johnson has seen a few tiger trout but not many browns. Always use caution when venturing out on the ice.

ECHO CANYON RESERVOIR, LINCOLN COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
The reservoir is frozen over but rising water levels are keeping the edges very thin. Fishing is not recommended. Ice in the canyon may be thick enough for fishing, but anglers should use extreme caution.

FALL RIVER, CALIF:
The fishing season for Fall River is closed.

FREMONT LAKE, CALIF:
The fishing season for Fremont Lake is closed.

FRENCHMAN RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Wiggin’s Trading Post at Chilcoot (530-993-4683) reports:
Fishing has been excellent at Big Cove. Mason Morgan and a group of five others caught 30 rainbow trout on Saturday. They were using nightcrawlers, and fishing from shore. They averaged 15 to 20 inches long, and weighed approximately 1 to 1 ½ pounds each.
Two fishermen tried their luck at the dam and only caught one rainbow.
With the recent snow, the roads may be icy in some spots, so be careful and take your time. The north end is mostly iced over, except in the middle. You can see open water from the dam, but it will be hard to get to.
Big Cove may be iced over now that the temperature has fallen at night.

FT. CHURCHILL COOLING PONDS, LYON COUNTY, NEV:
The fishing season for the Ft. Churchill Cooling Ponds is closed.

HAT CREEK, CALIF:
The fishing season for Hat Creek is closed.

HEENAN LAKE, CALIF:
The fishing season for Heenan Lake is closed.

HINKSON SLOUGH, LYON COUNTY, NEV:
The fishing season for Hinkson Slough is closed.

HOBART RESERVOIR, WASHOE COUNTY, NEV:
The fishing season for Hobart Reservoir is closed.

HOOVER WILDERNESS AREA, CALIF:
The fishing season for the Hoover Wilderness Area is closed.

HOT CREEK, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Water flow at CFS. Nymph fishing is the best bet right now. Try small WD-40's Miracle Nymphs and Pheasant Tails.

HOT CREEK, CALIF:
Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Fly Fishing Guide Service (760-935-4250) ( www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Access remains great and the flows are low, but much better than usual due to the warmer weather and run-off from Mammoth Creek.
HC got hit pretty hard over the holiday period but has since thinned out quite a bit. Lots of people coming off the slopes early to fish I reckon.
# 18-22 Midge and Mayfly adults for the emergences late morning and afternoon. Hang # 18-22 patterns for Nymphing with or without an Under-cator. Dry dropper rigs work well here in the winter to fish the channels in the weeds.
Fish will move into the deeper pools when it gets cold in the morns so don’t look for them in the short water early in the day.

HOT CREEK, CALIF:
Kent of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
Water Conditions:
Great. Flows constant at 24 CFS as of 1/12.
The water is still slightly off color due to increased runoff from, yes, melting snow, what little is left on Mammoth Mountain.
ZERO SNOW AND GATE IS OPEN SO YOU CAN DRIVE ALL THE WAY UP TO THE PARKING LOTS ABOVE THE CANYON SECTION.
Fishing Conditions:
Excellent above the ranch and Good in the canyon.
No change here . . . just stay a little smaller like 18's and 20's.
Midges will work all day. With the warm temps the fish are biting earlier, like 9:30am. Start with midges, then go to Baetis Nymphs and dries if they start sipping on the surface.

JIGGS / ZUNINO RESERVOIR, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Unfortunately, Jiggs has dried up.

JUNE LAKE LOOP, CALIF:
The fishing season for the June Lake Loop is closed.

KIRMAN LAKE, CALIF:
The fishing season for Kirman Lake is closed.

KLAMATH RIVER, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
River flows are an ideal 1,000 cubic feet per second and it's the prime conditions for fishing steelhead!
Productive flies include Red Copper Johns, Rubber Legs, Champagne Redd Reapers, Clown Eggs, Shrimp Pink Micro Spawns.
— Courtesy of The Fly Shop

LAUGHLIN, CLARK COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Colorado River:
Stocked rainbow trout continue to provide good fishing for anglers in the Laughlin area. Floating baits and night crawlers are catching the fish.

LEWISTON LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Weather is still sunny and warm at Lewiston Lake driving decent insect hatches and great fly fishing.
Rainbows are really favoring # 18-20 Midge patterns, # 4-6 leeches in black or olive,  and # 16 pheasant tail nymphs (Due to daily BWO’s).
Some Floating lines for indicators and dry flies that we recommend you carry include: RIO's AquaLux Intermediate Sink Fly Line for swinging and stripping flies at middle depths, and RIO's Deep 7 Full Sink Line for fishing streamers and leeches deep and fast.
— Courtesy of The Fly Shop

MAMMOTH LAKES BASIN, CALIF:
The fishing season for the Mammoth Lakes Basin is closed.

MARKLEEVILLE CREEK CALIF:
The fishing season for Markleeville Creek is closed.

MARLETTE LAKE, CARSON CITY & WASHOE COUNTIES, NEV:
The fishing season for Marlette Lake is closed.

MASON VALLEY W.M.A., LYON COUNTY, NEV:
The fishing season for the Mason Valley W.M.A. is closed.

LAKE MEAD, CLARK COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Striper action remains slow though some fishermen are catching fish during the nighttime hours. Anchovies or sardines fished near the bottom in about 150 feet of water have caught stripers in the four-pound class in recent days.
Anglers can still find a few shad way in the back of Vegas Wash and some near the Hemenway fishing pier, but it would appear the baitfish have moved into deeper water.
Trolling has been productive in the early morning and evening hours.
At Echo Bay anglers have found success north of the launch ramp.
Action for smallmouth and largemouth bass has also been sluggish.

LAKE MOHAVE, CLARK COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Willow Beach striper action remains slow.
Some anglers have found success with trout imitations.
Trout anglers, on the other hand, have found good fishing for stocked rainbow trout following weekly trout plants.
Anglers fishing out of Cottonwood Cove are catching a few stripers by drift fishing with cut anchovies.  
Largemouth bass fishing is fair with fish hitting plastic baits.  

OWENS RIVER, CALIF:
Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Fly Fishing Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Lower Owens River:
It has been one of the best winters in quite some time for overall fish’n conditions on the LO. Very good numbers on average with overall balmy weather for winter have made this a memorable drift boat season for sure.
Streamer fishing with moderate sinking tip lines has been the best method to consistently take fish while drifting; however Nymphing with tandem Midge or Mayfly imitations will also get you into fish if you wade the upper sections near the wild trout area.
Flows have recently doubled making access for wading a tad more difficult; however at 200cfs they are by no means high for this section of the river. Why would the flows go up this time of year in what is proving to be the driest in recent history? Got me, the LADWP acts in mysterious ways. If the flows remain at current releases we will have an EPIC Baetis hatch beginning in late January/early February.
This could be one of the most productive springs ever seen- as fishing pressure was very light last year due to blown out flows early on through most of the fall.
Upper Owens River:
I could cover the website with big fish pictures from the UO this winter.
It has been nothing short of spectacular and the best I have ever seen since the year around opening began in the section above the Benton Bridge.
Conditions have changed some this week and the consistent catching of these migratory monsters out of Crowley has slowed down quite a bit.
The ice is melting on Crowley for one reason, and there was abnormal pressure put on this area over the extended holiday period. The weather has been so mild that many people are fishing this area due to the great access and good fishing recently. The best is yet to come here and February has historically been the best month for bigs in this area.
Water clarity has been poor due to recent snowmelt, although flows remain very good. The big surprise has been the great dry fly action on the warmer high pressure days.
Midge cluster patterns, or parachute BWO’s and Midge adults with a small Birds Nest or Pheasant Tail bead head Nymphs as a dropper will get you many opportunities on the warmer days.
The small browns are ravenous right now and have moved up out of Crowley to feed. Hang egg and SJ Worms in the morns for the bigs, switch to flashback Pt’s and Birds Nest for the afternoon bite when the gravel warms up and the fish start to feed more aggressively.
You will also get grabs using streamers along the cut banks. This method can be very productive as you cover a lot of water and are able to fish the long deep runs that are difficult to fish with nymphs as you spook the bigs before getting a good presentation.
Owens River Gorge:
Still some very active fish in this area feeding above and below the surface.
The conditions are great with no ice or snow to hinder the hike in and the rock hopping along the creek.
Hard to beat a high riding Mayfly adult with a bead head Crystal Tiger or olive Zebra Midge as a dropper here.
Very few fisherman here, mostly rock climbers.

OWENS RIVER, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Upper Owens River:
Current water flow is 76 CFS.
Fishing is closed below the Benton Crossing Bridge.
The river upstream is open to fishing all year.
Barbless artificials only. Zero limit.
Fishing is slow with winter now upon us. Nymphing is the best bet. Try standard Nymph patterns like Pheasant Tails or Hares Ears.
Cover lots of water.
Lower Owens River:
Water flow is 201CFS. Flows are steady. Water temp is up slightly due to warmer day time temperatures and fishing has improved a bit. 
Olive WD-40's,c Cddis larva and small Pheasant Tails.

OWENS RIVER, CALIF:
Kent of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
Upper Owens water conditions: Good. As of 1/12 flows have been stable at 76 CFS for a couple of weeks.
You can still drive all the way up to Long Ears as zero snow anywhere.
Fishing conditions: Good to Excellent.
Small midge dries around mid day, with bigger midges subsurface.
Big fish are still being reported in the system and lately just a couple of miles above Benton Crossing
Do keep moving if you aren't getting grabs anytime after 10 am.
Owens River Gorge:
Water conditions: Great. Flow: 45 CFS.
This is a permanent flow required to be maintained by LADWP
Fishing conditions:
Excellent and nice and warm on cool sunny days this time of year.
Lower Owens:
Water conditions: Excellent. The flows are easing up and at 203 as of 1/12.
Wading is still excellent.
Fishing conditions: Good. The midday hatches are good but not wide open.
You might stay with midges all day and work the slooooow water.
Summer tactics are just not doing it.
Streamers producing, drifting is excellent to get to those unaccessible pools.
Fish are feeding earlier and later but not all at once during 3 hours midday.

PINE VALLEY COMPLEX, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEV:
The fishing season for the Pine Valley Complex is closed.

PIT RIVER, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Fishing is beautiful right now on the Pit River!
Best flies include: (Dries) Elk Hair Caddis Tan # 12-16, Yellow Stimulator # 8-16, Mayfly Cripples # 12-16; (Nymphs / Wet Flies) BH Pheasant Tail # 12-20, Red Copper Johns # 16-18, Black Bird's Nest # 10-16; (Streamers/Leeches) Beaded Lite Bright Bugger,  Zack's Swimming Leech, and  Dead Drift Crayfish.
— Courtesy of the Fly Shop

PLEASANT VALLEY RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Fly Fishing Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
The level has finally dropped making access good along the transition section from the creek to the lake. Watch the mud after it thaws, it is very dangerous and you can really get stuck and literally lose your boots! Morning Midge hatches are excellent with a good afternoon Baetis emergence. The riffle water just below the powerhouse is also fishing great using dry/dropper bead head Nymph rigs.
Tubing has also been great near the inlet and launch ramp.
Stillwater Nymphing is seldom done here this time of year but is very productive along the drop-offs on the west side opposite the access road.
Plenty of midges in this area and you rig as would on Crowley. 10 feet is a good depth to start right now. Try the broken back Midges here, they rock.

POORE AND SECRET LAKES, CALIF:
The fishing season for Poore and Secret Lakes is closed.

PYRAMID LAKE, WASHOE COUNTY, NEV:
George and Carla Molino of the Pyramid Lake Store (775-476-0555) (www.fishpyramid.com) reports:
Fishing has been slow to fair with nothing big being caught.
The spincasters with lures are doing best all, the way from Indian Head to Popcorn. Fly fishing has been slow.

ROOSEVELT AND LANE LAKES, CALIF:
The fishing season for Roosevelt and Lane Lakes is closed.

SACRAMENTO RIVER (LOWER), CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
River flows are 5,000 cubic feet per second and the fishing has been great!
Anglers have been successful using a variety of fly patterns including; RK Flatulator BWO, # 16 Eng Thing, # 6-8 Brown Pat's Rubber Legs, Pseudo Nymph in brown or olive and don’t forget to bring a few Alvin patterns.
— Courtesy of the Fly Shop

SACRAMENTO RIVER (UPPER), CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Due to the spring-like weather fishing has been great on the upper Sacramento! Anglers have been experiencing scattered hatches of Baetis and BWOs, and rising fish are everywhere! Best flies have been Zack's Dark Thurmanator Stone, Sexy Girl-dle, # 18-20 black midge patterns, Pseudo Mays in # 16-18 and PT nymphs in various sizes.
— Courtesy of the Fly Shop

SAN JOAQUIN/RED’S MEADOW, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Road closed.

SILVER CREEK, CALIF:
The fishing season for Silver Creek is closed.

LAKE TAHOE:
Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbons Charters (530-544-6552) (www.blueribbonfishing.com) reports:
Fishing overall has been good, it slowed down but picked back up again.
They got full limits yesterday, trolling in the Homewood area on the west side with flashers and minnows.
Nothing big, the Macks are running 2-5 pounds.
Gene is out fishing this morning (Monday), the lake is calm and it is supposed to be the only calm day all week.

TOPAZ LAKE:
Chuck and Linda Fields of the Topaz Lake Marina (775-266-3550) reported:
Fishing has been good but it slowed down last week with the full moon.
Shore fishing has been good with rainbow Power Bait.
The boats are trolling and catching fish all over the lake, using Rapala lures.

TRINITY LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
The water may be low and clear on the Trinity River but that isn’t stopping steelhead from moving through!
Best fly patterns include: the # 8 TB Golden Stone, Mercer's Poxy-back BH Golden Stone, # 14 Red Copper John, Psycho Princes in various sizes and colors, # 12-16 PT Nymphs.
Remember to pack egg patterns in pink, orange, peachy, salmon egg.
— Courtesy of the Fly Shop

TRUCKEE RIVER:
The Truckee River Outfitters (775-853-7368) ( email info@renoflyshop.com):
Stream flows on the Truckee have been very consistent. Lack of snow has limited any run-off on warm days.
The fishing has been fairly good for January and we have even seen some fish rising to Baetis and Midges on the surface on warmer afternoons.
The water is really clear and easy to wade right now. It is important to take a little more stealthy approach than normal.
Nymphing with smaller Stoneflies, Baetis and Midge patterns in slower deeper pools has also been effective.
The water is cold so fish slowly and do not be afraid to make a few extra drifts in good looking spots. The fish get a little lethargic this time of year and will not move much to take a fly.
Our guides have had some really good days with clients in town to ski and have ended up fishing instead.
Look for the weather to change in the week to come and it to look a lot more like winter in the Truckee area. Access has not been a problem on the river in a while but that could change with storms forecasted soon.
It may be a little more important to fish further downstream going forward in the lower elevations of Nevada on the Truckee.

LITTLE TRUCKEE RIVER:
The Truckee River Outfitters (775-853-7368) (email: info@renoflyshop.com):
Access has not been a problem so far this winter.That could all change this week. Storms forecasted for the next week or so should close the road or at least make it tough even with a 4 wheel drive.
Flows have been 44 CFS for a while. That is not too bad for winter months.
Normal winter methods are the way to go right now. Small Nymphs and Midges in sizes 18 to 20 fished in slower water is a good way to start.
If you see fish rising when small dries are also an option. 5X to 7X is a must in this lower clear water.

TWIN LAKES, CALIF:
The fishing season for Twin Lakes is closed.

VIRGINIA LAKES, CALIF:
The fishing season for Virginia Lakes is closed.

WALKER LAKE, MINERAL COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
No fish have been reported or seen at Walker Lake so far this fishing season.
Mineral County Road Dept. has done some work on the State Parks Launch. Launching is improved but you still need four wheel drive.

WALKER RIVERS, NEV:
The Truckee River Outfitters (775-853-7368) (info@renoflyshop.com):
East Walker River: Reports have been really good on the California side and pretty bad on the Nevada side. The main reason is that as the stream comes out of Bridgeport Reservoir where the water is warmer and it has a tendency to cool as it goes down stream into Nevada which is around 15 miles downstream of the outflow. It can even ice over and often in the winter when flows are low.
The flows are 25 CFS coming out of the lake. This is really low but common for this time of year.
There have been some really good reports of fish being caught on a variety of small Nymphs and Midges in sizes 18-20. Baetis Nymphs in Olive and black and any darker colored Midge pupa will do the trick.
Getting a good dead drift in the slower deeper water is the key. Cover water slowly and make a few extra drifts. Fish will not move much to eat so you have to cover ground slowly.

WALKER RIVERS, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) ( www.kenssport.com) reports:
East Walker – West Walker – Sceirine Ranch - Hunewill Pond:
East Walker River: The river is still running at 25 CFS these days and coming out of the dam at about 38 or 40 degrees. Daytime air temps have been mostly in the high 30's and 40's so it's been pretty comfortable fishing for this time of year.
Fishing has been very good both Nymphing and with small dries.
The best time frame to be on the water lately has been from about 10 am to 3 pm or so. Most anglers are reporting anywhere from 5 to 25 fish (or sometimes more) during this time.
Some patterns to try include Zebra Midges, WD-40's, Mercury Midges, Silver Streak, Flashback Emerger, San Juan Worm, Blue Dun, BWO, Para Adams, Rainbow Warrior to name a few.
The bad news is you're gonna want to keep most of these patterns pretty small, like size 18 and 20.
The Rosachi has been a little tough as the water seems to be quite a bit colder down there, mostly in the low 30's, probably best to stay upstream right now where the water is a bit warmer.
West Walker River: Closed.
Sceirine Ranch: We haven't had any clients on the Sceirine lately but it should be fishing excellent as well. If you want solitude this could be a great opportunity!
Hunewill Pond: Closed.

WALKER RIVERS, CALIF:
Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Fly Fishing Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
East Walker River: Flows running at 25 CFS and the fish are concentrated in the deeper pools.
The weather has been very nice after the sun rises above the canyon rim.
Good action on the surface with Para Midges and small Mayfly patterns in the late mornings and afternoon.
The bite here this winter is in sharp contrast to what we saw last season as it is much warmer and the fish more active.
Go small with your choice of imitations now, the fish are not looking for large meals this time of year and you will replicate the bugs they are feeding on with sizes 18 to 22. You can use a SJ Worm as an attractor, or a flashback pattern to make it stand out, but keep your target fly small for best results.

WALKER RIVERS, CALIF:
Kent of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
East Walker River Water Conditions: Good. Flows have been flat at 25 CFS forever as of 1/12.
Fishing Conditions: Excellent. Water is still cold but midday bite is strong to wide open!
Baetis-o-rama.
Better anglers coming through the shop daily and guides/clients are giddy.

— Don Quilici is Outdoor editor of South Tahoe Now and Carson Now. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com