Hello fellow anglers. I have a short report for you this week. With our ever-changing weather, it's been hit and miss to get out there. But before we get to your report, I want to let you know about something many are not aware of.

In Nevada, when you purchase a hunting or fishing license, there is a box that asks if you would like to make a donation. I have made a donation in the past, but now I just found out what that goes towards. This is very important to all those young anglers who are about to turn 12 years of age. The reason is, up to the age of 11, you do not need a fishing license in Nevada. But when you turn 12, you must purchase a youth fishing and hunting license, which is good until you turn 18. Then you must purchase an adult license.

But with the donations that fellow anglers and hunters have made, young anglers 12 to 17 years of age can get a free license. How can I do this, you ask? You can either pick up a copy of the Nevada Fish and Game regulation book and turn to pages 12 and 13, or go to www.ndow.org/blog/nevada-youth-license-fund/. All you need to do is scan the free license code and fill in the required information for each angler. This way, each angler will have it on their phone when asked for it by a Nevada Game Warden.

Now, you will also see another scan code on that page. This is where, if you would like to make a donation to this wonderful program by the NDOW, you can do so. I can tell you one thing: I will be making a donation every year now to help fund this great program to help get our youth started and continuing in the world of fishing and hunting. So far, it has helped more than 15,000 kids. Now, let's check out your fishing report.

LAKE TAHOE

Not much Mac action to report this week. But the rainbow action has been doing well on the east side of the lake with a dodger and a nightcrawler. The rainbows have all been in the 16" range. For more information, go to Rubyjeancharters.com or call 775-233-5055.

CAPLES LAKE

The Caples Lake Marina and boat launch are closed for the season. They do still have rental cabins and will be opening the restaurant soon. I was told the public ramp will be removed this week for launching. If you want to do some shore fishing, go down by the spillway and toss an inflated nightcrawler or throw a gold Kastmaster. For more information, go to capleslakeresort.com or call 209-258-8888.

WOODS LAKE

The gates will be closing this week, from what I was told by the U.S. Forest Service.

RED LAKE

No reports from Red Lake this week.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR

The lake is still fishing fair for anglers throwing salmon peach or red PowerBait with an 18- to 14-inch leader. Both roads are open as of this week, but they may close the paved road at any time due to weather conditions.

EAST FORK CARSON RIVER — ALPINE COUNTY

Fishing has still been productive. The fish are scattered up and down the river, so you will have to do a lot of river hopping like we did. You may catch a lot of small fish, but there are still many 2- to 5-pound rainbows in there. My best advice is to hit the headwaters with a small weight and half a threaded nightcrawler. Right now, the fish are a little spooked on spinners. For more information, go to carsonriverresorts.com or call 530-694-2229.

WEST FORK CARSON RIVER — ALPINE COUNTY

The fishing is slow. A couple of anglers have picked up a few small ones in the Woodfords Canyon area. But if you want to see some beautiful fall colors, head up to Hope Valley and enjoy the aspen trees in all their splendor.

TOPAZ LAKE

The lake has dropped again, but the county ramp is still open and very usable. Small boats use the center dock, while the taller boats use the right dock.

Renee and I fished a few hours last week, with nine fish to the boat and lost about another 10. Rapalas were the ticket, and the early morning bite was on. After 1 or 2 p.m., the bite turned way down.

One thing I would caution boaters about: stay away from the south end. The water comes up very quickly to only 2–4 feet, and that's still a ways away from the edge of the lake. No need to get stuck.

I talked with a couple of bass anglers who were doing well. Brian and his partner were fishing undisclosed areas. They were told to me, but I did not want to give away their secret holes, as they are tournament anglers.

BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR

The fishing has picked up from boaters and from shore anglers. Bring some heavy jackets, and fill up your gas tank before you go. Gas down there is $7–$9 a gallon.

Needlefish or a naked nightcrawler for the trollers; shore anglers have been using inflated nightcrawlers. The marina is closed for mooring and launching, but they are open until the end of the month for camping. Boaters will have to launch at the bathtub.

NDOW FISH PLANTS

East Carson River, Paradise Pond, Wilson Common Pond, Bailey Pond, Seaman Pond, Mitch Pond, Desert Creek, and Battle Born Pond.

ADVISEMENT: Stay away from Mountain View Pond due to the algae bloom.

UPPER OWEN RIVER ABOVE BENTON'S CROSSING

Please see the previous report for a little background. Brushing the cobwebs aside and digging into our memory banks, we remember that last year, the fishing for big rainbows and browns from mid-September through October was the best we've seen in at least 12 years.

So far this year, that has not materialized. So now, digging even deeper into those memory banks, that great fall fishing usually didn't kick in until about this time in October, so last year was a welcome early arrival.

Yesterday, using the approach described in that previous report, we caught one 19" brown. But we did see more big fish than we have so far this fall and are hopeful ("if you ain't got hope, you ain't got noth'n") that this could be the early stages of the "Fall Run." We'll be out there today and later this week to see what happens.

JUNE LAKE

During the past few trips on June, we've done quite well getting a good amount of rainbows up to 3 lbs. and some cutthroats up to 16" using a variety of floating baits. Since about mid-September, when the water cooled, most have been in water 10' to 20' deep.

Good spots have been at the north end in front of the beaches and the south end in front of the private docks. A couple of good friends have been gettin' 'em on mini jigs and swimbaits in the same locations. This is also a good time of year to toss out a nightcrawler under a bobber.

Good luck on your next fishing adventure. I hope to see you on the waters soon. If you get a picture of your catch, send it to editor@recordcourier.com.

Good fishin' and tight lines.