mackinaw (lake trout) question

Besides tahoe, are any other lakes good for lake trout?,

I am mostly interested in Caples/ Lower bear reservior, as they are day tripable from sonora.

These are the lakes that the state has planted lake trout in at some point.

Lake Tahoe
Donner Lake
Bucks Lake
Hell Hole Reservoir
Bear River Reservoir
Gold Lake
Stampede Reservoir
Gilmore Lake
Fallen Leaf Lake
Caples Lake

I know Tahoe, bucks and stampede have catchable populations, but what about the others?

Caples /Lower bear are my biggest intersts, as they are day tripable, but i'd rather go to salt springs, and catch chunky rainbows, if bear/caples don't have a catchable population Opposed to drag a 4 or 6 inch rainbow trout lure around all day for nada. Caples I read is only like 56 feet deep, and appareantly they lowed the lake for repairs this last year, and netted a bunch of the fish and took them to red and silver lakes,

 Any one know about mackinaw in any of these other lakes besides tahoe?

I once sat next to a guy on a plane who said he caught a monster laker from shore on Donner. Over 20 pounds. On a large spoon while casting from some rocks in the dead of winter.

He seemed like he wasn't BS ing to me.

Think I've heard something about Caples starting to ice over already but obviously I haven't confirmed this.

Strange as is I have caught 2 from the SHORE at Donner.
As you mentioned, Stampede can be great!

Look forward to your report!

Lake Tahoe
Donner Lake
Bucks Lake
Hell Hole Reservoir
Stampede Reservoir
Fallen Leaf Lake
Caples Lake

These all hold macks.  Also add sly park/jenkinson.

the biggest population of macks is in tahoe, so its the easiest to catch numbers at.  Hell hole is probably going to be difficult to get into starting this weekend with the rain, and stampede might be tough to get into soon enough.  Fallen leaf is far enough that you might as well just go to tahoe.

I would think the closest to you is caples but its got 5" of ice on it now.  Donner is easy to access because its right off the freeway, but coming from Sonora it wouldnt be quite as simple.

+1 on Jenkinson

http://www.fishsniffer.com/dbacher/110201jenkinson.html

Check out Johns mac on AOTY Yesterday

About the other lakes . . .
Lots of Macs are caught in Stampede.  My biggest of maybe 3 or 4  is about 6 lbs.   
In Gold Lake I've caught 13+ (prob 14), 11, 9 and 8 pounders among a dozen or so Macs. 
Bucks Lake has some over 30 lb.  A woman caught one within the past ten yrs. at maybe 34 lbs. and I think then it was a CA record (not counting Tahoe).  And a friend did really well last Fall at Bucks fishing from his PB.

gilmore lake is in the desolation and about a 4 mile hike up to it.. no way of getting a yak up there unless you are a SAV!! but there are big macks in it.. also fallen leaf is really good and has a good number of macks in it as well.. more kayak friendly on fallen leaf then tahoe just because of pure size, however average size mack on fallen leaf is 1-3lbs while the average on tahoe is 3-6...  so if your looking for those bigger fish go with tahoe.. caples is good but i heard they drained the lake last year and and restocked it.. i went ice fishing on it about a month ago and the biggest fish i saw was no more than 12 inches...

Jenkinson mostly has cookie cutters.
Union Valley...that's where it at.

I have fished Fallen Leaf lake for many years and have pulled large LT from a boat and a few from shore.

What's wrong with Tahoe????  I am dying to get back up there and do more laker fishing!  Next weekend it is on the radar!

Sent from my UTAB71 using Tapatalk 2

Mostly cookie cutters in sly park but there are a few toads!

Caught this one a few months ago F-11 vampire rapalla



There are a few macs left in caples as well, Ill spare you all the pic,its nothing special but caught one there last summer.

went out to fallen leaf lake today and landed 5 LT. biggest was 5lbs smallest was 3. on an ultra light rod and reel and 6lb line it was fun!

Mostly cookie cutters in sly park but there are a few toads!

Caught this one a few months ago F-11 vampire rapalla



There are a few macs left in caples as well, Ill spare you all the pic,its nothing special but caught one there last summer.

DAYMN! That's one of the biggest I've seen recently out of there.
Guessing, 10 FOW?