Caples, Silver, & Bear River, May 24-26

I'm going to be staying at my in-laws in Pioneer for the weekend and plan to yak-fish the high county like a madman,  I have no definate plan as of yet, but it likely will be Caples on Saturday morning.

Brian G, do you have word yet of the ice conditions at Caples?  With the recent hot weather, it should be partially iced out, at least enough to sneak a yak around the bergs.  Best time of year to fish Caples if you ask me...

Bear River will probably be my second choice for Sunday... I want to try deep jigging or trooching and see if I can't scare up a big-mac.

I'll have my VHF with me, scanning Ch68 & Ch69... yellow P-15, white Dodge quadcab 4x4 with camper shell and Thule racks, appropriately pimp'd with NCKA stickers, etc...

Who's interested in Caples dawn patrol?  (((provided the lake isn't still solidly iced-in)))

Backcountry

p.s. Last year, the weekend before Memorial Day at Caples, I severely sunburned my legs (big-time idiot move)... bring max SPF sunscreen!!!

I just called the Caples Lake resort... great news... the lake is iced out, but it is still low... so low that the full size ramp will not be flooded this weekend... the low water ramp may be open by Friday, but that is only for cartoppers and/or real small trailers... less PB traffic for the yakkers!!!

I tried to get up there this weekend using the Mormon Emigrant Trail, but the road was closed 2 MILES FROM 88!!!
Long story short, used Light Canyon in the Mazda (high-centered, but got out with help from dirt-bikers) to get over to Hwy 50 and then to Ice House.  Ice House was beautiful, lots of topwater action and a few missed fish on flys, one 15" brown on the spinner (he will be dinner tonight).

I'll check with he boss and see if we can make it up there this coming weekend.

All the lakes are ready to fish. I am going to be in Bridgeport wit h the family. I'm still on the injured list otherwise I would have been up there this last weekend. I might hit the lakes on tuesday or wensday, but there are a lot of options out there.

Silver lake: When you see an area that has two roundish humps in the area between Kays and spillway, that's a mac love zone. Drag bottom and think big.  The big macs will be gorging on planters. For brown fast troll shallow with j9 silver and black. Broken back rapalas are always a favorite for slower trolling. Faster trolling = browns for me. Slow troll = bows and macs. Never under estimate a night crawler behind a gold or watermelon dodger { long leader after dodger}

Caples lake: Same as above for technique. I prefer the east side of the lake with j9s and nightcrawlers. Wind typically blows from the west to the east and pushes the food to the east bank.

I think Bear will be your best bet for a big mac. Don't forget about Red Lake, those cutthroat are yummy and fight better than macs. The 3-4lb trophy brookies in there are a blast too.

-Brian G

Thanks Brian!  I'm off to Fisherman's Warehouse right now to stock up on J9's!

I'll try to leave a few fish for you in Caples!

It is apparently snowing in Tahoe right now... gonna be real cold up at Caples Lake this weekend... good thing I'm "camping" at my in-laws pimp'd crib.

Yes it is going to be FREEZING in the high country this weekend.

Funny story one Memorial weekend when I was pretty young I was camping with my grandparents up in the high country and it was snowing and all frozen land. We left and drove all the way to Santa Cruz for the rest of the weekend. I was one happy kid.

-Brian G