Tahoe???

New to the site and love it. It's amazing how kayak fishing has taken off. We used to fish Stillwater off an aluminum skiff 5+ years ago with nobody in sight. We didn't even know what we were catching. That first look at a big ling coming up is a shocker.

Anyway, I would like to pick the brains of those who have fished the Meeks Bay side of Lake Tahoe. Heading up this week and going to try to catch Kokanee, I guess. We'll see. Any input would be super.

 

BTW, the "Banjo Minnow" slays all the rockies. Different fishing tecnique, but still. No But's though.
 

send Zilla a PM - he lives in Tahoe and knows the area pretty well. He maybe gone for a week or two - so don't expect response right away. Mike / Tote would be another guy to get hold off. Good Luck!

Welcome to the madness 

If the Kokes are spawning you must stay away from the creeks/mouth

Mahalo guys........ I've read about the creek mouths, and that tells me that thats where they are, as usual.
Heading up right now. I let you know if I score.
SR

Well, we caught some Makennah on live minnows, 2-3 lbs. Good eating.
BTW, all the rivers/ creeks and mouths were opened July 1st. One guy caught a huge rainbow right there at Meeks bay creek a couple weeks ago.
Locals and tourists were tripping on what we were doing, fishing off a kayak. Saying "good luck" and such. Classic when we actually brought fish in and cooked it up for lunch.
I'll try to post a pic of a catch.......

Thanks for the report, Salty1.  I've been going to South Lake Tahoe for 20 years with my inlaws but have never made it up to Meek's Bay--I had to Google it and study just to know where it is.  Looks like a nice spot.  Is there is a place to buy the live bait at Meek's Bay?  What kind of rig were you using at what depth to get the Mak's?  I think it's Makinaw.

 

Thx for the report!and the pic!...One more of my dream destinations and fish. Keep postin'

Hey SaltH20, I was just up there and didn't try for Mack's because I thought you'd need a fishfinder to find the right depths/structure.  I trolled for Rainbows and Kokanee and got nothing.  Did you have a FF?  Did you jig or troll?  Nice work!

I needed the spell check...... to lazy to look it up.
We hit the north end of the bay, 150 - 200' of water. I have the smart cast FF, which only worked to 100', but still detected schools. A FF is the way to go though. In the Meeks Bay marina office is a map of the depths. Take a look and paddle right out to the deep spot. Easy to find. Learned that they hit at 11:am, and that's when it happened.
Catch the minnows in a trap with cat food in the marina or along the shore rocks. Or buy at a tackle store if you can find em. Rig the minnow thru the dorsal or nose, like tuna fishing, and dropped with a couple split shot a couple feet up.
Next year I'm bringing a good FF that will go to depth.
I heard the Makinaw are taking over the Kokes.
 
Good eatin!!!!!!!!

Abking,
How big is that Ab in your profile pic? We went up to the Bragg this year and limited out for three days. I believe the biggest was 9". Absolute hoot.
Yours looks like a monster!

Meeks Bay is one of the nicest on the lake. Getting crouded these days, but still nice. Paddle distance to some jumping rocks.
This year we caught crawdads in the lake, which I haven't done since I was a kid. 

Thanks for the followup, Salt.  That's a 10"er in my avatar - of course!  I've got a couple over 11".  Humboldt has less abs and murkier and more limited habitat than down south, and I think that leads to more large specimens.  I've had several days where the only ab I found was an old-growth...  Gotta have a 10" guage!

I too have the Smart Cast FF - it's been helpful for knowing depth, but you're right that a real fishfinder is much better.  I've never caught fish in Tahoe as we're always just hanging out playing at the beach with the kiddoes - we go to Sand Harbor alot.  I'm looking forward to trying a bit harder for fish next summer.