Fishing captures another side of Lake Tahoe

by Kathryn Reed | Featured, Outside | 0 comments

Jack Johnson, from left, Mike Behrens and Scott Olson start the day fishing before the sun is barely up. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Music. It’s what makes a fish bite. Just ask Tyler Chia.

While everyone else had dinner chilling on ice, he didn’t have so much as a nibble.

Then Capt. Zach Gordon asked Chia what tunes he wanted to listen to. The country got eighty-sixed, as it wasn’t helping anyone. Drake was Chia’s answer and the solution to his fish drought. Within minutes Chia was working two lines. A massive grin filled his boyish face as he stood on deck on this cool June morning with a Mackinaw in each hand.

Fifteen Mackinaw, also known as lake trout, were hauled in that day by the six men aboard Tahoe Sportfishing’s largest boat, the Prophet. Most of these weighed less than 6 pounds, but still plenty of meat for dinner. Everyone was planning to take their catch to MacDuff’s Pub for the restaurant to prepare three ways—beer-battered, blackened and sautéed.

Lake Tahoe doesn’t have a minimum weight for fish pulled from its water. The main rule is no more than five total per person. It can become catch-and-release if people have more than they can consume.

On this excursion only Mackinaw were biting—no Kokanee salmon, no brown or rainbow trout.

Robert Aronsen, who was a resident of South Lake Tahoe at the time, still holds the record—37.6 pounds—for the largest Mackinaw from Lake Tahoe. This was back in 1974.

Tyler Chia of Southern California shows off his nearly simultaneous haul. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Destination fishing

Mergansers dart in the shallow water, making the only ripple on the glassy waters.

Capt. Gordon keeps the mood light on his vessel that departs from Ski Run Marina at the break of dawn. With how the sun dips behind the various ridges on the East Shore, it was like experiencing multiple sunrises in one morning.

Then the top of Mount Tallac comes out of the dark. Soon it is completely awash in sunlight. Only fishing boats are out at this hour. That changes as the air temperature rises.

Daylight awakens the vocal chords of those onboard. Introductions. Pleasantries. A few light-hearted jokes. Building comradery for what will become a collaborative effort to land fish after fish after fish.

Tommy Chia is with his sons, Tyler and Ryan. The Orange County trio are in town while their wife/mom is at a conference. Mike Behrens of Arizona is on his first visit to Tahoe, with catching a Mackinaw a primary goal—which he did more than once. He was celebrating his 47th wedding anniversary. Part of the fun included this fishing expedition with his childhood buddy Jack Johnson of Wisconsin. Scott Olson traveled from Sonoma. He says he only catches fish on guided trips. All were fishing Lake Tahoe for the first time.

Deck hand Nate Mitchell cleans one of the Mackinaw. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

After deck hand Nate Mitchell threaded live red-sided bass minnows onto the hooks and the lines were dispatched to a depth of a couple hundred feet, Gordon surveyed his brood. He pointed to Olson. “He looks fishy.” That’s a compliment, meaning he’s the one to watch, the one who is going to reel in multiple fish and likely be the one to feed everyone onboard.

Gordon, who has been a captain since 2007, was spot on. Within minutes Olson’s pole arced. He brought in about at 2.5 pound Mackinaw.

“When I had him it felt like 10 pounds,” Olson said. “I need to rest my arm.”

Gordon is full of clever quips: “Come on, we put three in the lake last night so there are two left.”

Fish No. 2 went to Olson. He was definitely “fishy” the entire trip.

When lines hit the bottom, Gordon chimed: “We don’t want to catch the plug to the lake and drain the whole thing.”

Hook, line and sinker

Lake Tahoe and its tributaries have been fishing meccas for eons. Fish were a staple of the Washoe Indians who lived at the lake during the summer.

Now recreational fishing charters ply the water year-round, with more than a dozen outfitters working all ends of the lake. Commercial fishing, where the haul is sold off, is not allowed at Lake Tahoe.

South Lake Tahoe government officials were not able to quantify the economic impact of fishing charters; and Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority doesn’t market fishing as an activity. Even so, fishing is big business for those with the boats and poles.

“It’s not like being on the ocean and trying to fill your freezer. It really is about the experience—going on Lake Tahoe, fishing Tahoe, the scenic views, and the opportunity to catch fish and eat it that same night,” Zach Shearer, operations manager with Tahoe Sportfishing, said. “It’s a really, really cool experience that not many places in the world are offering.”

Shearer grew up fishing; he almost had to. In 1997, the year before he was born, his dad, John, bought the South Lake Tahoe outfitter from Dean Lockwood. Lockwood opened the business in 1953.

Tahoe Sportfishing has been taking people out on Lake Tahoe since 1953. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

The Prophet, one of the first boats Shearer purchased, was overhauled last year—with this being the first full season back on Tahoe. The 43-foot Delta has new, quieter engines that are better for the environment.

Tahoe Sportfishing with its six boats has the largest fleet of fishing vessels on Lake Tahoe. All boats are Coast Guard certified. All are also ocean-worthy, which is a good thing considering Lake Tahoe gets plenty rough.

“Lake trout is what we fish for most of the year. They are always moving, doing different things,” Shearer said. “A big benefit of fishing year-round is consistently knowing where they are because the hot spots always change.”

Captains tap into the Tahoe Environmental Research Center’s website to get information about the currents in the lake. They are forecasted from data collected via  the buoys in the water. Currents can move 100 feet a minute.

Sonar also helps locate fish along the various shelves.

While fishing licenses from California and Nevada work for individuals in both states, captains need to be certified by each state if they want to take the boat anywhere on the lake. Gordon is the only captain with Tahoe Sportfishing who has a Nevada captain’s license. Two captains with other outfitters also have a Nevada license.

About 50 percent of Tahoe Sportfishing’s customers are repeat clientele. For others, this is a bucket list item. Still others want a day on the lake. Afternoon charters tend to be more about hanging out than hauling in one’s limit.

And it might not just be fish you catch. Gordon joked with one of the guys who had a piece of wood on the line: “Bring it in. It might be the only thing you catch.” Then Gordon offered to take the man’s picture with the wood, which made everyone on board laugh.

Fishing really is more than fishing.

Note: A version of this story first appeared in the Tahoe Mountain News.

Finding history and wild pigs in ‘private’ state park

by Kathryn Reed | Featured, Outside | 1 comment

Sutter Buttes in the Central Valley is a remote state park without public access. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

While it’s called Peace Valley, in some ways it is still contentious land. That’s because this state park in Northern California is surrounded by private property; and some owners would just assume the state not be involved.

The park doesn’t even have a name even though the state has owned the nearly 1,800 acres since 2003. It’s referred to as the State Park at Sutter Buttes. It’s been known as the Sutter Buttes since 1927; and is considered the smallest mountain range in the United States.

On the last Tuesday of April a group of hikers with OLLI were led on about a 4-mile excursion by a State Parks’ employee.

This was my second hike in the Buttes. Four years ago I hiked North Butte with the Middle Mountain group, a nonprofit that leads interpretive hikes in the Sutter Buttes. The only way to access the Buttes and the park is to know someone or be with an organized group.

On the more recent trek, beyond the natural beauty, it was the wild pigs and the Pugh homestead that captured my attention.

It’s surmised these animals were introduced by landowners in the 1970s. They are prolific reproducers, with 2.5 litters a year the norm, with seven to 11 in a litter. One problem is there is not predator for the pig, so the population easily grows.

“They can rototill an area overnight,” the docent said. “If you can’t control the pigs, you can’t do restoration.”

While it’s been three years since this park had uncontrolled cattle grazing, the cows and pigs have damaged natural springs, with the pigs continuing to destroy the land.

This park has no dedicated funding; it gets about $85,000 a year. So, a true concerted effort to control the pigs has not happened. Some trapping has occurred. Pig hunts have been talked about. The answer to this pig problem is still unresolved.

While we saw two groups of pigs, it was at a distance. Along parts of the hike we saw various spots where they had left their mark.

John Sutter was the first white person to lay claim to land in the Buttes. Part of the hike was along the old road that took wagons into Marysville.

Aaron Pugh put up stakes in this valley in about 1830 when he was in his 30s. For his third wife Pugh built a nine-room house that was perfect for entertaining. Water was piped in from a spring. Remnants of the structure are still visible. Pugh owned about 2,000 acres in the Buttes when he died; almost all of the land that now comprises the state park. A family cemetery sits on hill with a gorgeous view.

Wildflowers popping well before spring arrives

by Kathryn Reed | Featured, Outside | 1 comment

Flowering onion grass fills part of a hillside in Sonoma County. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

The last day of February had to be earliest hike I’ve been on where the intent was to seek out wildflowers.

Foothill Regional Park in Sonoma County was more than accommodating. While clearly still early in the season, it was amazing to see so many different types of flowers sprouting from the deep green grasses.

Mount St. Helena in Napa County is prominent in the distance. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

With this spastic winter we’ve had of wet-dry-cold-warm on a repeat cycle, Mother Nature doesn’t seem to know what season she wants to share with us. It’s definitely spring even if the calendar doesn’t say so.

The abundance of recent rain and now warmth and sun should have the flowers popping out in a robust manner all month, if not well into April depending where one is in the flatlands.

Sun cups grow low to the ground. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

A few Douglas iris were scattered about. Sue was sure she saw several of their leaves as an indicator more will soon dot the landscape.

Other flowers we saw included Pacific hound’s tongue, stork’s bill, mountain arnica, lupine, bittercress, sun cup, and blue dicks.

The ponds at Foothill Regional Park in Sonoma County are full. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

All the rain in February had the different ponds in Foothill Regional Park full to the extent water was crossing some trails, with at least one fence line almost completely submerged.

Even when it’s not wildflower season, this park is a great escape for all ages and abilities as there are different routes to take.

Note: It costs $8 to park.