Hello fellow anglers. A very Merry Fishmas to you all. I would like to say thank you to all that sent  well wishes while I was detoured for a short while. I am looking forward to a winter season of good fishing.  As the new year approaches, I have a gift for you all. These are a list of important dates to write in on your new calendar. Starting the new year you may need to renew your fishing license. check your current license, because both Nevada and California have a 365 day license. Register your boat before the new year if you're planning on a Topaz or Pyramid Lake trip. The winter solstice is on December 21st. After that day, each day will be lighter one minute longer. It may not sound a lot, but by the time the end of January is here, we will have 40 minutes more of daylight to fish. California free fishing days are July 5th and August 30th. Nevada free fishing day is June 14th. Opening day stream trout season in California is April 26th. Daylight saving time is March 9th, which gives us an extra hour to fish. The Douglas County Lampe Park Kids Fishing Derby will be held on June 7th and 8th. For more information stop by AJ Stoves in Gardnerville and ask for Tiffany. Registration for the event will start in April. Now if you want to start the new year off right and become a volunteer for this great event, you can get information at [email protected].

Let's all be safe out there while we are doing some winter fishing. There is ice along the shores of lakes and streams, use cation and good footing. Boaters, make sure you have all your safety equipment up to date. Life jackets, fire extinguisher that is fully charged, a throwable floatation cushion, a horn and running lights that are in operable condition, a red flag in case you need assistance. Not all vessels are required to have all of these items on board. I would recommend checking with your state requirements to make sure you are equipped for your size of vessel. Plus it is nice to have a little extra, just in case another boater is in need of assistance. Note: If you have a horn and need assistance, also remember the SOS signal is 3 short beeps-3 long beeps- 3 short beeps.

SILVER LAKE:  The lake has iced over and thawed a few times. I recommend to stay off the ice until we have at least a foot or more of ice.

CAPLES LAKE: The lake has iced over and thawed a few times, and is now icing over again. The west end of the lake had 4 to 6 inches of ice with some open waters. Caples Lake Resort reported some people were out ice skating this week. I am still asking people to stay off the lake until we have at least a foot of solid ice on it before we do any ice fishing.  The Caples Lake Resort is now open for lodging and dining in their new lounge. For more information, stop by and enjoy the view. Or  you can go to their website at capleslakeresort.com.

WOODS LAKE: Closed for the year.

BLUE LAKES: The road is open to the second gate.

RED LAKE: The lake has iced over and had 3 inches as of last week. Stay off the lake until we get 8 to 12 inches of ice on the lake.

BURNSIDE LAKE: As of this week the road is open. I would highly recommend staying out until spring time. The road is rough enough when dry. With a little weather, it will be a mess and you could get stuck easily. This road can close at any time.

CARSON RIVER WEST FORK ALPINE COUNTY CA: The water flow is at 15 CFS, which is very low. The areas in Hope Valley and the Woodfords Canyon are icy and could be dangerous along the river. Use caution. The river is open to catch and release with artificial lures or flies with barbless hooks.

EAST FORK CARSON RIVER ALPINE COUNTY CA: The river is running at 36 CFS above Hangman's bridge, but there are sections of iced over areas. The river is open to catch and release with artificial lures or flies only with barbless hooks.  The Alpine County Fish and Game Commission just planted 1800 lbs of 1.5 to 6 lb rainbows this week. The Carson River Resort is open all year for cabin rentals along with a general store. A perfect place to do a little warming up and then a little more fishing all day long. The RV and tents camping areas are closed until early spring. For more information stop by the Carson River Resort.

INDIAN CREEK RESERVOIR: Both roads are open. Use a little caution on the dirt road, this time of year it can get a little muddy. On the paved road, there are some areas that will not see sunlight until spring. These areas do ice over. Fishing reports have been slow. The lake does hold some nice rainbows, browns and cutthroat trout up to 4 or 5 lbs.

TOPAZ LAKE: The lake level has been going up a foot oor so each week due to the runoff from the Walker River. But compared to last year at this time, the level is down about 8 to 10 feet.  Fishing has been doing well for trollers using flashers  and a crawler or a small spoon. I talked with a couple anglers that caught some nice rainbows 14 to 19 inches long last week. They were toplinning with Rapalas. I will have an update on the east side real estate report in a couple weeks. This will be for the die-hards that keep the new year fishing and camping tradition along the shore alive.

Good luck on your next fishing adventure. Make sure you let someone know where you're going and when you will return. If you get a picture of your catch. Send it to [email protected]. Hope to see you on the waters soon. Good fishin' and tight lines.