SOUTH LAKE TAHOE – Lake Tahoe is heating up for Mackinaw, and a whopping 40-inch fish pushing 30 pounds was caught and released on a recent trip with guide J.D. Richey of Richey’s Sport Fishing.
Richey said, “Mack fishing on Tahoe has been pretty steady, and although the average fish has been on the smaller side around 3 pounds, there have been some big fish showing up. I’ve heard of several fish in the teens this week from various boats, and at least one over 20. Our big fish was 40 inches and pushing 30 pounds taken on a minnow in the shallows, and it fought like a beast. It swam off strong after a quick photo. There are rainbows and browns along with the occasional cutthroat moving around in the shallows, and topliners are scoring with Rapalas first thing in the mornings or on cloudy days. The wind has been the only limiting factor.
Captain Zach Gordon of Tahoe Sport Fishing confirmed the steady action with 2 to 3 Mackinaw per rod working the North Shore at depths from 120 to 160 feet along with afternoons along the shelves from 140 to 200 feet along the South Shore drifting minnows under a Tahoe Flasher.”
Chris Ditter of Sierra Fin Addicts on the North Shore added, “Working white spoons at depths to 400 feet, we are finding a better grade of Mackinaw as they are eating shrimp. It’s a matter of working the lure a few feet off the bottom. The action hasn’t been fast and furious, but we are scoring Mackinaw in the 2.8- to 5-pound range. We aren’t seeing the large schools, and I have been concentrating on marks outside of what schools we are seeing.”
With Tahoe’s stringent requirements for launching a boat due protecting the lake from invasive mussels, hiring a guide is one of the best ways to access the lake. The Mackinaw bite should only continue to improve as the summer months progress.
