Fishing season opens at Topaz Lake

Fishing season opened Tuesday morning at Topaz Lake but fish stories were more plentiful than fish.

More than 100 anglers made the trek to the desert lake 40 miles south of Carson City, many arriving before dawn to stake out the best spot along the shore. A dozen boats plied the lake by dawn for the annual opener after three months of no fishing.

"I've been coming here 11 years now," said Don Henderson of Carson City. "I've gotten one fish on opening day."

This year he and father-in-law George Rodrigues brought Henderson's daughter Heather for luck. It did them little good.

"Not many bites today," said Rodrigues adding that not even those in boats seemed to be having any luck Tuesday.

The story was pretty much the same for Carson residents Brian Pendergraft, Wymen and Brent Sears 30 feet down the beach.

"Not even a nibble," said Wymen Sears.

"But we did catch 13 largemouth bass the other day," said Pendergraft.

Asked where, he said, "I can't tell you. I'd have to kill you."

Next to them at the north end of the lake were Mike and Stewart Moon and Sam Shaw. Only Mike Moon, who arrived before dawn, had any luck, catching one 10-inch rainbow.

"The fish are screwed up here," said Shaw. "They don't know which bait to take and they're not taking mine."

"I get a hat every year," said John Wrinkle of Carson City referring to the trophy contest sponsored by the Topaz Lodge. "But not a bite. I catch fish everywhere but here."

But the group in between Henderson's group and the others was drawing some ugly looks. Brian Buscay, the Ambrosi brothers and Collins family of Reno had six decent sized fish on the stringer by 8 a.m. even though they were relying on the same powerbait as everyone else down the beach.

Will Ambrosi got one bite while talking to a reporter but the fish popped free when he tried to set the hook -- drawing jeers from the others in his group.

"If he'd let me, we'd be reeling it in right now," said his twin brother Chris. "Put him down as 'missed the most fish.'"

Within a minute, Buscay had a bite and, with little trouble, reeled in a 10- incher.

"See, Will, that's how it's done," he teased, drawing a less-than-printable response.

Despite the chill and the fog, stepfather Doug Collins surveyed his crew from the beach wearing shorts but, notably, without a fishing pole.

"I'm just here to get a buzz," he said adding a liberal shot of bourbon to his coffee. "I don't have to drive," he grinned.

As a matter of fact, with similar gear and similar bait all along the shoreline, the major difference between the dozen of so groups of anglers seemed to be their selection of antifreeze which ranged from bourbon to beer, brandy to schnapps among others.

"I'd like to catch fish, yeah, but anytime you can get out fishing, it's a good day," said Shaw.

Dale Hudson of Carson City agreed even though he left the beach after an hour or so for the bar and poker machines at Topaz Lodge.

He said he comes every year and, even if the fishing isn't good, "everybody has a good time."

"A bad day of fishing beats a good day of work," said Hudson.

His son Dale Jr. said he's been coming to opening day at Topaz for years and never caught a fish.

"In 19 years, I've never caught a fish in Topaz," he said.

It's not for a lack of fish in the lake. Every year, the Nevada Wildlife Division and California Fish and Game Department stock up to 70,000 rainbow trout up to 12 inches long into the lake straddling the California-Nevada border along Highway 395. And that's what most people catch on opening day.

But there are bigger fish in Topaz. The record from the lake was a 31-inch, 13 pound, 8 ounce rainbow caught in April 1998. Stories like that keep the fishermen coming back.