A Big Brown Trout for 2013

      Locals know about lake trout; some visitors know about lake trout.  But Gene St. Denis of South Lake knows about giant Browns.   While fishing with his son off Cave Rock after launching at Zephyr Cove, he hooked and landed a monster fish: a 15 pound,9 ounce Brown trout, only 5 ounces short of the record! The fish was 33 inches long,tail to lip.   Not tight lipped, he used a 5 1/2 " Trophy Stick, colored Tui Chub, covered w/ ProCure Trophy Trout Gel.  They were trolling @ 3mph.  Stomach contents included mysis shrimp and baby crawdads.  No surprises here.
      His son, Eric, future Marine, caught a 28lb Mackinaw 2 weeks ago in the same area.  These results reflect the change in local conditions brought on by heavy precipitation w/i the basin: 6"+ in 24 hours delivered a flood of runoff from the Upper Truckee watershed.  This in turn brought abundant food into the  lake, which was sent east by high winds, which brought fish close to the surface from their customary haunts far below.  The near record fish was caught at only 15' in depth!
     Gene runs Blue Ribbon Fishing Charters and evidently knows what he's doing.
     Another fish story; another Lake story.
HAPPY NEW YEAR.