El Dorado County Fishing Reports

Kokanee are starting to pop along the south end of the lake, with schools holding between 50 and 75 feet. Some are already stretching to 14 inches, and there’s word of even bigger fish starting to mix in up to 18 inches. Best results are coming on Flashers pulling Wedding Rings.

Lake trout are a mixed bag right now. Some days they’re chewing, some days you’ll grind for every bite. Live bait has been key, whether you’re trolling, jigging, or drifting between 85 and 120 feet. A few double digit fish have been landed in the past couple weeks, so the size is there.

Rainbows are cruising the shallows, and browns up to 5 pounds are showing, but the cutthroat scene has gone quiet. Most of the trout bite outside of macks is sitting up high in the top 30 feet.

Folsom’s a mixed bag right now, but there’s action. Bass have fully pulled off the bank and are holding around bluff walls and offshore rockpiles in 15 to 25 feet. There’s a short topwater window early, but after that it’s all finesse... drop-shot plastics and Senkos are the go-tos. The bass bite is fair overall.

For trout and salmon, early morning is key. The bite’s been strongest before 9am, with rainbows and kings hitting hoochies paired with 8” flashers, run 40 to 50 feet down. After that, things slow down fast, and fish get scattered. There’s little bait showing shallow... what’s there seems to be tight to bottom around 80-100 feet. Kings are short-striking often, but some solid fish to 25 inches are still being caught.

Tahoe’s spring bite is red hot, and conditions couldn’t be better. Water clarity is the best locals have seen in decades... glass-clear... with surface temps holding steady in the low to mid 50s. That combo has the big lake firing on all cylinders.

Mackinaw are stacked deep and hungry. Most boats are running either tube jigs tipped with sucker meat or deep-diving stickbaits between 80 and 110 feet. Both techniques are putting fish in the box. The southwest and north ends have been consistent producers.

Kokanee are starting to stage but still sitting deeper than usual for spring. Look for them between 60 and 75 feet, especially where you can mark bait. Trolling wedding rings behind dodgers is working well, especially early when the light’s low.

Nearshore action is picking up too. Rainbows and browns are pushing shallow, particularly in the mornings and late afternoon. Long casts with spoons or a slow roll with a streamer can pull strikes from cruisers nosing the banks.