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Recently, my fiancee and I attended a conference in Tahoe, nestled high in the mountains on the California/Nevada border, which many people visit for water sports on beautiful Lake Tahoe in the summer, winter skiing and other tourist-related activities. Lake Tahoe is not particularly known for its fishing, although it can be excellent. In fact, we had a wonderful afternoon fishing the lake with Leonard O’Malley of O’Malley’s Fishing Charters (*).
We primarily fished for mackinaw trout from O’Malley’s small, 20-foot cabin cruiser, which has an open cockpit. O’Malley has completely mastered the technique of using downriggers with light tackle so the line releases from the downrigger when there is a strike, and a sporting fight is on. We ended up catching four mackinaws in the four to five-pound range. We released one and kept the other three, which O’Malley filleted for us at the conclusion of the trip; they made excellent tablefare. Mackinaws ranging up to 20 pounds are frequently caught in the lake, in addition to rainbow trout and landlocked Kokanee salmon.
O’Malley is a very pleasant chap, has excellent tackle and keeps his boat spotlessly clean. He is very familiar with the history of Lake Tahoe and this added to the pleasantness of the day. He charges $70 per person for five hours of fishing, which includes all tackle and live bait if necessary. We brought our own lunch and beverages and had a wonderful afternoon. I can recommend this fishing experience without any hesitation. – David E. Combs.