Fishing has been up and down because of the inconsistent weather during the last several weeks, but anglers who hit it on the right day are finding anywhere from a few fish to full limits of gorgeous rainbow trout. "These fish are fat and healthy right now," said Fields. "We're getting a lot of comments on the quality of the fish this year. Most are running close to two pounds and measure 17 to 18 inches."

Both trollers and bank fishermen have been getting in on the action, but trollers probably have the edge judging from the reports coming into the marina over the the past weekend.

"Trolling is always a very productive method here at Topaz and most of the bigger fish this week were taken by trollers," said Fields. "The trout are feeding close to surface, but they'll be right up against the bank one day, then out in the middle of the lake the next. This means you need to cover a lot of water until you find them.

The action has been spread throughout the entire lake for trollers. Fields said your best bet is to start out at the north end of the lake and work your way south while zig zagging from shallow to deep water. Broken back Rapalas in black/silver and black/gold have been the hot bait since the opener and a plain old nightcrawler, either behind a set of flashers of by itself, is running a close second.

"We had a boat out yesterday with three anglers from Reno and they brought in 15 rainbows while trolling Rapalas out in the middle of the lake," said Fields. "I just had another boat come in today with two anglers and they had a total of six fish up to 2-1/2 pounds. They were also trolling Rapalas."

Big fish of the weekend was a 3 pound, 6 ounce rainbow taken by Herb Simon who was trolling a broken back Rapala in the rainbow trout pattern. Simons landed the big fish near the Rock.

Paul Smith and Bob Ingram from Gardnerville nailed limits of trout to 2 pounds, 6 ounce trolling black and silver Rapalas. Bill Dowd landed a 3 pound, 3 ouncer over the weekend. He was also trolling a Rapala at the Rock.

Bank fishing has also been productive for the few anglers who were out on the water this week. "If you want to fish from shore, we suggest working the north shoreline early in the morning, then moving down to the south end in the afternoon," said Fields. "The south shore will protect you from those pesky afternoon winds and also gets the most sun late in the day."

Power Bait has been the top getter for bank fishermen this week. Inflated crawlers are also a great bet at Topaz. The hot colors on the Power Bait have been red and rainbow. "Vicki Hobbs of Martinez was bank fishing this weekend and landed a 3 pound, 2 ounce rainbow using a nightcrawler at the south end," said Fields. "Fourteen-year-old Ronny Griffin of Gardnerville weighed in a 1 pound, 10 ounce trout he caught on yellow Power Bait at the north shore."

Topaz Lake trout action should hold steady and actually improve as we head into the month of February. Just remember to dress warm and check for the latest weather conditions before making the trip. For more information about fishing and facilities, call the Topaz Lake Marina, 775-266-3550.