After 40 years, Marlette Lake to open for trout fishing

Trout beware.

For the first time, Tahoe area anglers are salivating to (legally) fish the waters of Marlette Lake at the Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park.

As of July 15, Marlette Lake, which has not been fished since acquired by the state of Nevada in the 1960s, will provide an opportunity for anglers to fish an untapped resource in the high Sierra.

Located five miles from the shores of Spooner Lake, Marlette is teeming with trout that have never seen the end of a fishing line. The majority of fish occupants at Marlette are rainbow trout, which were introduced into the lake in the early 1980s. Other trout active in the lake include Lahontan cutthroat and brook trout - all species are fair game for fishing.

Fishing regulations are set on the lake to ensure the health of the brood stock (fish harvested for their eggs) and to maintain the pristine nature of the lake.

The fishing season is limited in time, July 15 to Sept. 30, and in what you can take home - it is catch-and-release only.

The lake is also an artificial-lure -only lake. Anglers beware: Only lures with single barbless hooks are allowed.

"We want people to enjoy the actual catching of the fish and to let them go to be caught another day," said Reid Varble, a game warden for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Other representatives from the agency said they feel the fishing the lake is also unique because of its surroundings.

"What makes Marlette unique is that there aren't too many places in Nevada where you have the alpine forest and the alpine lake coming together," said Chris Healy, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

"We're just excited that we can offer that to the anglers."

For almost 40 years, Marlette has been managed by NDOW and until this year has served as a safe home to adult rainbow trout, which are artificially spawned each season.