Nearly 100 children took part in the 9th annual Kids’ Fishing Derby on Sept. 18 at Lake Baron in Tahoe Paradise Park.

The South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge stocks the lake each year with about 1,000 pounds of 1- to 4-pound rainbow trout. The lodge sets up a cook trailer and provides free hot dogs, chips, and sodas to every child, compliments of Lira’s Market.

Moose Lodge Gov. Barry Keil with fishing derby winners Gavin Hanson (second), from left, Diane Doremus (third), and Dillon Switzer (first). Photo/Provided

El Dorado Savings provided the three top prizes: a savings account in amounts of $100, $50, and $25, respectively, for the three largest fish caught.

The lodge provides additional raffle prizes, all free to the kids.

The top there derby winners this year were: first place, Dillon Switzer, (2 pounds, 10 ounces), second place, Gavin Hanson, (2 pounds, 5 ounces), and third place, Diane Doremus, (2 pounds, 1 ounce).

North Tahoe Public Utility District is changing operating hours for the North Tahoe Regional Park, Tahoe Vista Recreation Area Boat Launch and Coon Street Boat Launch.

The North Tahoe Regional Park will remain open until 8pm through September. From Oct. 1-Nov. 30 the park will close at 7pm. Winter hours begin Dec. 1, with the park closing at 5pm.

The boat launch at Tahoe Vista Recreation Area will be open seven days a week from 7am-7pm through Sept. 25, 2011. From Sept. 29-Oct. 30 the boat launch will be open Thursday–Sunday from 7am-5pm.

Coon Street Boat Launch has closed for the season, effective immediately, due to lack of available trained staff.

Tahoe Vista Recreation Area will continue to be staffed in compliance with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Blue Boating and aquatic invasive species inspections. When no staff is present, the launches will be closed and locked.

By Jill Oberly, Reno Gazette-Journal

Cast. Reel. Repeat. The motions of fly fishing on the Truckee River have a rhythm.

Until the moment a line goes taught, and you discover an unusual-looking fish on the end of your line.

It’s the bottom-feeding mountain whitefish, and it’s about as local as a fish in these parts gets.

Unlike rainbow or brown trout, the mountain whitefish is native to the Truckee River and the Lahontan Basin, as well as Carson and Walker Rivers.

“I hear all the time, people catch them and throw them on the banks thinking they are a trash fish, but they’re not,” said Kim Tisdale, western regions fishery supervisor for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The fish often is discarded by anglers. But it is native to the Silver State, and Nevada Department of Wildlife experts said fly fishing for the whitefish, a fall spawner, is about to hit its peak.

Read the whole story

On Sunday, a group bike ride called the Tahoe Bike Fun Ride will leisurely ride along South Lake Tahoe’s bike path system from Stateline to Camp Richardson and then back to Stateline.

Led by members of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, bicyclists will meet at the Van Sickle Bi-State Park’s barn under the Heavenly Gondola at 12:30pm. A recreation specialist from the California Tahoe Conservancy will be on hand to share their plans for the future bike trails connecting to the park.

At 1pm, the cycling group will head out along the bicycle path system. The ride is free and anyone on a bike. Youth under the age 18 must wear a helmet.

The ride is approximately 14 miles roundtrip. A support vehicle will be provided for anyone choosing to return to Stateline via the vehicle. The ride may last about three hours depending on group size, number of stops, and skill level.

By Kathryn Reed

While implementation of new bike trails at Lake Tahoe seems to move at a glacial pace, on the same day boards on both sides of the South Shore unanimously approved aspects of different projects that will eventually link together.

First came the approval Thursday by the California Tahoe Conservancy board (with Larry Sevison absent) to spend $50,000 that will fund appraisals, preliminary title reports, easement descriptions, maps, surveys and application fees. Also approved was the mitigated negative declaration and mitigation monitoring report for the South Tahoe Greenway.

Rabe Meadow is where the first section of the Stateline-to-Stateline bike trail will be built -- starting June 2012. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The original 9-plus mile trail from Meyers to Stateline has been condensed to 3.86 miles starting in Sierra Tract and ending at Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

“The highest priority is to connect Bijou Park and the community college,” project manager Sue Rae Irelan told the board Sept. 15.

CTC is scheduled to go before the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency board in October for a project permit, which if approved, would be good for three years.

Irelan told Lake Tahoe News the earliest construction could begin is 2013. Funding will be the next biggest hurdle.

Deputy Director Ray Lacey reminded those at the meeting at Riva Grill that when the Conservancy was first founded 30 years ago one of the main goals was to acquire the old Caltrans right-of-way.

Three decades later, that is being done, with the Greenway following much of the route that at one time would have been a highway.

While part of the land is still going to be paved for the bike trail, it won’t be as wide, nor will it have the other environmental impacts a road would require. However, board member and South Lake Tahoe Councilwoman Angela Swanson said the city would like permission for its motorcycle cops to access the trail when necessary. Silence followed her comment.

That afternoon in Stateline, Douglas County commissioners unanimously approved four items related to the State-to-Stateline Bikeway.

The 30-mile route is broken up into three main sections – the South Demo project, central area, and North Demo project. It goes from Stateline to Crystal Bay.

It is the 3.2-mile South Demo project in Douglas County that will be built first. The final design is expected in February, bids sought in April, and dirt being moved in June.

This will be built in three phases, ideally in three consecutive building seasons, according to Alfred Knotts. He is project manager with Tahoe Transportation District – the lead agency.

A joint environmental assessment has been signed off by the TRPA and U.S. Forest Service.

The three South Shore segments are broken up as follows:

• Casino area to Kahle Drive

• Kahle Drive to Elks Point Road

• Elks Point Road to Round Hill Pines.

The middle section will be built first because it is all on Forest Service land through Rabe Meadow.

“It’s a heavily used trail in the existing form,” Knotts told the commissioners.

The latter section will finally provide non-motorized access to the beach at Round Hill Pines – also a Forest Service property.

Planning has begun on the north end, with a site visit last week. More difficult terrain issues exist there. A meeting about that section is scheduled for Oct. 5 at 6pm at the Chateau in Incline Village.

The Tahoe Mountain Sports 5th Annual Pro/Am Disc Golf Tournament at the North Tahoe Regional Park 18-hole disc golf is Oct. 8-9.

The tournament, a PDGA Sanctioned “B” Pro/Am event, brings golfers from all over the Western United States to the Tahoe Vista course,

All levels are welcome – or stop by to cheer on the professional and amateur golfers and learn about the sport. Pros are competing for cash prizes, and amateur winners will receive Tahoe Mountain Sports gift certificates.

On Oct. 8, registration and check-in begins at 7:30am, rounds begin at 9 am, with lunch provided.

On Oct. 9, also at the North Tahoe Regional Park Pavilion, a player meeting is at 9am, Round 3 begins at 9:30am, with an awards ceremony one hour after the last group has finished. Grills will provided; bring your own barbecue items.

For more information, contact Dave Polivy at (530) 546.7001 or dave@tahoemountainsports.com.

Tahoe Sierra Century Ride is Sept. 24.

The three routes of varying distances start and finish in the Village at Squaw Valley.

The ride benefits the music students at North Tahoe middle and high schools.

To register or for information, go online.

South Tahoe High junior Sid Loomis will go to great depths to satisfy her curiosity about life under water.

The 16-year-old left for Southern California today to be part of a dive team led by Scott Cassell.

Sid Loomis and Scott Cassell

On Sept. 17 a team will dive from Catalina to Cabrillo Aquarium near Long Beach. The intent is to not surface for the nearly 30 miles.

Loomis’ jobs as lead student ambassador are to drive the boat, oversee the safety of the divers and take pictures.

“The Undersea Voyager Project is trying to raise awareness of the lack of sharks on this swim,” explained Carry Loomis, Sid’s mother.

The younger Loomis was a crewmember in 2009 when Cassell brought a submersible to study Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake. She has also participated in dives last year in Catalina and Bodega Bay.

The group’s progress may be followed online.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Douglas County commissioners on Sept. 15 are expected to approve environmental documents, the feasibility report and allocate money for the Stateline-to-Stateline Bikeway.

The meeting starts at 1:30pm at the Stateline offices.

It was hoped the South Demonstration Project from Stateline to Roundhill Pines Beach would have broken ground this year. However, the environmental assessment by the U.S. Forest Service took longer than expected. With that document completed, the bike path should start to materialize in 2012.

Eventually the 30-mile trail will end in Crystal Bay.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Due to thunderstorm activity in recent days and the current weather forecasts for this storm pattern to continue in the Amador-El Dorado Unit of CalFire, Unit Chief Kelly Keenan wanted to remind everyone of some basic lightning safety tips:

— Lightning bolts can strike 10-15 miles from a thunderstorm,

— If you hear thunder, then lightning is close enough to be a real threat, seek shelter indoors,

— Lightning does strike the same place twice,

— If you are caught outside during a thunderstorm, move toward a safe shelter,

— The safest shelter is a building with wiring and plumbing. Sheds, picnic shelters, tents or covered porches do not necessarily protect you from lightning,

— Do not use corded telephones unless absolutely necessary,

— Wait for 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder is heard to resume outside activities,

— This year to date 23 people have died after being struck by lightning. Annually 400 people are struck by lightning in the United States and about 60 people die from their injuries, the rest can face a lifetime of disabilities including pain and neurological disabilities.