Martis Lake Stories

[OceanSunfish]

Recently visited Martis "Pond" and spent time thinking about "what if"........ Basically driving around on the lake's bottom. Sad.

Maybe Mr. Frank P. could chime in and share some of the lake's history as a fishery. There are times when it would be nice to just be able to go someplace like the former Martis Lake and fish. There isn't always time to venture further to Almanor, Crowley, Eagle, et. al. especially in the Spring and Fall when days are shorter, etc.

Thoughts?

When was the best time of year to fish? Best trout species? What would be the best combination of elements for the lake to succeed as a nice FF destination?

There are some interesting aerial photos if you search for them...........

BTW, is the dam really seismically unreliable? Or did the water just get siphoned off or cutoff? Boca Dam is getting an uplift as I assume it is to create greater storage capacity for Reno. Wouldn't Martis do the same?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Way back when many were fishing Martis Creek Reservoir I heard it had a leak in the dam?

At one time they poisoned the lake and put in Cutthroats.

There use to be a perch in there and in the spring people would use a small perch fry imitation.

It had a big Callibaetis emergence in the day time.........1970s.

[montana mike]

Recently visited Martis "Pond" and spent time thinking about "what if"........ Basically driving around on the lake's bottom. Sad.

Maybe Mr. Frank P. could chime in and share some of the lake's history as a fishery. There are times when it would be nice to just be able to go someplace like the former Martis Lake and fish. There isn't always time to venture further to Almanor, Crowley, Eagle, et. al. especially in the Spring and Fall when days are shorter, etc.

Thoughts?

When was the best time of year to fish? Best trout species? What would be the best combination of elements for the lake to succeed as a nice FF destination?

There are some interesting aerial photos if you search for them...........

BTW, is the dam really seismically unreliable? Or did the water just get siphoned off or cutoff? Boca Dam is getting an uplift as I assume it is to create greater storage capacity for Reno. Wouldn't Martis do the same?

In the 80's the corp of engineers attempted to fill Martis lake . When full it started leaking and holes formed midway up the dam , exposing tree root balls left in the earth fill dam . It was then decided to lower the level and keep it that way .

[Peter S]

The campground host there would lock the gate in the evening during the blood midge hatch. Anyone ever get locked in overnight?

[willies99]

Martis Lake Memories

From the my Trout Chaser's Journal for three evening sessions in July 1989. Shows the diversity of the fish in the lake back then.

7/14, 7/15, & 7/16 - 7 browns (1 - 19", 3 - 18"), 2 Rainbows (1 - 13", 1 - 18"), 1 Cutt (22"), 1 Brookie (15")

22" Cutt (Lahontan) in late eve on small black woolly worm. 3 fish total on woolly worm, 3 on the Dreaded Pink & Black, 4 on callibaetis, and one on a muddler.

Subsequent entries, kept up the journal for 3 years, show a steady decline in numbers and size. They tried many different types of trout, but the lake never has returned to what it was in the late 80's and very early 90's. Those were the "good old days."

Dan

[Mr T]

Just started fly fishing and was there only because I’d been humbled by the truckee all morning.

Got to the water, saw some bluegill and figured why not, flipped the nymph rig over and he ate it right off. While I had the bluegill on, the biggest trout I’d ever seen came up and just “ate” him.

Had it on for a few seconds and he spit the fish out.

Couldn’t stop shaking for 10 minutes...

[Smitty Fish]

There are some nice size browns and bows in there. Haven’t seen any cuts in a couple of years.

[Ralph]

The King of Martis, about 1985. When golf course effluent killed the lake, he moved to Montana to become the King of Hebgen. No one I've ever met can fish a lake better than Phil.

15818

[hwchubb]

I moved here In January of ‘86 from New England, and later that spring a couple of the “old guys” from CFFU (thanks Dave Ford and Guy Deaner) took me up to Martis. It was a high water year, and the lake actually extended across the highway (pre-leaks, I guess). There were green sunfish swimming around the flooded sagebrush, and HUGE browns occasionally crashing through them. We had nothing like that in Maine.

one chilly spring morning I hiked up Martis Creek above the lake, and spooked a mama mallard and her little ones on the opposite bank. They ran down the steep 2’ bank into the creek, and the third duckling tripped at the top and somersaulted all the way down into the water. Love seeing animals being as clumsy as us hoomins. I’ve forgotten most of the fish I’ve caught but can remember every detail of that moment.

used to be one heck of a fishery, pre-development and golf course.

[OceanSunfish]

Golf Course Agronomist have access to less harmful fertilizers today, however, not sure if there is enough regulation at the nearby courses.... Yup, not just one, but several up the valley now. Do the developments make it a moot point that Martis will ever be 50% of its original self, let alone 100%, given a repaired dam?

I think it's Schaeffer Mill development that boosts a "flyfishing" pond as part of the amenities. Sad.

[Jcolin]

Ive fished it 3-4 times without luck, mostly from hearing stories from my dad about what it was like back in the day. Have heard of and seen pictures of very nice browns caught within the last 5 years which intrigues me but have only hooked little pan fish there. Reminds me of that lake in the bridgeport area that has huge brookies and lahontans, ive hiked in there probably 7 times only to get skunked everytime

[mattv-mcfly]

I've had some recent success on Martis but I feel like the window is definitely small like from opener to probably the end May or mid June. I wish I could get up there more often. It's not the prettiest lake but I've pulled some nice fish out of there. I feel like almost all of the places I've fished were much better before I was born. Quite the bummer.

[Ralph]

I started fishing Martis in the early to mid 70's. It had fantastic Callibaetis, Hexagenia, and blood midge hatches and VERY nice rainbows and browns. A true blue ribbon fishery. The lake was poisoned by DFG to kill competing fish and planted with Lahontan cutthroat that never amounted to much. The Hexs never came back and the Callibaetis were a fraction of what they were. In exchange damselflies seemed to thrive. The poisoning didn't kill the browns who were up the creek spawning and they became the dominant fish in the lake. This is one example when fishery "enhancement" really screwed things up. The local sportsman's group didn't like catch and release regs and the owner of a downtown Truckee bait shop (we'll call him Bud) took great pride in dumping a garbage can full of sunfish into the lake. The sunfish became fodder for the browns that grew very well (my buddy Phil caught, weighed and released a 15 pounder. It was a massive fish). The sunfish hammered the aquatic insects except for the blood midges which lived most of their lives protected in the mud.

Martis had an algae bloom for about a week in late August (I think 87). Lahontan Water Quality Control District reps were on it in a flash. They were worried about the bloom and figured it was likely the result of golf course fertilizer and massive disturbance of soil for the upstream Lahontan housing development that released nutrients into the lake. One golf course followed another as did rapid development of Martis Camp and Northstar. Algae blooms became annual events that last throughout the summer. Fishing went down the tubes. Milfoil was introduced into the lake as well as parrot's feather and other exotic aquarium plants. We also documented an invasion of tennis ball sized snails plus a multitude of aquarium and "trash" fish which were likely brought in for bait. The milfoil took over the lake making it impractical to fish for most of the season as well as contributed to a further decline in water quality. There is the sordid Martis story in a nutshell.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Ralph,

I was going to contact you for the real story.

[HSano]

They say that timing is everything and my experience with Martis proves it. I hit the lake in the late 70's 3 or 4 times and did pretty well on the cutthroats. There seemed to be two sizes of fish, 16-17 inchers and 20 inchers. I didn't catch lots of fish but on one of my trips I caught 3 16-17 inchers and 3 20 inchers. Since i was a relatively new fly fisher at the time, I was elated with the results. My brother caught a 20 incher on a dry fly so he was happy as well. I can remember first walking down to the lake and you could see the dark silhouettes of the fish cruising around. Pretty "eye-opening" for a new fly fisher.

[OceanSunfish]

I started fishing Martis in the early to mid 70's. It had fantastic Callibaetis, Hexagenia, and blood midge hatches and VERY nice rainbows and browns. A true blue ribbon fishery. The lake was poisoned by DFG to kill competing fish and planted with Lahontan cutthroat that never amounted to much. The Hexs never came back and the Callibaetis were a fraction of what they were. In exchange damselflies seemed to thrive. The poisoning didn't kill the browns who were up the creek spawning and they became the dominant fish in the lake. This is one example when fishery "enhancement" really screwed things up. The local sportsman's group didn't like catch and release regs and the owner of a downtown Truckee bait shop (we'll call him Bud) took great pride in dumping a garbage can full of sunfish into the lake. The sunfish became fodder for the browns that grew very well (my buddy Phil caught, weighed and released a 15 pounder. It was a massive fish). The sunfish hammered the aquatic insects except for the blood midges which lived most of their lives protected in the mud.

Martis had an algae bloom for about a week in late August (I think 87). Lahontan Water Quality Control District reps were on it in a flash. They were worried about the bloom and figured it was likely the result of golf course fertilizer and massive disturbance of soil for the upstream Lahontan housing development that released nutrients into the lake. One golf course followed another as did rapid development of Martis Camp and Northstar. Algae blooms became annual events that last throughout the summer. Fishing went down the tubes. Milfoil was introduced into the lake as well as parrot's feather and other exotic aquarium plants. We also documented an invasion of tennis ball sized snails plus a multitude of aquarium and "trash" fish which were likely brought in for bait. The milfoil took over the lake making it impractical to fish for most of the season as well as contributed to a further decline in water quality. There is the sordid Martis story in a nutshell.

Thanks for the summary. I think these sort of details need to be retold every now and then, even as painful as they can be.

I guess it boils down to quite the same thing as what happened all over Northern CA; is a fly fishing lake a top priority in the scheme of all that Truckee has become.

Ralph maybe the most qualified to speak of this: Is is even feasible to think that IF the dam were repaired and there was careful consideration for the runoff to the lake, in conjunction with a drying of the lake bottom to kill off exotic plants, etc. could there be a Blue Ribbon Fishery at some point?

I would think there are less "Buds" and more "Orvis" in the area now? ;)

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

We have huge water quality problems in Florida's back country and inshore fisheries.

We have tons of golf courses draining fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides into our water ways.

We have huge agricultural runoffs too. Big Sugar, Big Citrus and Bid Dairies.

Most of Florida's business and residents are on septic tanks which is a huge problem.

[Ralph]

Is is even feasible to think that IF the dam were repaired and there was careful consideration for the runoff to the lake, in conjunction with a drying of the lake bottom to kill off exotic plants, etc. could there be a Blue Ribbon Fishery at some point?


Fly fishers are a tiny, tiny, tiny constituency compared with the billion dollar real estate, recreation, and hospitality juggernauts that would have to open their wallets to reclaim the Martis Lake fishery. In 2020, non point source pollution from a vast array of sources drowns the identifiable sources of the 80's. Simply washing one's car is a source of pollution that seems innocuous enough, but with the many hundreds of cars being washed upstream of Martis, it becomes an issue. This is one very small example. The meadow above Martis has become a dog walker's mecca and the shit piles are uncountable. We could go on. I think reclaiming Martis is technically feasible, but not economically viable. . . especially with the very real possibility that the dam will be breached by Army Corp.

[OceanSunfish]

Fly fishers are a tiny, tiny, tiny constituency compared with the billion dollar real estate, recreation, and hospitality juggernauts that would have to open their wallets to reclaim the Martis Lake fishery. In 2020, non point source pollution from a vast array of sources drowns the identifiable sources of the 80's. Simply washing one's car is a source of pollution that seems innocuous enough, but with the many hundreds of cars being washed upstream of Martis, it becomes an issue. This is one very small example. The meadow above Martis has become a dog walker's mecca and the shit piles are uncountable. We could go on. I think reclaiming Martis is technically feasible, but not economically viable. . . especially with the very real possibility that the dam will be breached by Army Corp.

Good to know that there are probably ways to make Martis into something close to its potential again. Totally understand the viable part along with the marginalization of fishing in general. As for the dog poop..... it was quite noticeable on the dry lake bottom at "uncountable" levels that it made me think that there would be need for mitigation should the lake fill again!

Thanks for dialogue. I know there is disappointment abound. I didn't want this to be negative thread but rather sharing the past and talking about a possible comeback.

Economic viability may be achieved if a Zuckerberg, Musk, Bezos, or the Alphabet "found" fly fishing

[John Sv]

I work in conservation and restoration in the Truckee region and we do a lot of work in Martis Valley. There is a fair bit of restoration going on in the Martis tribs. East Martis creek is in decent shape, lack of development wise than the other tribs. The main stem has some restoration underway that will get rid (hopefully) of the physical and thermal barriers to fish passage. The valley is Truckee’s primary aquifer. The dam is a flood control dam and the usage is looking at both safety and need. I believe the fault that runs beneath it is quite active and is called the Polaris fault. The land trust I work for owns the land south of the dam.

The property has these areas that look like old fire roads that sit in cuts, which are Polaris fault lines-kinda cool. Another interesting thing to me-all of these mountain valleys now covered with reservoirs and sage-the historic seed stock is grass. That is, prior to modifications by people they were not sagebrush seas, they were grasslands/meadows all the way up into the woods. Operation of the plumbed systems and watercourse modifications to convey the water to the reservoirs lowers the water table and dries out the meadow. Also makes the spawning tribs less accessible to the fish. Sorry for rambling.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Ralph and John for the excellent info on Martis.

It is amazing how complex lots of this is.

[montana mike]

I work in conservation and restoration in the Truckee region and we do a lot of work in Martis Valley. There is a fair bit of restoration going on in the Martis tribs. East Martis creek is in decent shape, lack of development wise than the other tribs. The main stem has some restoration underway that will get rid (hopefully) of the physical and thermal barriers to fish passage. The valley is Truckee’s primary aquifer. The dam is a flood control dam and the usage is looking at both safety and need. I believe the fault that runs beneath it is quite active and is called the Polaris fault. The land trust I work for owns the land south of the dam.

The property has these areas that look like old fire roads that sit in cuts, which are Polaris fault lines-kinda cool. Another interesting thing to me-all of these mountain valleys now covered with reservoirs and sage-the historic seed stock is grass. That is, prior to modifications by people they were not sagebrush seas, they were grasslands/meadows all the way up into the woods. Operation of the plumbed systems and watercourse modifications to convey the water to the reservoirs lowers the water table and dries out the meadow. Also makes the spawning tribs less accessible to the fish. Sorry for rambling.

The film crews would show up every spring and film outside for the western series . They would set up trailers and trucks and film in the meadow next to Martis lake . The opening scenes of Bonanza where Ben and the boys all rode up was there !

[Ralph]

The property has these areas that look like old fire roads that sit in cuts, which are Polaris fault lines-kinda cool. Another interesting thing to me-all of these mountain valleys now covered with reservoirs and sage-the historic seed stock is grass. That is, prior to modifications by people they were not sagebrush seas, they were grasslands/meadows all the way up into the woods. Operation of the plumbed systems and watercourse modifications to convey the water to the reservoirs lowers the water table and dries out the meadow. Also makes the spawning tribs less accessible to the fish. Sorry for rambling.

Excellent. Wildfire prevention has also allowed conifers to encroach on the meadows and tap out the surface water with their effective root systems. I'd love to see the lake dewatered and the valley restored as a functioning mountain meadow. WITHOUT friggin dogs!! (I love dogs, but not most dog owners who blatantly ignore leash laws. "oh, but my dog never catches the birds it chases, so it must be okay." That bird needs to be on her nest protecting the chicks and eggs from the sun and predators).

[montana mike]

Excellent. Wildfire prevention has also allowed conifers to encroach on the meadows and tap out the surface water with their effective root systems. I'd love to see the lake dewatered and the valley restored as a functioning mountain meadow. WITHOUT friggin dogs!! (I love dogs, but not most dog owners who blatantly ignore leash laws. "oh, but my dog never catches the birds it chases, so it must be okay." That bird needs to be on her nest protecting the chicks and eggs from the sun and predators).

Is this the Ralph that made the blood midge emerger for Martis lake ? Mike

[John Sv]

Excellent. Wildfire prevention has also allowed conifers to encroach on the meadows and tap out the surface water with their effective root systems. I'd love to see the lake dewatered and the valley restored as a functioning mountain meadow. WITHOUT friggin dogs!! (I love dogs, but not most dog owners who blatantly ignore leash laws. "oh, but my dog never catches the birds it chases, so it must be okay." That bird needs to be on her nest protecting the chicks and eggs from the sun and predators).

Oh man... I was there one day with my kid when he was a toddler and I thought this dog might attack him. It was truly scary. My old dog used to chase deer and one time 'caught' a fawn (not in Martis and it didn't attack it, just scared it half to death) That incident made me rethink dogs on the land, and Indiana Jones stayed home a lot during fawning and nesting seasons. And then there is the poop bag issue. We spend a lot of time picking up bagged poop which is beyond me. With conifer encroachment, you're right that is a huge deal. We are removing encroaching conifers at Webber, Coppins, and Lacey Meadows right now, with lower Carpenter Valley up next. It is so cool to see the meadows come back-the seeds are still in there! Aslo I swear Coppins Creek has more water. It's a bit heavy handed at first but it seems to come right back!

[OceanSunfish]

Excellent. Wildfire prevention has also allowed conifers to encroach on the meadows and tap out the surface water with their effective root systems. I'd love to see the lake dewatered and the valley restored as a functioning mountain meadow. WITHOUT friggin dogs!! (I love dogs, but not most dog owners who blatantly ignore leash laws. "oh, but my dog never catches the birds it chases, so it must be okay." That bird needs to be on her nest protecting the chicks and eggs from the sun and predators).

Good point. If the valley/meadow isn't going to be the 100% functional reservoir-flood control dam, then restore it to the original grassy meadow. The sagebrush look and dog poop land isn't appealing.

[OceanSunfish]

I work in conservation and restoration in the Truckee region and we do a lot of work in Martis Valley. There is a fair bit of restoration going on in the Martis tribs. East Martis creek is in decent shape, lack of development wise than the other tribs. The main stem has some restoration underway that will get rid (hopefully) of the physical and thermal barriers to fish passage. The valley is Truckee’s primary aquifer. The dam is a flood control dam and the usage is looking at both safety and need. I believe the fault that runs beneath it is quite active and is called the Polaris fault. The land trust I work for owns the land south of the dam.

The property has these areas that look like old fire roads that sit in cuts, which are Polaris fault lines-kinda cool. Another interesting thing to me-all of these mountain valleys now covered with reservoirs and sage-the historic seed stock is grass. That is, prior to modifications by people they were not sagebrush seas, they were grasslands/meadows all the way up into the woods. Operation of the plumbed systems and watercourse modifications to convey the water to the reservoirs lowers the water table and dries out the meadow. Also makes the spawning tribs less accessible to the fish. Sorry for rambling.

Great input. Appreciate hearing about the projects and such. Keep rambling.

[Ralph]

Is this the Ralph that made the blood midge emerger for Martis lake ? Mike

Same guy. That midge fell off the vice around 1980. Still seems to work where blood midges are about. And sometimes it doesn't.

[Ralph]

Good point. If the valley/meadow isn't going to be the 100% functional reservoir-flood control dam, then restore it to the original grassy meadow. The sagebrush look and dog poop land isn't appealing.


Storage has been vastly increased in Stampede over the past few years. I think the pressure is a little off keeping Martis a flood control option. The dam was built atop a base of fractured basalt. At the 26' elevation currently maintained, it holds water but any more water and the head pressure seems to be enough to force water through the basalt. Years of pumping concrete into the dam has done little to stem the leaks and the potential for failure. Reno would be massacred if the Martis dam failed during a flood control attempt.

[montana mike]

Same guy. That midge fell off the vice around 1980. Still seems to work where blood midges are about. And sometimes it doesn't :-)

That fly has caught a lot of good fish in many places! We would go to Martis in float tubes in the evening and wait for sipping crusers. You had to be patient , but it was worth it . Lots of good fish , but lost lots in the weeds too .THanks again . Mike

[Ralph]

That fly has caught a lot of good fish in many places! We would go to Martis in float tubes in the evening and wait for sipping crusers. You had to be patient , but it was worth it . Lots of good fish , but lost lots in the weeds too .THanks again . Mike
Thank you.

[OceanSunfish]

Storage has been vastly increased in Stampede over the past few years. I think the pressure is a little off keeping Martis a flood control option. The dam was built atop a base of fractured basalt. At the 26' elevation currently maintained, it holds water but any more water and the head pressure seems to be enough to force water through the basalt. Years of pumping concrete into the dam has done little to stem the leaks and the potential for failure. Reno would be massacred if the Martis dam failed during a flood control attempt.

Images of the Teton Dam failure come to mind. I'm sure that event looms large when the Engineers considered what to do about Martis Dam.

[FREEDOM-FLYFISHER]

I flyfished Martis pretty hard on a regular daily basis as I lived in Truckee from 1990 to 1997. It was damn good in that period. Excellent Callibaetis dry fly fishing. Fish 16-22" Rainbows and some slightly larger and some nice size browns during that period. I got an 8 pound Brown. I would consistently average 8 - maybe 15 fish. They were not hard pulling Rainbows. There was also blood midges and a few damsels during that period. I would start at 9 am and fish until 4. The wind would come up around 1pm but I would go to the creek and anchor up and the fish would move west to the creek every afternoon like clock work and I would catch maybe a half dozen more. During that period the weeds were not a problem at all. There was lots of open water and slots and channels and the creek area was good to fish. Water at the creek was 4+ feet deep right up to the creek bank which would draw in fish as the cold water would reach out into the lake 50+ feet from where the creek came in. The cold water would sink to the bottom and pull in fish. There was a good channel that dropped down 6+ feet and the creek cold water would flow into the lake. I liked the lake during that time period. I had a blast fishing it when I didn't hit Davis or Eagle it was right there and a few minutes from my house.

What happened to it was the 1997 floods. Those floods silted up the lake badly and reduced water depth particularly at the creek entrance which went from 4-6+ feet to two-3 feet and choked with weeds from the silt. That flood also killed off lots of the fish population and the minnows and sunfish population exploded reducing the Callibaetis. The Callibaetis were never the same after the 1997 floods and silt. All that silt is the problem in my opinion. People always say it is the fertilizer from the golf courses at North Star but I think the silt is the real problem. They should drain the lake and dredge it out especially the creek area, deepen that back like it once was and dump some gravel and rocks on the bottom which may reduce the weed growth. Throw some decent Eagle lake Rainbows in there. CADFG is a disaster. They let so many lakes get ruined like Davis. The lake was never the same after the 1997 floods and I stopped fishing it, concentrating on Eagle and Davis. Martis is Just another lake that CADFG has squandered away.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Storage has been vastly increased in Stampede over the past few years. I think the pressure is a little off keeping Martis a flood control option. The dam was built atop a base of fractured basalt. At the 26' elevation currently maintained, it holds water but any more water and the head pressure seems to be enough to force water through the basalt. Years of pumping concrete into the dam has done little to stem the leaks and the potential for failure. Reno would be massacred if the Martis dam failed during a flood control attempt.

Davis Lake in Oregon has some kind of leakage problem too. This can drastically change the lake's level. I heard they even tried to plug

the leak with bails of hay?

[FREEDOM-FLYFISHER]

I fish Davis, OR. there are still BIG rainbows in there but they are few and far between and extremely hard to catch. There is natural seepage of water from the lake through the porous lava. There are lava tubes and just porous masses of lava and the water leaks out. All over that part of OREGON you can see big masses of lava flows and right there at Davis. The water just seeps out of Davis through the lava into Wickiup.