LAHOTAN REDSIE MINNOW

Spring spawning time

One of the main minnows of the Lake Tahoe - Truckee River system is the Lahontan Redside Minnow. These fish are found throughout this drainage including Stampede, Donner and Independence Lakes as well as the rivers and crreks in the area. Over the years they have been moved to Jackson Meadows Res. on the Middle Fort Yuba River as well as Frenchman’s Res. near the headwaters of the Middle Fork Feather River. Who knows where else they have been moved to.

The above photo was taken aboard a California DF&W electroshocking boat. Ed Dillard was among the shocking crew. All the shocking was done along the shoreline in shallow water. These resides were in schools among the rocks and wed beds. When the fish were netted, there were from half a dozen to 2 dozen minnows shocked to the surface.

These minnows can spawn along the shoreline as well as in creeks. John Hiscox, retired fisheries biologist for the DF&W, told me of seeing so many of these in Independence Creek above Independence Lake that the pools of the creek appeared red. When Ed Dillard was shocking Frenchman’s, he saw no sign of the minnow until they were forced to the surface by the electric current.

These redsides are not the only minnows available. Over winter, browns, rainbows, cutthroat and kokanee have spawned upstream from our lakes. Look for a smorgasbord of minnows at the mouths of incoming streams throughout the snowmelt season and beyond. In the video below are underwater videos of the redside #2 and my favorite small minnow fly the Mini Tube Fly series.