The 2005 trout season is rapidly coming to a close. It was an excellent water year, and hopes for next season are already high. Fishermen are becoming more like farmers these days. Their hope and success are so dependent on the precious commodity of water.

Long-range forecasts for our weather seem to be a bit worrisome. The Old Farmer’s Almanac, a trusted source for farmers, is saying our area will experience a warmer winter, with only a fair amount of snow. Time will tell if the predictions will be accurate. My father, who was a farmer, relied on this for his weather and he was able to do very well by it. I have to admit, it has been pretty reliable since I moved up here 28 years ago.

While local streams and Martis Lake will close next Tuesday, Nov. 15, many year-round lakes will still be open to anglers.

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Many area lakes are providing some of the best angling of the season. Good reports have been coming out of both Frenchman and Davis reservoirs, a short drive to our north. Frenchman has been putting out impressive numbers of fish while Davis has been producing some very large fish.

Another nearby lake, Pyramid Lake on the Paiute Indian Reservation northeast of Reno, is also a good fall option. This lake is a tremendous fishery, even during the winter. Home to the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, the only native trout in our region, Pyramid affords anglers the opportunity to catch trophy-size fish. Last year a 24-pound-12 ounce fish was taken from shore by a fly fisherman. While winter is the slowest period for fishing Pyramid, many large fish are caught from shore during this time. Personally, I have caught my largest specimens in December and I have affectionately referred to them as my “Christmas fish,” due to the timeframe of their catch.

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Local lakes such as Boca, Donner, Prosser, Stampede and Tahoe also provide some great angling until they become closed for the winter. Even in winter months they can provide some great angling. Those that freeze over even provide some excellent ice fishing.

Hey, even the Truckee River in Nevada is open year-round for the angler. Many of my fly fishing buddies buy Nevada licenses and fish the river during the winter and do quite well at times.

The angler need not despair. If he or she is a hearty type, they can venture out to one of these local destinations to continue fishing. Of course if they are willing to travel farther, there are countless other opportunities.

While our trout season is coming to a close for the year, there are plenty of other opportunities. Just dress warmly and you can still have a great time wetting a line.

Of course if you just cannot take the cold, there’s always next season. Stay warm, go to a sportsman’s show or two to keep abreast of the changes in the industry and plan for it. I am sure that you, like me, have found that time marches by pretty quickly. The end of April is not that far away!

Bruce Ajari is a Truckee resident and regular fishing columnist for the Sierra Sun and other area newspapers.