Thank you to all the great people who showed up for the Fly Fishing Film Tour 2024 at Great Basin College last Saturday. We had a great turnout of more than 120 people for some incredible short films on the great sport of fishing. We were able to raise $2,400 for the Family Resource Center of Northeastern Nevada, so not only did we have a great time, we also were able to help a worthy cause.
The event was sponsored by the Elko Fly Shop and special thanks goes out to Elko Broadcasting Co. for all the great publicity they helped with to get the word out and make this event such a success. Cooks Steakhouse and Saloon provided awesome food and drink to help make this a festive occasion. The Elko Daily Free Press did a great story on this event and thank you for letting me promote it for weeks in the Fishing Report. Thank you to Great Basin College for allowing us to hold the event in their beautiful theater.
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The feature film “Mend the Line” made its streaming debut on Netflix this past weekend. This is a movie about a Marine veteran with PTSD who is paired up with an older Vietnam Vet who teaches him to fly fish as a means of dealing with both his physical and emotional traumas from his service in Afghanistan.
While the story line is predictable in many ways, the acting and beautiful scenic panoramas of Montana make the movie well worth watching. If you have Netflix, this is a movie worth watching.
If you are interested in helping first responders learn to fly fish, the organization “Boldface Fly Fishing” has a program geared toward connecting fly fishing mentors with first responders. You can find out more about this great organization by calling me at the Elko Fly Shop or check them out on Facebook or Instagram.
Fishing conditions
Now let’s talk fishing. Fishing conditions, between the snow and rain squalls, are fair to good right now. Stream flows have increased in most areas due to snowmelt and precipitation. However, the water is turbid both in the streams and parts of the lakes where the streams enter them. This makes sight fishing difficult as well as making it harder for the fish to find your presentation.
In turbid water, anglers may want to use bigger presentations that have lots of movement. For bass, this is a good time of year for blade baits that sink fast and deep and have lots of wobble to put out a big vibe for the fish to find. For trout, spinners, crank baits and larger flies with rubber legs to make lots of movement may also help to catch fish.
For bass, you want to fish deep. That’s where these warm-water fish are holding this time of year. At South Fork, you should be looking for water 20 to 30 feet deep. Fluorocarbon will help you get down deeper as well.
For trout, the shallow, warmer water (still in the low 40s), where aquatic insects such as midges will be moving around, is the place to fish. Warm afternoons will often find trout in less than 6 feet of water this time of year.
When its windy, use it to your advantage. The wind will push food sources to the leeward shore, and fish know this. While it is a pain to cast into the wind, that is where the fish are as the wave action from the wind stirs up the bottom releasing the bottom dwelling pupa and larva into the water column.
Wild Horse
The temperatures at Wild Horse have ranged from the low- to mid-40s for daytime highs to low 20s for overnight lows. There is still safe ice here, though that won’t last long. With snowmelt, the water level will start to rise, making the edges soft and porous.
The surface is rough due to the melting and refreezing action and anglers should use caution when walking. In spots there was a thin layer of water between the ice and frozen snow, but little to no slush. The forecast daytime highs head into the 50s next week, so expect ice conditions to start to deteriorate.
There is some open water under the bridge that goes over the Hendricks Arm. The few anglers who are fishing report fair to good fishing for trout. For trout, anglers should be looking for 8 to 15 feet of water and start fishing 3 to 4 feet below the ice. If no fish are contacted move the presentation down a foot about every 30 minutes. If there are multiple anglers, each should fish at a different depth until someone catches a fish and then fish at that depth.
Both PowerBait and worms have been working, and the fish seem to be holding 4 to 6 feet below the ice. Small jigs tipped with a piece of worm have also been productive. Other baits that are popular include marshmallows and corn. Another tactic is to take the hooks off a small spinner and put the spinner in line above the bait. With an occasional jigging motion as the bait falls the spinner may attract fish in.
South Fork Reservoir
Fishing at South Fork has picked up and has been good for 15- to 20-inch trout. Surface water temperatures are climbing into the mid-40s by late afternoon on sunny days, but staying in the low 40s on cloudy, cooler days. The south end of the lake has muddy water due to the snowmelt coming in from the river there. All of this is typical for this time of year at South Fork.
The dock is in the water at the main boat ramp for boaters who can’t wait to get on the water. Fishing has been good at Jet Ski Beach as well as north end of the lake by the dam, with the best fishing on the side by the spillway as there is a current there.
Along shallow shorelines, anglers using a slip sinker with about 2 feet of leader and either PowerBait, inflated worms, or a worm with a piece of marshmallow to float the worm off the bottom are having some luck catching 15- to 20-inch trout.
Fly fishing has been fair to good using chironomid patterns in a variety of colors, with red or chartreuse seeming to work best. Make sure to get all presentations close to the bottom where the trout are holding. Balanced leeches in black/red fished below an indicator have also been catching fish. Wooly buggers sized 6 to 10 and leech patterns sized 10 to 14 in the black/red, black/blue, wine and dark red stripped on a full sinking line near the bottom are also producing fish especially in the stained water at the south end.
Fishing below the dam continues to be good for quality trout using bait, spinners and flies, though you may have company. Flashy spinners and leech and wooly bugger patterns have been working along with worms under a bobber. Other flies include Mayfly nymphs/emergers and chironomids.
Jiggs/Zunino Reservoir
Jiggs reservoir is about 75% full, with stained water from snowmelt, wind and waterfowl activity. With the forecast calling for rain and snow, expect the shorelines to continue to be soft, so keep vehicles on the roads. Hopefully more water will be diverted to fill it up this year.
Anglers can expect fair to good fishing for 10- to 12-inch trout, with an occasional larger fish, using the same presentations and techniques as at South Fork.
Wilson Reservoir
No recent report, but conditions here often mimic South Fork conditions. Be prepared for 4WD conditions on the way to Wilson. The same techniques and presentations that work at South Fork work here.
Willow Creek Reservoir
No recent report. There are few catchable sized fish. Not worth the trip.
Ruby Lake NWR
While one person on Facebook said they made it across Harrison Pass last week, the recent and continued precipitation probably has it closed and anglers should plan on taking Secret Pass to Ruby Lake NWR.
The Ruby Valley Road is in good condition. Expect open water with a bit of very unsafe ice at the main boat ramp in the South Lake. The main boat ramp area can provide some good fishing this time of year, as the trout seem to head to this area in the spring.
Fishing where the collection ditch enters the south marsh by Brown Dike has also produced some nice trout. The collection ditch is ice free. The pond behind the hatchery continues to produce some very nice trout.
Fishing in the collection ditch has been good for trout averaging 14 to 20 inches, with a few fish over 20 inches. Expect snowy/muddy walking conditions along the ditch. Water clarity is fair to good while levels continue to be very good.
Fly anglers have had luck stripping wooly buggers, leeches or small streamers in black or olive using short slow strips. Red copper Johns have also been effective. Chironomids, pheasant tail nymphs and gold ribbed hares ear nymphs under an indicator should also work. Dry flies are also working on the warmer sunny afternoons.
Spin fishermen should be using spinners, Kastmasters, panther Martins and other small lures. It is artificial presentations only in the collection ditch, which includes the pond behind the hatchery all the way to Brown Dike. Wading is not allowed the whole length of the collection ditch.
Jakes Creek/Boies Reservoir
Due to the rising water level, ice edges are soft and the ice is gray, porous and very unsafe. More water has opened up for shore fishing, primarily along the inlet end and by the dam. If you like to fish from shore spring is the time here before aquatic vegetation starts to make it difficult later in the spring and summer.
Expect fair to good fishing for 10- to 14-inch trout using the usual presentations as used at Wild Horse Reservoir this spring.
Cold Creek Reservoir
Cold Creek Reservoir has open water, but no report of anglers fishing it. Expect fishing to be fair for trout. The usual PowerBait or worms should work for bait anglers just fish it right off the bottom. If fishing with spinners or lures, keep presentations slow.
Cave Lake
Cave Lake is lowered to minimum pool and unfishable. Cave Lake is closed to fishing due to shorelines that are very soft and dangerous due to the complete saturation of the soil. Dam construction is fully underway and hopefully will be completed soon. Fish stocking will resume once the construction is completed and the lake starts to fill. For more information on Cave Lake, please contact the NDOW Ely Field Office.
Comins Lake
The lake is mostly ice free, with any remaining ice extremely unsafe. The north end of the lake is ice free and the south end will probably be ice free if it isn’t already.
Fishing from shore has been good. Anglers should be able to catch fish using nightcrawlers, PowerBait and spinners.
Fly rodders should have luck using wooly buggers, leech patterns and chironomids under an indicator.
Anglers pursuing northern pike will do well on hard and soft plastic baits, as well as flashy spoons. Anglers continue to catch a few northern pike ranging from 18 inches to 30-plus inches.
Please note that NDOW has placed radio tags in several northern pike. These pike will have an orange floy tag near their dorsal fin and a small antenna (~ 7 inches long) coming from their stomach. Please return these fish to the water for research purposes. Please do not return pike without the tags back to the lake.
Illipah
Illipah is mostly ice free and any remaining ice is unsafe. The weekend forecast of rain/snow and high winds may make access to the lake 4WD only, so plan accordingly.
Anglers did well all ice fishing season with good catch rates that should continue into the spring. Expect trout to range from 8 to 12 inches. Anglers should do well using nightcrawlers, PowerBait and spinners.
Fly rodders should do well using the usual assortment of wooly buggers, leech and chironomid patterns fished under an indicator.
Streams
Flows have increased and are mostly above normal due to the warm weather, precipitation and snowmelt in much of the region.
Right below South Fork dam, fishing has been good while the stream above the reservoir has been fair due to muddy water conditions. Expect this to continue with the forecast precipitation this weekend, though flows may diminish a bit with continued colder temperatures.
With the spring spawn of rainbow and cutthroat trout, fly rodders should include egg patterns in their arsenal. The flow out of Wild Horse Reservoir is low, but fishing should still be good in the pool right below the dam and further down the stream once you get below Beaver Creek and flows pick up.
Access to many streams will be 4WD only due to snow and mud. Afternoon highs in many areas this weekend will be in the low to mid-40s. With colder water temperatures, presentations need to be slowed down and stretches of stream should be fished much more thoroughly than when warmer as the presentation needs to be put right in front of the fish.
As of March 27, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at 0.04 cfs below the dam and 175 cfs at Mountain City, the Jarbidge River at 24.4 cfs, the Bruneau River roaring along at 233 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 295 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 12.2 cfs, the South Fork of the Humboldt at 173 cfs, Cleve Creek at 9.8 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 4.42 cfs and Kingston Creek at 6.96 cfs.