Joe’s Fishing Hole: Use the weeds in the water to your fishing advantage | Lifestyles

With warmer weather and sunny skies, weed growth is picking up at most of the area reservoirs. While aquatic weeds are a hindrance to anglers, they can also help you find fish. Weeds have aquatic insects associated with them, which are trout food and the weed banks can also act as structure.

The downside is that weeds grow in the warmer water of the lake while trout like the colder oxygen rich water. But early in the morning and late in the evening as the water is cooler, the trout will often patrol the weed edges looking for food. Bass will also use the weed beds as ambush cover while waiting for bait fish to come by.

Anglers can use this to their advantage, fishing over the tops of the weeds and around the edges of weed mats that are found in the shallower water. If you are a bait fisherman, use a bobber to control the depth of your presentation. Spin fishermen should use shallow diving minnow imitations, spinnerbaits or soft plastic baits fished weedless.

Fly rodders have several options. Use a floating line with a fluorocarbon leader that sinks and fish the tops of the weeds with a damsel fly nymph. You can also use a sink tip or an intermediate sink line to get your fly to the depth you want and then give a short quick strip to make the fly “swim” straight up a few inches and then settle down towards the weeds. Often a strike will occur as the fly settles down towards the weeds.

Along with the warmer weather, trout are going to be in shallow water for the earliest part of the day so anglers will have the best luck from around 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. After that, they head to deeper, cooler water.

Just a reminder that we are in a drought and the hot dry conditions across Nevada have both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) putting fire restrictions in place. Before heading out check their respective websites for current restrictions and what is allowed and what is prohibited. As always, fireworks are prohibited on many of our public lands.

Surface water temperatures have moved into the mid to high 60s and algae is growing and staining the water. Anglers report good fishing for trout from boats or float tubes, while shore anglers report fair to good fishing in the mornings. Bass fishing is good and wipers have been showing up in the creel. For trout, the same fly patterns continue to work as fly fishermen are having some success with black or wine colored leech patterns as well as wine or red chironomids. Damselflies and Mayflies are hatching so damselfly nymphs and dries are working as are Mayfly patterns such as Adams, blue winged olives and pale morning duns. Wooly buggers, PT nymphs, gold ribbed hares ears and damsel fly nymphs are also producing a few fish. For bait anglers try fishing an inflated worm a few feet off the bottom using a slip sinker in water that is eight to 12 feet deep. Another option would be to roll some PowerBait to make a bell shape and fish it in a similar fashion to the inflated worm using a slip sinker and it will float up a couple of feet above the bottom. Make sure to dip the PowerBait in the water for a few seconds after it is on the hook to “gel” it up so it doesn’t come off the hook when casting. For bass, dark colored soft plastic grubs and crankbaits are working. Smallmouths are now legal to keep. The limit is one bass 15 inches or longer.

Surface water temperatures have moved into the mid to high 60s and fishing for bass has been good. With the warmer temperatures and sunny days the algae and the weed beds at the south end of the lake are growing. Fishing has been fair to good for 15 to 20 inch trout for spin, bait and fly rodders. Wiper fishing has been fair to good with a few nice fish in the six to 10 lb. range being taken. Bait anglers seem to be having the best luck with worms floated off the bottom about 20-30 feet from shore in six to 10 feet of water. Fly fishermen report that fishing has also been fair to good for trout. Most are being caught with chironomid (midge larva) patterns fished under an indicator. Damsels are hatching and damselfly nymphs and dries are catching fish. Black or red snow cones with a white bead and contrasting red or black wire ribbing have also been working. Black, olive or purple wooly buggers and leech patterns are other patterns to try. Mayflies are hatching so the usual Mayfly patterns such as pale morning duns (PMDs), Adams, light Cahills and blue winged olives should work. Spin fishermen should be using gold-colored spinners or lures for trout. Bass are taking dark soft plastic baits with sparkles in colors such as blue, motor oil, purple and dark green. Crankbaits are also working for bass as are poppers in low light still water conditions. Anglers also report catching wipers trolling the same soft plastic baits. South Fork was stocked with 500 wipers and 10,000 catfish last month. It has also been stocked with approximately 41,000 trout this spring. Both smallmouth and largemouth bass may be kept. The limit is one black bass 15 inches or longer.

Very little change here as continue to report good fishing for chunky 13-to-16-inch trout and smaller bass as the surface water temperatures climb higher into the 60s. Fly fishermen seem to be having the best luck using leech, wooly buggers and chironomids. Damselfly nymphs are working as well. Mayflies are starting to hatch so pale morning duns (PMD’s), Adams and other Mayfly dries and emergers should start working. Bass are active and showing up in the creel though mostly smaller fish are being reported. Anglers should use the same presentations, colors and techniques that are being used at South Fork Reservoir – dark soft plastic grubs and crankbaits. Poppers can be effective during low light still water conditions. Wilson was planted with approximately 12,000 trout this spring. The boat ramp is still not useable due to water levels and probably won’t be useable at all this summer.

With the warmer temperatures the bass bite at Ruby Lake NWR continues to be good, though it is taking approximately 10 bass to catch a keeper. Minimum keeper size is 10 inches. Many anglers report catching as many as 50 bass days per angler so limits are hard to come by. Soft plastic grubs in blue, black or purple seemed to work the best. The bass aren’t hitting until about mid-morning when the sun is higher in the sky and warming the surface. Best fishing is in the afternoon. Not much has changed as far as fishing conditions in the collection ditch have been fair to good for 13 to 18-inch fish depending upon the day and location. Anglers report catching small bass in unit 21, along the dikes and at the main boat ramp. The wind is also playing a part in the fishing. Best days seem to be when there are light to moderate winds to break the surface up, but not so strong as to interfere with casting. Winds are expected to be 10 to 20 mph this weekend so anglers need to find the sweet spot between the time the bass start hitting in mid-morning but before the afternoon winds pick up. In the collection ditch the weeds are growing but anglers report fair to good fishing for trout with the best time being first thing in the morning. Chironomid patterns such as zebra midges, Yankee buzzers, chromies and ice cream cones should work. Other flies such as leech patterns, balanced leeches, crystal buggers, #14-16 hare’s ears, and #16-18 PT nymphs fished under an indicator are recommended. Stripping damselfly nymphs should also be effective. Dry flies have also been effective on warmer afternoons. Size 12 to 18 elk hair caddis, blue winged olives (size 14 to 18), ants (size 12 to 16) and Griffith’s gnats (size 14 to 18) should all be effective. Spin anglers should be using small spinners in black or olive with contrasting yellow or red colors.

JAKES CREEK/BOIES RESERVOIR

The lake level is good, though starting to draw down with irrigation. Surface water temperatures have climbed into the mid to high 60s and the weeds are growing making shore fishing difficult, but not impossible yet. With the warmer water the bass have become active and fishing for them is good using soft plastic dark colored grubs and spinnerbaits. Worms seem to be the presentation of choice for trout, though small spinners should also work for those who want to throw some hardware. Fly rodders should be using chironomids, PT nymphs, hare’s ears, small black or olive buggers and leeches. Dry flies are working as well. The usual dries such as Adams, Griffith’s gnats, PMDs and damselfly dries are all working.

The water level is good and anglers can expect to catch hatchery size, 8-to-10-inch rainbows. Fishing for Largemouth Bass will be slow because the drawdowns over the last few winters but there are a few bass left in the reservoir. NDOW will continue to work to rebuilding the Largemouth Bass fishery with augmentations this summer.

Cave Lake is lowered to minimum and unfishable. Fish stocking will resume once the dam repairs are completed. Cave Lake is closed to fishing due to shorelines that are very soft and dangerous due to the complete saturation of the soil as the lake is drained. By draining the lake, it should shave a couple of years off the re-building of the dam and cut costs tremendously. It will also make the project much safer for those performing the work. For more information on Cave Lake, please contact the NDOW Ely Field Office.

Not much change here as surface water temperatures are in the mid to high 60s and fishing is fair to good for quality 15-to-18-inch rainbow trout and good for bass. Although not as common, anglers will be to catch Brown Trout and Tiger Trout in the lake. These fish are currently running between 12 and 16 inches, however there is potential to hook into a 20+ inch Brown Trout. Nightcrawlers have been working for trout though anglers have also been doing well using PowerBait. For fly fishers, this time of year chironomid patterns are recommended as they can make up as much as 80% of the trout’s diet in the spring in our high desert reservoirs. Black or olive wooly buggers and black, olive or wine-colored leech patterns should also produce trout. Damselfly nymphs are becoming active and will soon be hatching. Bass fishing has been good and they are hitting on soft plastic worms and grubs in a variety of colors as well as swimbaits and lures. Northern Pike fishing appears to be picking up in recent weeks, with a handful of 20-to-24-inch pike being caught. Spinning tackle has produced the best results for pike. Anglers 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. All other pike should be humanely dispatched. There is no limit on the pike. The lake has been stocked with approximately 14,900 trout this spring.

Surface water temperatures have moved into the mid to high 60s and fishing has been fair to good for eight-to 10-inch stocked trout with an occasional larger carryover fish. With the dry conditions, irrigation has started and the water level at this reservoir is continuing to drop. Anglers will do well with a variety of night crawlers, PowerBait, and spinners. For bait anglers nightcrawlers and rainbow PowerBait are the best bet. Small spinners, spoons and Kastmasters in gold for those throwing hardware should work. Black or olive wooly buggers and black, olive or wine-colored leech patterns are catching trout. Dry fly patterns are also working. Brown trout are in the creek above the reservoir.

Anglers continue to report good fishing for both rainbow and tiger trout on small black or olive crystal or wooly buggers as well as black leeches. Chironomids, pheasant tail nymphs, gold ribbed hare’s ears and soft hackles under an indicator should also work. Spin fishermen should try small gold or silver spinners. Bait anglers should have some luck with worms under a bobber.

The high mountain lakes have opened up for fishing and this is a great place to beat the heat. Fishing should be good using sub-surface presentations such as small spinners, worms and small crystal buggers and leech patterns. Nymphs under an indicator or dry fly are also effective. Look for overhanging brush, large submerged boulders and where snowmelt runs into the lake for trout.

With the lack of snow, stream flows are dropping quickly and are now fishable. Lamoille Creek is still a bit high but becoming fishable in spots. With the poor snowpack and the unusually warm spring, anglers should take advantage of early summer conditions while they can. Expect very low stream flows later this summer. The river above South Fork Reservoir has been slow fishing while below the reservoir fishing is better. The tailwater below Wildhorse Reservoir is fishing well using both subsurface flies and dry flies. As of July 1, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at 86.3 cfs below the dam as the irrigation season is on, and 106 cfs by the time it reaches Mountain City. The Bruneau River flowing at a very fishable 26.8 cfs, the Jarbidge also fishable at 36.2 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek down to 85.8 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 67.2 cfs, the South Fork of the Humboldt down to 30 cfs and well below the median of 230 cfs for this time of year, Cleve Creek at a low 2.57 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 2.2 cfs and Kingston Creek at 2.5 cfs. Cleve, Steptoe and Kingston Creeks are very low for this time of year and fishing is difficult except in the pools.