Joe’s Fishing Hole: Keep your eyes and ears open for lightning | Lifestyles

Use your favorite weather app to track any major weather changes moving into the area where you live, and if possible, try to get out the day or even a few hours before the storm hits. Wind often precludes the storms and while it can make fishing a bit more difficult, it often is the period of some of the best fishing.

The caveat is that as the storm moves in, anglers may become exposed to the natural phenomenon known as lightning. Pay special attention to the skies and at the first sign of thunder or lightning, head for safety.

Anglers should be aware of some basic safety rules regarding lightning while fishing. According to the National Weather Service, lightning can strike as far as ten miles away from its source cloud. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by the lightning associated with it. With this in mind, anglers should quit fishing at the first hint of thunder or lightning. It is also recommended that anglers wait at least 30 minutes after a storm has passed before starting to fish again.

Anglers are much more at risk than golfers when it comes to being struck by lightning. Since graphite rods are an excellent conductor of electricity, put your fishing rod down immediately upon hearing thunder or lightning and then head to a safe place off the water. Boaters are at very high risk and they should immediately head for the nearest shore.

While lightning can occur at any time of the day or night, in our area, the afternoons are when most of our thunderstorms pop up. Get indoors if possible or find a low place away from trees or other high points to make yourself less of a target for lighting.

Prevention is the best way to avoid being a victim of lighting, so check the weather forecast before heading out. Just because thunderstorms aren’t in the forecast doesn’t mean they can’t pop up, especially in Nevada.

Keep your eyes and ears open for the flash of lighting or the sound of thunder and get off the water as soon as you see or hear either.

WILDHORSESurface water temperatures are in the 70s and algae is thick along with scattered weed beds and trout are holding deep except for very early in the morning. Anglers report fair fishing for trout from boats or float tubes in deeper water, especially in the canyon by the dam, while shore anglers report fair fishing early in the mornings and slow to poor fishing the rest of the day. If fishing from shore be out at first light for the best opportunity. Shore anglers will do best where the banks are steep as the water gets deep closer to shore. Bass fishing is good while perch fishing is slow. For trout, the best flies are chironomids or balanced leeches fish very deep. Wooly buggers, PT nymphs, gold ribbed hares ears and damsel fly nymphs may also producing fish at first light in shallower water. Fly rodders need to use a fast-sinking line to get down deep enough to put the presentation in front of the fish. A good technique is to use a fast-sinking line, fishing without casting or an indicator, letting the presentation sink straight down in the water column from a boat or float tube. Balanced leeches along with the usual assortment of nymphs and chironomid patterns work well this way. With the above average temperatures and lack of snowpack this year, the thermocline is a few feet deeper than normal and will be down between 20 and 23 feet deep so fly fishermen will have a hard time getting down to that depth. Boaters will do well trolling flashers tipped with a worm using downriggers. For bait anglers fishing from shore, try fishing an inflated worm a few feet off the bottom using a slip sinker in deeper water. 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. For bass, dark colored soft plastic grubs and crankbaits are working. Poppers early in the morning or late in the evening when there is no wind may be productive. The riprap along the highway in the Penrod arm is a good place for bass. For wipers, target the mouths of Penrod and Hendricks arms on the north east side of the lake. Wipers are piscivorous (a big word for eating other fish) and so swimbaits and minnow imitation lures fished with a fairly fast retrieve should be used. Wiper fishing has been slow to fair. The limit is one black bass and one white bass hybrid with a minimum size of 15 inches.

SOUTH FORK RESERVOIRVery little change here as surface water temperatures are in the high 70s and fishing for bass has been good while trout fishing has been slow as they are in deeper water further from shore. The south end of the lake is very weedy and there is a lot of algae. Fishing has been fair for 15-to 20-inch trout for spin, bait and fly rodders from boats or float tubes but slow for shore anglers. The best time to fish from shore is between pre-dawn and 8:00 am when the water closer to shore is cooler but anglers should still try to find shorelines where the water drops off quickly. The north end of the lake by the dam is best for this. Bass fishing has been good. Wiper fishing has been fair to good. The key is covering a lot of water until you find a school of them. Fly fishermen report that fishing for trout has been slow to fair for trout using a fast sink line with buggers or leeches. Damsel nymphs may work fished along the weed beds early in the morning. Black or red snow cones with a white bead and contrasting red or black wire ribbing, fished under an indicator have also been working. Fish them 12 to 18 feet below a strike slip indicator. With the above average temperatures and lack of snowpack this year, the thermocline is a few feet deeper than normal and will be down between 20 and 23 feet deep so fly fishermen will have a hard time getting down to that depth. Black, olive or purple wooly buggers and leech patterns are other patterns to try. Another technique is to use a fast-sinking line from a boat or float tube and fishing without casting or an indicator, letting the presentation sink straight down in the water column. Balanced leeches along with the usual assortment of nymphs and chironomid patterns work well this way. Spin fishermen should be using gold-colored spinners or lures for trout. Boaters will do well trolling flashers tipped with a worm using downriggers. Bass are taking dark soft plastic baits with sparkles in dark 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. Fishing for bass along the dam face has been productive for float tubers and boaters. Anglers also report catching wipers trolling the same soft plastic baits. The limit is one black bass and one white bass hybrid with a minimum size of 15 inches. RUBY LAKE NWRLittle or no change here. The water level is low in the south marsh with levels that haven’t been this low since 2016. Weed growth is thick, but boats with electric motors can still get around the main channels as gas motors are helping to chop up some of the more popular paths through the marsh. With surface water temperatures in the mid-70s the bass bite at Ruby Lake NWR continues to be good, though it is taking approximately 15 to 20 bass to catch a keeper. Minimum keeper size is 10 inches. Most of the keepers are in the 10-12-inch size due to recent droughts and growth cycle due to 12 years of low water. Many anglers report catching as many as 50 to 60 bass days per angler but limits of 10 bass per angler are hard to come by. Soft plastic grubs in blue, black or purple seemed to work the best. Fishing conditions in the collection ditch have been fair to good recently for 13 to 18-inch trout depending upon the day and location. Dry flies have been working well as hoppers are out and trout are keying on them. Hoppers, yellow stimulators and yellow elk hair caddis have all produced fish. Damselflies are hatching as well so both damsel dries and nymphs are also working. Chironomid patterns such as zebra midges, Yankee buzzers, chromies and ice cream cones will catch a few fish. 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. Like the south marsh, the weeds are thick in place in the collection ditch. Fishing subsurface flies is limited to those areas of the ditch that are deeper and have less vegetative growth. Spin anglers should be using small spinners in black or olive with contrasting yellow or red colors as well as small minnow imitations. The collection ditch is artificial lures only, no bait.

JAKES CREEK/BOIES RESERVOIRThe water level is very low as water is being drawn out for irrigation and the usual evaporation for this time of year. Surface water temperatures are in the high 70s and the weeds are making shore fishing difficult. The bass bite is good for eight to 12-inch bass using soft plastic dark colored grubs and spinnerbaits. Trout fishing is slow to fair and worms seem to be the presentation of choice for trout, though small spinners should also work for those who want to throw some hardware. Just get the presentation down deep to the cooler water. Fly rodders should be using chironomids, PT nymphs, hare’s ears, small black or olive buggers and leeches. The usual dries such as Adams, Griffith’s gnats, PMD’s and damselfly dries may still work early in the morning.

COLD CREEK RESERVOIRNo recent report but anglers can expect to catch hatchery size, 8-to-10-inch rainbows. Fishing for Largemouth Bass is 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 LAKECave 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.

COMINS LAKESurface water temperatures are in the high 70s and fishing is slow to fair for trout and fair to good for bass. With the warmer temperatures, anglers should be fishing deeper for trout. Nightcrawlers have been working for trout though anglers have also been doing well using PowerBait. Black or olive wooly buggers and black, olive or wine-colored leech patterns on a fast sinking line are also productive for trout and bass. One angler reports catching nice trout using white chironomid patterns fished about eight feet below a strike indicator. Black or red snow cones with a white bead and contrasting red or black wire ribbing, fished deep under strike slip indicators have also been working. Bass are hitting on soft plastic worms and grubs in a variety of colors as well as swimbaits and minnow imitations. 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.

ILLIPAHThe lake level is low due to irrigation and surface water temperatures are above 70 degrees and fishing has been slow to fair for trout. The best fishing is first thing in the morning. Afternoons are poor. For bait anglers nightcrawlers and rainbow PowerBait are the best bet. Small spinners, spoons and Kastmasters in gold for those throwing hardware should work but allow plenty of time for them to sink deep into the water before starting the retrieve. Black or olive wooly buggers and black, olive or wine-colored leech patterns may catch a few trout. Dry fly patterns may be tried very early in the morning or late in the evening. Anglers should fish deeper as the trout move down in the water column to find cooler oxygen rich water.

ANGEL LAKEAnglers report fair to 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 or dry fly should also work. Dry flies are also productive. Popular patterns include parachute Adams, black gnats, yellow stimulators and grasshoppers. Spin fishermen should try small gold or silver spinners. Bait anglers should have some luck with worms about five feet under a bobber or PowerBait fished off the bottom. The lake level is dropping due to irrigation and there is plenty of shoreline for fishing. The backside of the lake along the rock walls and submerged boulders seems to be the best area for catching fish.

ALPINE LAKESThe high mountain lakes are a great place to beat the heat but anglers need to pay special attention to the weather as the afternoon thunderstorms pop up here regularly. Fishing is good using sub-surface presentations such as small spinners, worms and small crystal buggers and leech patterns as well as dry flies. Dries that work best seem to have either red or yellow in them. Hoppers, bees, yellow stimulators and red or yellow humpies are all worth a try. Anglers continue to report good fishing at both Liberty and Favre lakes using Adams, Griffith’s gnats and other mayfly patterns. Liberty has produced a few lake trout with at least one 10 pound mac being caught this summer. While it is a very hard hike into Verdi, fly fishing has been good for 10-to-5 inch cutthroat using terrestrials such as grasshopper, bee and ant patterns. Fishing at Lamoille and Island Lakes have been fair as they get the most pressure. Robinson Lake fishing has been good for brook trout averaging eight to nine inches with a few fish pushing 12 inches. The further you get from the trailhead the better the fishing. 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.

STREAMSThe monsoonal pattern in eastern Nevada continues to provide a surge in stream flows and some of the streams that weren’t fishable a couple of weeks ago are fishable now though expect flows to diminish over the next week as the region dries out. Lamoille Creek is still flowing at three fourths of the long term median and is fishable. Flows in the South Fork Reservoir both above and below the lake are still low and not fishable. The water out of the Wildhorse dam has been shut down due to haying going on downstream and the recent rains. It is unfishable except in the pools. As of August 19 the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at between 0.1 and 7.0 cfs, the Bruneau River is at a very low 4.5 cfs, the Jarbidge at 7.9 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 13.8 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 10 cfs, the South Fork of the Humboldt still very low at 5 to 10 cfs, about 50% of the median of 15 cfs for this time of year. Cleve Creek is flowing about half of normal at 3.5 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 1.8 cfs and Kingston Creek at 2.4 cfs. Cleve, Steptoe and Kingston Creeks are very low for this time of year and fishing is difficult except in the pools, beaver ponds and springs. Even in these locations the fishing is slow as the water has become very warm.