Joe’s Fishing Hole: Keep Labor Day weekend fishing safe and fun | Lifestyles

Unfortunately, for the trout fishing crowd, the weather forecast for this holiday weekend calls for daytime highs in the mid to high 90s with clear blue skies. Not the best conditions for trout but good conditions for bass anglers, pleasure boaters and skiers.

Expect the lakes to be crowded this weekend for the last hurrah of the summer. Please be aware of others who will be recreating. While one person may enjoy hip hop another may be into country and another may be into classic rock. Be courteous and keep music to a level that you can hear without intruding on others ability to enjoy the outdoors.

Boaters should observe the no wake zones around boat launches, swimming areas and congested shorelines where campers are. Watercraft have a lot more flexibility to find good fishing areas so please don’t crowd shore anglers who are less mobile and may be in “your favorite spot.”

Lifejackets only work if you are wearing them. Youth under 14 must have them on whenever the boat is underway. Personal Watercraft operators and passengers are required to wear them as well. If skiing, have an observer as well as a boat driver and an orange flag that should be held high whenever the skier is down.

Finally, patience at the boat launch area is a virtue. Prepare your watercraft for launching in the ready area not on the ramp itself. Once the boat is in the water, have someone pull it out of the launch area to allow others to launch while the driver and trailer head back to the parking lot. Come back to the dock when the driver is ready to be picked up.

If everyone is courteous and observes the rules of the water, this Labor Day weekend will be safe and fun.

Surface water temperatures are still in the 70s along with plenty of algae and aquatic vegetation. Water levels are a bit below 50% and boaters should take care around the island off of the state park boat ramp and in the canyon where rocks are getting close to the surface near the shore. 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. Fly rodders will find difficult fishing conditions as it is difficult to get presentations to the depths that are required. For trout, the best flies are chironomids or balanced leeches fished 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 fishermen 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. Smallmouth bass fishing continues to be good. 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 though expect wiper fishing to be slow to fair. 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.

Very 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 along the dam using soft plastics and drop shotting. 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 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 15 feet below a strike slip indicator which is very difficult to cast. 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 but only first thing in the morning. 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 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.

No recent report from Wilson, but expect similar conditions as at South Fork Reservoir. Expect a fair amount of algae and dropping water levels due to irrigation. The best trout fishing should be from a float tube or a small cartop boat or canoe as the boat ramp is out of the water and unusable. Shore anglers should have some luck in the canyon by the dam as the water is deeper and cooler there. Use the same techniques as at South Fork Reservoir. Fly fishermen seem to be having the best luck using leech, wooly buggers and chironomids. Damselfly nymphs may work as well. Bass fishing is good though mostly smaller fish were being reported. Again, 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.

The water level is low in the south marsh with levels that haven’t been this low since 2016. However, boats can still be launched at the main boat ramp, though the Narciss boat ramp is unusable due to water levels and weed growth. Boaters can still get around fine along the main channel from the north boat launch, though it gets difficult off the beaten path. With surface water temperatures in the mid 70s the bass bite at Ruby Lake NWR continues to be very good, though anglers report one keeper per 20 to 30 fish caught. Minimum keeper size is 10 inches. Most of the keepers are in the 10-12-inch size due to recent drouths and growth cycle due to 12 years of low water. Many anglers report catching as many as 75 bass in a day per angler but limits of 10 bass per angler few and far between. Soft plastic grubs in blue, black or purple seemed to work the best. Fishing conditions in the collection ditch have been fair 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. While the damsel hatch is diminishing, trout are used to seeing them so damsel dries and nymphs are still worth using. 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 RESERVOIR

The water level is very low as water due the usual evaporation for this time of year as well as irrigation earlier in the summer. 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.

No recent report but expect slow to fair trout fishing with the warm temperatures. Trout may hit the surface right at sunup, but the rest of the day are holding deeper. The usual assortment of nymphs and chironomids as well as leech patterns are the best bet for fly rodders. Bait fisherman should fish their presentations off of the bottom instead of under a bobber. Fishing for Largemouth Bass is slow because the drawdowns over the last few winters but there are a few bass left in the reservoir.

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.

Surface 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.

The lake level is low due to irrigation and evaporation and surface water temperatures are well above 70 degrees. 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.

Anglers 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.

The 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 mack being caught this summer. While it is a very hard hike into Verdi, fly fishing has been good for 10-to-15-inch cutthroat using terrestrials such as grasshopper, bee and ant patterns as well as the usual assortment of nymphs. 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. Overland Lake has been fishing well, though the brookies are stunted here averaging six to seven 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.

Stream flows in eastern Nevada continue to drop and fishing is very difficult in most of them with very low flows and above average water temperatures. The fish are struggling in most of eastern Nevada’s steams. Some streams such as Steptoe Creek and the Bruneau River aren’t worth fishing. Most fish are hanging in water where there are springs as even the water in the beaver dams is getting stagnant and very warm. Lamoille Creek is flowing at two thirds of the long-term median and is fishable in spots. Just a trickle of water is coming out of the Wildhorse Dam and the tailwater is difficult to fish due to this. As of August 31, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at between 2.5 and 5.0 cfs, the Bruneau River is at a very low 2.78 cfs and not worth the trip, the Jarbidge at 5.7 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 14.5 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 5.2 cfs, the South Fork of the Humboldt at 11 cfs, Cleve Creek is flowing less than half of normal at 3.4 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 1.8 cfs and Kingston Creek at 2.7 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.