Report Date:
http://www.ndow.org
While the beginning of April is looking calm and warm, the storms of the last half of March did help eastern and central Nevada’s snowpack. The basin averages for snow water content now range from 90% to a little over 100% of median for this time of year.
While this is good news, last summer and fall, as well as early winter, were so dry that any moisture coming out of the snow on the ground is being drawn into the parched soil. This means that while the snowpack is in fairly good shape, stream flows are well below normal for this time of year.
Stream flows in eastern and central Nevada, as of Thursday, April 1, were ranging between less than 10% to about 30% of the long term mean for this time of year. In fact, some are almost too low to hold many fish except in the deeper pools.
So what does this mean for anglers this summer? Its still too early to tell, but chances are that the streams won’t have flows that get near normal, which means that many may be fishable at a time when they usually aren’t. Snowmelt in April and May often turn our small streams into raging torrents, which may not happen, or if it does, it will be for a much shorter time.
Summer stream fishing will probably happen much earlier than normal, though mid to late summer fishing may be poor due to lower than average stream flows. Of course, it all depends upon what Mother Nature throws at us this spring and summer. If we get stream saving late spring storms or a good monsoonal moisture pattern this year it would be a blessing to our streams and to anglers alike.
The road is closed, and the lake is ice covered. There will be no fishing reports for this lake until late spring or early summer depending upon the winter.
Cave Lake is sitting approximately 15 feet below normal water level. The lake is covered in unsafe ice with a some open water where the creek enters the lake at the south end. With the warmer temperatures, the ice should come off quickly. Expect soft muddy shorelines.
Cold Creek Reservoir is now at minimum pool due to outlet structure repair being done by Kinross. There is very little water and is mostly ice free.
Comins lake is ice free. So far fishing has been good this spring with 16-to-20-inch Rainbow Trout being caught. The water is sitting in the 40s so the Largemouth Bass in the lake are still lethargic. Anglers will do well on nightcrawlers, a variety of spinners, wet flies behind a bubble, and even PowerBait. Minnow imitations and large streamer patterns have been working for northern pike, many of which have been staged for spawning on the southeast shoreline. 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 coming from their stomach. Please return these fish to the water for research purposes. If the pike doesn’t have the transmitter tag, please humanely dispatch the fish. Do not put it back in the lake.
There is still a large mass of ice covering approximately 75% of the reservoir. With warmer temperatures around the corner, the rest of the ice could come off quickly. The reservoir is sitting at approximately 90% of capacity. Anglers can access the reservoir from the west and fish the entire western shoreline. Anglers will do well on nightcrawlers, spinners, wet flies, and PowerBait.
Jakes Creek Reservoir is now almost ice free. The road to the lake is very muddy. No recent report on angler use.
The lake is ice free with very low water levels and a soft muddy shoreline. There was a trout die off last summer, so no trout are left here. A few blue gill and bass, but no report on how fishing is. The shorelines are soft and muddy.
MOUNTAIN STREAMS
Snow, ice, and muddy bank conditions are making fishing difficult. Stream flows are still low, especially for this time of year, and fishing in most streams is slow. As of April 1, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at 64 cfs, the Bruneau River up significantly to 76 cfs, the Jarbidge is flowing at 13 cfs(access through Idaho), Salmon Falls Creek at 77 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 5.5 cfs, the South Fork at 12 cfs, Cleve Creek at 5.1 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 2.7 cfs and Kingston Creek at 2.7 cfs.
HIGH ALPINE LAKES
With snow on the mountains only the most experienced backcountry travelers should attempt to reach the lakes. The lakes are frozen, and fishing is done until summer. There will be no more fishing reports for the high alpine lakes until late spring or early summer depending upon the winter.
Fishing has been fair to good depending upon the day and location, with high water levels and turbid water. The fish that are being caught are with leech patterns, balanced leeches, crystal buggers, #14-16 hare’s ears, and #16-18 PT nymphs. Other flies working include the usual small nymphs, olive soft hackles, red or blue copper Johns, and prince nymphs. On warmer afternoons if you see insects hatching, switch to midge emergers, blue wing olive emergers or dries. Small brightly colored spinners were doing fair for spin fishermen. Anglers may now fish the water behind and downstream of the hatchery. Please follow the signs on where to walk to the water. Travel is not recommended over Harrison Pass due to this week’s storms.
The lake is ice free and surface water temperatures are in the high 40’s pushing the 50-degree mark. The dock is in at the main boat ramp and the water level is good for launching a boat here. However, the boat ramp at Jet Ski Beach is not useable due to a dropoff at the end of the ramp which will get your trailer tires stuck. Anglers are having success with both worms and PowerBait with fish averaging 15 to 18 inches and a few over 20, though the catch rate is fair. Fish have moved closer to shore, with trout being caught 20 to 30 feet from shore. Flies that have caught fish include leech patterns, wooly buggers, hares ears and midge patterns. Midges are starting to hatch with this warm weather and can make up almost 50% of a trout’s diet on our high desert reservoirs. Fly rodders should start fishing midge patterns for success. On windy days with the waves stirring up the muddy bottom, fly fishermen should do well fishing the edges of the mud plumes with chironomids (midges). Fishing at Jet Ski Beach has been fair to good depending upon the day. Cloudy, windy days seem to be best for catching, while calm, bluebird days seem to be the best for fishing. Fishing in the river below the dam and above the reservoir has been slow with very low flows. The long term mean flows for this time of year are around 100 cfs and current flows are only around 10 to 12 cfs.
As of Thursday, April 1, the lake was still covered with ice, but the edges had softened enough that anglers should stay off. We are at that in between stage when it isn’t safe to get on the ice for ice fishing and there isn’t any open water for soft water fishing. The tailwater below the dam has low flows and the shorelines are icy but fishing the pools has been fair to good using streamer patterns and nymphs for fly fishermen and minnow imitation lures for spin fishermen. The further downstream you get, the better the flows as the tributaries join the main stem.
No fish
No recent report on road or fishing conditions. Expect a rough and muddy road that is 4WD only due to recent precipitation with fishing conditions to be similar to South Fork.
