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Elko angler Jayden Macias with a nice rainbow he caught in the South Fork of the Humboldt below the dam in June before the flows dropped. Stream flows in northeastern Nevada are very low now due to the drought and many streams are well below the long-term median and difficult to fish.

While cleaning up some fly rods that I had let students borrow after a recent fly fishing clinic, I noticed that one of them had fly line that was not reeled back onto the reel properly. While I know that some people don’t take care of gear very well, one line was completely tangled on the reel. It looked like the young student didn’t know which direction to reel and it took some work to untangle it.

As the line came off the reel it actually had kinks in it and I am sure that casting it would have been difficult. Obviously, this setup had been left in a closed vehicle and the heat had set the kinks that were there from being tangled.

Heat is one of the worst things that can happen to fishing gear. Whether you are a fly fisherman, spin or bait casting angler, heat can ruin your line, rod and terminal tackle very quickly. Heat, especially if combined with UV rays from the sun, is deadly to monofilament line. It can weaken your line by as much as 50% if it is left in the car for a few weeks in the summer. Fly lines also are susceptible to heat and UV damage.

Even if the fly line isn’t in the heat or sun for a long period of time, it can develop memory coils from being left on your reel too long. However, you can stretch fly line to remove some of the memory. Pull it off the reel in about two-foot increments and give it a firm stretch between your two hands. Pull two more feet off and repeat. Continue this process until you have stretched the entire line.

Monofilament line can also be straightened using a leader straightener or a small piece of rubber innertube. Put the line in the leader straightener, or on top of a piece of inner tube folding it over so the line is enclosed by the rubber. Press firmly on the monofilament with the leader straightener while drawing it through. The friction will warm the line causing it to relax and straighten out.

The heat and UV from the sun can also damage the rod, weakening the synthetic fibers it is made up of. Even if it doesn’t ruin the action, it can cause cracking in the finish. Of course, terminal tackle is also susceptible to sun and heat damage. Especially soft plastic grubs and worms that bass anglers use. A few years ago, I forgot to take my bass tackle box out of the truck and after a week in the heat, the soft plastic grubs were a gooey mess.

It pays to take a few minutes after getting home to take a look to make sure that all the gear has been removed from the vehicle, cleaned and properly put away. It will make the next fishing trip a whole lot more enjoyable.

Surface water temperatures have moved into the 70s and algae is growing and staining the water. With the warmer surface water temperatures, the trout have moved into deeper water. Anglers report fair to good fishing for trout from boats or float tubes in deeper water, while shore anglers report fair fishing in the mornings but slow fishing the rest of the day. First thing in the morning they can occasionally be caught fairly close to shore, but by about 8 a.m. they start heading to deeper cooler water. Bass fishing is good and a few wipers have been showing up in the creel. Perch fishing is slow. 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. Wooly buggers, PT nymphs, gold ribbed hares ears and damsel fly nymphs are also producing fish. Fly rodders need to use a fast sinking line to get down deep enough to put the presentation in front of the fish. For bait anglers 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. 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. Fishing structure where the water gets deep quickly from shore can be productive. 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. The limit is one black bass and one white bass hybrid with a minimum size of 15 inches.

Surface water temperatures have moved into the 70s and fishing for bass has been good while trout fishing has slowed as they move to deeper water. With the warmer temperatures and sunny days, the algae and the weed beds at the south end of the lake are out in full force. Fishing has been fair for 15-to 20-inch trout for spin, bait and fly rodders from boats or float tubes but slow to fair for shore anglers. The bests time to fish from shore is between sunup and 9 a.m. when the water closer to shore is cooler. 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 in water that is 12 to 17 feet deep. Fly fishermen report that fishing has also been fair to good for trout using a fast sink line with buggers or leeches. Damsels are hatching and damselfly nymphs and dries should catch a few fish at the south end of the lake where the river brings cooler water into the lake along the weedy shorelines. 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 eight to 12 feet below a strike slip indicator. Black, olive or purple wooly buggers and leech patterns are other patterns to try. Spin fishermen should be using gold-colored spinners or lures for trout. 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. Anglers also report catching wipers trolling the same soft plastic baits. South Fork was stocked with 500 wipers and 10,000 catfish last month. Both smallmouth and largemouth bass may be kept. The limit is one black bass and one white bass hybrid with a minimum size of 15 inches.

Almost dry and no fish. WILSON RESERVOIR

Anglers report fair to good fishing for chunky 13-to-16-inch trout and good fishing for smaller bass as the surface water temperatures climb higher into the 70s. The best trout fishing is from a float tube or a small cartop boat or canoe as the boat ramp is unusable. Shore anglers are having the best luck in the canyon by the dam as the water is deeper and cooler here. 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 are working as well. Bass is good 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.

Little or no change at the Refuge. With surface water temperatures in the mid 70s 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. 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 50 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. The water level is dropping and weed growth is getting thick, but boats with electric motors can still get around as gas motors are helping to chop up some of the more popular paths through the marsh. Fishing conditions in the collection ditch have been fair to good recently for 13 to 18-inch trout depending upon the day and location. 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. 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 working. 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 is also effective and damsel dry flies have taken a few large fish. Dry flies are also working. Spin anglers should be using small spinners in black or olive with contrasting yellow or red colors as well as small minnow imitations. A few trout in the ditch have also been taken with very small yellow or green soft plastic grubs.

The water level is low as water is being drawn out for irrigation. Surface water temperatures are in the 70s and the weeds are growing making shore fishing difficult. With the warmer water the bass bite is good for eight to 12-inch bass 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, PMD’s and damselfly dries are all working early in the morning or late in the evening.

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.

Surface water temperatures are in the 70s and fishing is fair to good for trout and 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. Damselflies are hatching and both damsel nymphs and dries should work. Fish the dries early in the morning or late in the evening. Black or red snow cones with a white bead and contrasting red or black wire ribbing, fished under an indicator have also been working. 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.

Surface water temperatures are above 70 degrees 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 is ongoing and the water level at this reservoir is getting low. 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 should fish deeper as the trout move down in the water column to find cooler oxygen rich water.

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 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 high mountain lakes are a great place to beat the heat. Fishing is good using sub-surface presentations such as small spinners, worms and small crystal buggers and leech patterns as well as dry flies. Anglers report good fishing at both Liberty and Favre lakes using Adams, Griffith’s gnats and other mayfly patterns. Fishing at Lamoille and Island Lakes have been fair to good. 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.

Stream flows in most streams in northern Nevada are dropping fast, and in some places too low for fishing. Central Nevada streams are also very low and many of these are unfishable as well. Cleve Creek east of Ely, got a shot in the arm with some recent precipitation, but the small increase in flows won’t last long without more precipitation. Lamoille Creek is now at good flows for fishing. With the poor snowpack and the warm weather, anglers need to take advantage of those streams till fishable while they can. The river above South Fork Reservoir has been slow fishing while below the reservoir fishing is better but mainly in the pools as flows are well below normal. Flows below Wildhorse Reservoir are fishable but care should be taken if wading. Fishing has been good below the dam. As of July 22, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at 80 cfs, the Bruneau River is down to a very low 7.2 cfs, the Jarbidge at 10.7 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 33.4 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 15.9 cfs, the South Fork of the Humboldt down to 5 cfs about 10% of the median of 55 cfs for this time of year, Cleve Creek at a low 3.9 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 2.1 cfs and Kingston Creek at 2.65 cfs. Cleve, Steptoe and Kingston Creeks are very low for this time of year and fishing is difficult except in the pools.

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Elko angler Jayden Macias with a nice rainbow he caught in the South Fork of the Humboldt below the dam in June before the flows dropped. Stream flows in northeastern Nevada are very low now due to the drought and many streams are well below the long-term median and difficult to fish.

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