Get local news delivered to your inbox!

The recent rains along with the shorter days, longer nights and cooler temperatures are good news for trout anglers. As the deer and chukar hunters trade their fishing rods for guns, the lakes will be empty and the best fishing of the year will be underway. With changing of the seasons, the algae and weeds start to die, the water cools down and the fish put on the feedbag getting ready for the long winter under the ice.

Bass fishing will start to slow in numbers of fish caught, but the quality of bass picks up, with several of the past state records being caught in October and November. When fishing for bass this time of year target structure and ambush sites where lunkers can sit, and wait for bait fish to come by.

Trout become very active, as the water cools holding more oxygen and they come out of the lethargy (gotta love the big words) of late summer. They start to move into shallow water, especially late evenings and in the early mornings as they start looking for larger prey than invertebrates (large word for bugs) trying to fatten up quickly for the winter.

Shore anglers will have a much better chance in the fall than during the heat of the summer and using natural baits, artificial lures or flies can all be effective from both boat and shore in the fall. Worms, cheese type baits, spinners and crankbaits fished from shore should all be effective.

For fly rodders, streamer patterns such as wooly buggers, crystal buggers, and leech patterns on an intermediate, slow sink or sink tip line are the way to go on our area reservoirs. But don’t forget the nymphs with gold ribbed hare’s ears, snowcones, prince, PT and soft hackle nymphs fished below an indicator may catch the big one as well.

Surface water temperatures have dropped into the high 60s. While there is still a fair amount of algae causing problems for shore anglers, It should start to dissipate as the water cools. Water levels are below 50% and boaters should take care around the island off of the state park boat ramp and in the canyon. Anglers report fair fishing for trout from boats or float tubes fishing in deeper water. While shore anglers report fair fishing early in the mornings and slow fishing the rest of the day. If fishing from shore early morning is still your best bet. Shore anglers will do best where the banks are steep as the water gets deep closer to shore. Bass fishing is fair to good depending upon the day and the weather while perch fishing is slow. For trout, the best flies are chironomids or balanced leeches fished deep. Wooly buggers, PT nymphs, gold ribbed hares ears and damsel fly nymphs may also producing fish in the morning 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. 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. 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.

Surface water temperatures have dropped into the high 60s with the recent precipitation and cooler temperatures. The unsettled weather of the past week has interrupted fishing so not many anglers have been on the water. Fishing for bass may slow a bit with the cooler temperatures, but should still be good while trout fishing should start picking up. The south end of the lake is still very weedy and there is a lot of algae. Both should start dissipating over the next few weeks. 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 in the morning when the water closer to shore is cooler. 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 fair using a fast sink line with buggers or leeches. Black or red snow cones with white beads and contrasting red or black wire ribbing, fished under an indicator have also been working. Black, olive or purple wooly buggers and leech patterns are other patterns to try. Spin fishermen should try 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.

Almost dry and no fish.

No recent report from Wilson, but expect similar conditions as at South Fork Reservoir. Expect a fair amount of algae and weeds. 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 and shore fishing should start picking up as the water temperatures continue to drop. 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 along the main channel from the north boat launch, though it gets difficult off the beaten path. Surface water temperatures have dropped into the high 60’s and expect the bass bite to slow down though it should still be good for the next few weeks. Anglers still report taking one keeper bass for every 20 fish or so. Minimum keeper size is 10 inches. Most of the keepers are in the 10-12-inch size. 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 and should until we have a hard freeze. 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 places 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.

The water level is low and weedy which is normal but making shore fishing difficult. Surface water temperatures are dropping. The bass bite is fair to 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 trout fishing to pick up with the cooler water temperatures. 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 have dropped into the high 60’s and trout fishing should start picking up. Bass fishing has been fair to good. The lake is pretty weedy limiting boater access in some areas. Nightcrawlers have been working for trout though anglers have also been catching fish 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. Pike fishing has slowed, but should pick up in a few weeks as the water cools. 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 still low due to irrigation but is slowly recovering as irrigation use has stopped. This lake like others has mats of algae floating in spots. Fishing has been slow to fair for trout. The best fishing is first thing in the morning. 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 especially where the creek empties into the reservoir. Anglers should fish deeper as the trout move down in the water column to find cooler oxygen rich water.

Little to no change here as anglers continue to report fair to good fishing for both rainbow and tiger trout on small black or olive crystal or wooly buggers as well as black leech patterns. 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. Expect air temperatures in the high 30’s to low 40’s in the morning so bring a jacket.

The road into Lamoille Canyon is expected to be closed at the Terraces Picnic area starting this Monday, September 19th for much needed road repairs but anglers will be able to access the high mountain lakes on foot. It will add a couple of miles to your hike though. With the cooler weather forecast, there is actually a slight chance of snow at the higher elevations later next week as the night time temperatures drop into the 30’s. Fishing has been good using sub-surface presentations such as small spinners, worms and small crystal buggers and leech patterns. Trout are still hitting dry flies, but that may slow a bit with the colder weather. 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 smaller darker dry flies. 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.

The road into Lamoille Canyon is expected to be closed at the Terraces Picnic area starting this Monday, September 19th, but anglers will be able to access the upper part of the canyon on foot. Stream flows in eastern Nevada have picked up just a bit, but fishing is still difficult in most of them with very low flows. 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. Lamoille Creek is flowing at half 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. That being said, some of the larger pools near Wildhorse Crossing Campground have produced 12 to 15-inch wild rainbows using dry flies. As of September 16, the East Fork of the Owyhee was flowing at 4.5 cfs, the Bruneau River up a bit at 5.13 cfs, the Jarbidge at 4.1 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 23.7 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 4.3 cfs, the South Fork of the Humboldt at 9 cfs, Cleve Creek at 3.54 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 1.74 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, beaver ponds and springs. Even in these locations the fishing is slow as the water is still very warm.

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

"With waterfowl hunting seasons approaching, we encourage hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to take proper precautions to keep themselves and their pets safe"

The Friends of the Ruby Mountains had a great summer season. They put on 11 events this summer and will finish up the season Saturday with a s…

The weather forecast is finally calling for cooler weather with daytime highs in the 80s this weekend and down into the 70s by midweek. Overni…

Transplants of these tough, exotic birds have been attempted elsewhere in the United States with no success. Only here in the Ruby Mountains do they thrive, apparently due to this harsh terrain.

The recent series of thunderstorms moving through eastern Nevada have brought much needed moisture to area streams and reservoirs. While they …

A special hike is being offered for beginning hikers, for people who want to get out for their first hike, or those who have taken a few hikes.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.