Don Q's Nevada and Northern California fishing report for August 5 and beyond

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Aug. 5, 2015 and beyond. As of Aug 4, Nevada Department of Wildlife fishing reports for Western Nevada waters are not included as their most current reports are dated June 4.

ANGEL LAKE, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Fishing continues to be good here for both bait and fly anglers alike as the Gallagher Hatchery has stocked several thousand 10 inch tiger trout.
For bait anglers, worms seem to do a bit better than Power Bait on Angel Lake trout. Fish them about four feet under a bobber. During the heat of the day, use a slip sinker and fish from the bottom with either an inflated worm or Power Bait, both of which will float up from the bottom.
Small spinners work well, and the tiger trout will also take very small minnow imitation lures.
A fly selection should include small wooly and crystal buggers, prince nymphs, PT nymphs, soft hackle nymphs, hares ears and just about anything with peacock herl in it. They are also hitting dry flies such as Adams, PMD’s, Griffith’s gnats, elk hair caddis, red or yellow humpy’s, yellow stimulators and small ant, beetle and hopper patterns.

BISHOP CREEK AREA, CALIF:
Rick and Patti Apted - Lake Sabrina Boat Landing (760-873-7425) (www.lakesabrinaboatlanding.com) reports:
Lake Sabrina Boat Landing as of July 27, 2015: Catching is still iffy, some fishermen doing great others not so great. The fish seem to have gone deep. Fish the Inlets with Power Bait, Nightcrawlers or Jigs (like a Sierra Slammer).
Troll deep with Lures with a bit of red on them (like the Red and Gold Thomas Buoyant) or Flashers (like a Dave Davis) and a Nightcrawler. Fish from shore with Power Bait, Nightcrawlers or just toss a Lure.
We got fish on Wednesday from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Don’t forget FREE Fishing Day on Saturday, September 5.
Had another Desert Spring Trout Farm fish come out – Matthew Kanamori landed a nice 5 pounder on Rainbow Power Bait while the rest of the family brought home limits with Nightcrawlers.
Steve Aytayan caught a respectable 3-3/4 pounder using Salmon Egg Power Bait. Nick Lawrence used a Sierra Slammer Jig to bring in a 3-1/4 pounder. Limits were nabbed by Robert & Ryan Robar using PowerBait and Garlic Salmon Eggs.

BISHOP CREEK AREA, CALIF:
Jared Smith - Parchers Resort (760-873-4177) (sierrasmitty@cebridge.net):
Parchers Resort: Fish and Trail Report as of August 2: The weather all summer has been consistently inconsistent and this week was no exception. Bluebird sunny days followed by intense t-storm and heavy rain kept everyone on their toes.
The welcome precipitation certainly didn’t hurt our feelings as the much-needed water is truly a blessing, but those caught out in the backcountry were a bit less enthusiastic about the unsettled weather.
The wildflowers just keep on keepin’ on thanks to the rain, with both the quantity and array of flowers far better than what we’re used to seeing after the past few dry years.
The higher reaches of the Bishop Creek So. Fork (like behind Parchers Resort or between the resort and Willow Campground) and the area above the North Lake campground are the hot spots.
The number of thru hikers visiting the area is very impressive, clearly a sharp increase in traffic over last year.
The backcountry conditions are excellent although the skeeters are still hanging around, no doubt due to the continued dampness we’re seeing.

Bishop Creek So. Fork
: Mixed reports this week, but following a stocking mid week, the majority of anglers were able to find some nice Rainbow Trout to 13” in the creek.
Flows are still holding strong, which is great to see and we’re hoping it continues right on through summer.
It’s important for folks working the stream to avoid spending too much time in one spot. The fish are a bit spread out so those who are having the best success are those willing to bounce from pool to pool picking off one fish here and one fish there to fill a limit. Single salmon eggs, nightcrawlers, and crickets were the hot baits.
Panther Martin spinners and grasshopper jigs were the best lures.

Weir Pond
: Morning, midday and evening hatches have the Browns and Brookies going crazy on the surface right now. Fishing dries or beadhead nymphs has been extremely productive.
Pan sized Rainbows are also being caught but tend to fall for streamers like Wooly Buggers or, for the spin guys, jigs and trout worms.

North Lake: 
Steady bite on pan sized Rainbows from a float tube or from shore.
Try red/gold Thomas Buoyants, grasshopper jigs, olive wooly buggers and pink/white Micetails. Dough baits like Chunky Cheese or Salmon Peach also reported to be working.

Intake II
: Despite heavy fishing pressure, a lot of folks did very well at Intake this week.
Salmon eggs, inflated crawlers and Rainbow Power bait were all said to be working well. Not many lure reports this week.

Lake Sabrina
: Very good to excellent reports from our guests this week provided you can get to the main inlet or have a boat to troll from.
Grasshopper Sierra Slammer jigs with a flo. Orange trout worm trailer, pearl jigs, Thomas Buoyant in the RT pattern, and inflated crawers were best.

South Lake
: No reports this week.

Backcountry Fishing: 

A little thin in reports this week but the few we did get were excellent on smaller model Brookies and Rainbows using fly/bubble rigs with small nymphs and dries. Bright trout worms and jigs are also working.


BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, CALIF: 
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
August 02, 2015 
We've still been getting some good reports from the reservoir from anglers fishing from boats. The trolling has slowed down a bit but the bait fishing is still hanging in there pretty good with lots of fish being caught up to around 3 to 4 pounds. Mice tails, pinched crawlers, inflated crawlers and power bait are all doing well.              

BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Bridgeport Reservoir & the East Walker River have been punished by the drought. Levels are very low in both locations; with tepid water. Cooler weather will help bring the fish back on the bite later this summer into fall.

CAVE LAKE, WHITE PINE COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Little or no change here as fishing continues to be good for fish in the 9 to 12 inch range.
The usual small spinners, PowerBait and worms should all work.
Fly rodders should be using hare’s ears, PT, prince, copper Johns, zug bugs and small wooly and crystal buggers.
On warm afternoons when the midges are hatching Griffith’s gnats, Adams, elk hair caddis and other popular dry flies in sizes 12 to 18 are worth a try.

CONVICT LAKE AND CONVICT CREEK, CALIF:
Convict Lake Resort (800-992-2260) (www.convictlake.com) reports: The dog days of summer are here but we still had some quality fish caught this week. Go Deep.
Catch of the Week:  Julian Sanchez from Murrieta, CA with a stout 8 pound 2 ounce Rainbow. He was using Nightcrawlers and was fishing at the North Shore. Great job Julian!  
Other notable catches this week: Ashley and Michael Baldwin from Huntington Beach, CA landed a fat 7 pound 8 ounce Rainbow using a Nightcrawler. 
Dave Schultz from Carson, CA landed a 7 pound 7 ounce Rainbow while fishing at the Inlet. Dave was using an Nightcrawler. 
The Fimbres Foundation from La Harbra, CA had a good day fishing with an old favorite, Marshmallows. They filled up their stringer while fishing near Hangman's Tree. 
Tactics/Bait: In the creek, Salmon Eggs and small spinners are your best bet.
In the lake, fish with Inflated Nightcrawlers and spoon lures like a Thomas Buoyants. For trolling try Bikini Pearl, Rainbow or Red Dot Frog Needlefish.
The top Power bait colors this week were green and yellow.
There wasn't really any one top spot on the lake this week.
Try the usual locations: Inlet, Jetty area, North Shore, South Shore, the Outlet and Hangman's Tree.
Anglers on boats were having more luck when compared to the shore.
Here is a list of other baits/lures that can be productive:  
Sierra Slammers, Tasmanian Devil, Green or brown Marvel Flies , Trout Teasers, Panther Martin, Needlefish, Roostertails, and Bite-On Fury Shad on Power bait. I would suggest using some type of added attractant. Pro-Cure, Bite-On, Lip Ripperz and Berkley all make excellent attractants, which are sold at the general store.
Here is a list of recommended flies:  
Dry Flies: Adams, Female Adams, Cutter's Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, Black/Red Ants, Sierra Bright Dot, Royal Coachman and Hoppers.  
Streamers: Wooly Bugger (black, brown, olive, or green), Mutuka (black, brown, olive, or green), Hornberg, and Muddler Minnows. 
Wet Flies (Nymphs): Prince Nymph, Flashback Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear, Zebra Midge (red and black), Copper John (red and copper) and San Juan Worm (brown or red).
Other Resources: View our Convict Lake Fishing Map and Fishing Rig Suggestion brochures.
Both brochures are available in the General Store.
Derby News: The Ambush at the Lake Fishing Derby will start on September 7th. It will runs until November 15th.
Don't miss out on a chance to win $6,000 in Resort Prizes!
The Morrison Bonus Cash Weekend will be October 31st - November 1st. $2000 in cash prizes!
Weather: The forecast is partly cloudy with a few thunderstorm lingering during the beginning of the week. The high temps next week will be in the mid-70's and the lows in the low-50's. Here is the National Weather Service link that is usually quite accurate: 7-Day Forecast Convict Lake.
Sunrise - Sunset: Sunrise this week 5:59am - 6:04am and Sunset 7:58pm - 7:51pm.
Stocking: DFW is scheduled to stock the creek and lake the week of August 2. 

CROWLEY LAKE, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
We have been very fortunate in the Sierra to have Crowley Lake.
This large, manmade reservoir has much higher water levels than others.
Fishing here has been very good overall, with some of the largest cutthroat I have ever seen coming to net.
The bite slowed down towards the month's end; but I believe it will pick up again once the weather changes.
We saw a fantastic July here; with most of our guide trips being conducted on Crowley. We have been primarily still water nymphing; however the Sacramento Perch fry are now present along shorelines, and deep weed beds setting the stage for streamer fishing this fall as the fry grow larger.
The water levels are beginning to drop slowly here for the first time this summer.
Water clarity remains good, with very little blue algae present.
The aquatic weed beds are thick and have grown out to 16 feet in many areas.
August brings regulation changes to Crowley.
Bait fishing, & barbed hooks are no longer permitted.
The limit is reduced to 2 fish, minimum 18 inches.
Another new change to Crowley in 2015, the gate to the Fish Camp will now open at 7am beginning 8/3/15. This late opening change has historically been after Labor Day in September. 

DAVIS LAKE, CALIF:
Don Rotsma of Fly Fish With Don (775-722-8418) (www.flyfishwithdon.comn):
Danger, Danger, Danger!!!
Most lakes are too warm and the fish are on a delicate balance.
Please don't fish if the water temp is over 70 degrees.
Davis and Frenchmans are both very warm and low right now.
There are some lakes and streams that can handle the pressure, but do some research and protect our fishing for next year.

FRENCHMAN RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Don Rotsma of Fly Fish With Don (775-722-8418) (www.flyfishwithdon.comn):
Danger, Danger, Danger!!!
Most lakes are too warm and the fish are on a delicate balance.
Please don't fish if the water temp is over 70 degrees.
Davis and Frenchmans are both very warm and low right now.
There are some lakes and streams that can handle the pressure, but do some research and protect our fishing for next year.

HOT CREEK, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Hot Creek has been tough as well. Low water flows have the aquatic weeds protruding above the surface in much of the public section making for challenging presentation situations. Caddis, hoppers, small mayflies best.

ILLIPAH RESERVOIR, WHITE PINE COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Fishing continues to be fair as the water levels are slowly getting better.
Fish near the inflow of the creek and fish early in the morning.
Also, fishing up the creek a ways should be productive.
Fly rodders should be using wooly, crystal and seal buggers, hares ears, PT nymphs, hares ears and copper Johns. If fishing the creek, try small yellow stimulators, elk hair caddis and hopper patterns.

JAKE'S/BOIES RESERVOIR, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Jakes Creek has been fishing fair for 9 to 14 inch trout.
Surface water temps have climbed back into the 70’s, though the water level has dropped due to irrigation, just like it does every year.
Weed growth is thick and anglers with small boats or float tubes have the best chance, by getting out past the weeds and fishing back into them.
The usual assortment of wooly buggers, hares ears, copper Johns and PT nymphs should all work.
Power Bait, worms and small spinners should be used by spin fishermen.
Soft plastic baits and small minnow imitation lures are working well for bass.

JIGGS/ZUNINO RESERVOIR, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Construction on the reservoir is complete and the low pool area even held some water after the rains earlier in the summer. Pray for snow next winter to fill it and if this happens then NDOW will stock it with trout, largemouth bass and bluegill in the spring of 2016. It all depends on Mother Nature.

KIRMAN LAKE, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports: 
August 02, 2015 
We haven't had any news from Kirman this week, hopefully we'll get some reports and get them to you as soon as we can!          

MAMMOTH LAKES BASIN, CALIF:
Kent Rianda of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:  
George Lake - Mary Lake – Mamie Lake – Twin Lakes:  
Water conditions:
Clear and Cool. Temps in the low 60's mid-day.
Fishing conditions:
Definitely better in the AM. Not so great mid-day. Fish are deep mid-day. Definitely need a float tube or a boat to get to the best fishing.
Seeing some fish rising early and late.
Try a stimulator or a hopper with a nymph below.
Upper Twin is choked with weeds right now.

OREGON PACIFIC OCEAN AND BEACHES, ORE:
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (800-720-ODWF) (www.dfw.state.or.us.com) reports:
The ocean is open for harvest of Dungeness crab.
Crabbing has been good outside of Coos Bay and Winchester Bay.
Recreational ocean salmon season from Cape Falcon to Humbug Mt. is open for Chinook salmon and fin-clipped coho.
The bag limit is two salmon per day, and a minimum size for Chinook salmon at 24 inches or larger and a minimum size for coho salmon at 16 inches or larger. Fishing for chinook from Bandon to Winchester Bay has been slow. Fishing for coho has been decent but only about a third of the coho caught were fin-clipped.
As of July 19, there is still 85 percent of the fin-clipped coho quota remaining.
Tuna fishing over the weekend along the south coast was spotty. Some boats did very well on tuna but many others came in with single digit catches. Some fish are being caught within 15 miles but most fish caught were 20-30 miles off shore.
The nearshore halibut season opened on July 1. The fishery is open 7 days per week inside the 40-fathom line. Anglers were catching a few halibut near Bandon inside 40-fathoms this past weekend. As of July 19, 83 percent of the nearshore halibut quota remains.
Fishing for bottom fish is restricted to inside the 30 fathom curve.
Fishing for black rockfish continues to be very good from Charleston to Bandon.
Fishing for lingcod has slowed down inside 30-fathoms.
The marine fish daily bag limit is seven fish and a separate daily limit for lingcod (two). Anglers can only keep 3 blue rockfish and 1 canary rockfish as part of their daily limit and there will be no harvest of China, quillback, or copper rockfish.
Retention of cabezon is now allowed at 1 fish per day and at least 16-inches long.
To help anglers identify common species and comply with the regulations, ODFW has produced several sheets of ID Tips for blue vs. black rockfish and for China, copper and quillback rockfish, as well as a handout titled “What Can I Keep, and How Many?”

OWENS RIVER, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
We sadly suspended drift boat trips on the Owens River around Bishop in July.
Extremely low flows, & high water temps made for poor fishing conditions.
Flows are beginning to come up as I write this, & will continue to increase through August, into early fall.
September should be better depending on how much water is released.
The LADWP regulates/manages the water here.
Above my pay grade to say how high the flows will go; but my guess is they will get at least three, or four times higher than is current: 100 CFS now, up to 400 CFS in the not too distant future.
The wild trout section has been slow as well due to warm/low water.
Flow increases above 250 CFS make wading difficult.

PAHRANAGAT WILDLIFE REFUGE, LINCOLN COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Anglers are finding some success at the upper marsh for panfish and catfish.
Mealworms or night crawlers below a bobber will catch fish.

PLEASANT VALLEY RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Pleasant Valley Reservoir is rising quickly after a prolonged period of very low water levels. This low water actually eliminated much of the aquatic weed that had choked the transition area around the inlet.
Hydro electric power generation will occur as water is pulled from Crowley, so timing here is crucial to fish the small river section and the inlet.
PVR can be a very lucrative place to fish under the right conditions.
Hit it during the cooler parts of the day as August rolls on.

PYRAMID LAKE, WASHOE COUNTY, NEV:
Closed

RUBY LAKE NWR, WHITE PINE, COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Starting Saturday, August 1, boats with up to 10 hp motors will be allowed on the refuge in the south lake. It is easy to launch a boat at the main ramp, but stay away from the Narciss boat launch.
Surface water temps at the boat ramp are in the 70’s.
Dark colored soft plastic baits with some sparkle or a contrasting colored tail, fished weedless should work for the bass in the south lake.
Fishing is fair to good for bass and slow for trout.
On the good days, experienced anglers are catching one keeper bass for every three fish caught.
Fishing in the collection ditch is slow for trout.
No word on what flies or lures are working. Damselfly nymphs, dragonfly nymphs, hares ears and copper Johns should all be productive.
Anglers should also try hares ears, PT’s, and Mayfly dries.
For spin fishermen the usual assortment of small spinners and minnow type lures are all effective here.
The ditch is artificial lures and flies only and wading is not allowed in the ditch.
To accommodate hunters and anglers, the Refuge is now open two hours before sunrise and two hours after sunset.
The refuge is also working on re-painting and adding reflective tape to the markers in the main channel. Once the work is done, the markers will be numbered and the refuge will provide GPS locations of each marker.

SACRAMENTO RIVER (LOWER), CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
King Salmon:
August 3, 2015 King Salmon fishing on the Sacramento River. 
The salmon fishing is pick up. 
Today was good, picking up 3 to 6 fish per boat.  More salmon on the way.
The Balls Ferry area opened today, August 1. We are fishing every day. 
The salmon will continue to make their way up river, numbers of fish coming up will increase.  Bouncy roe and back trolling Flatfish lures is way to go to bring in to big guys.

SACRAMENTO RIVER (LOWER), CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
As of August 3, 2015 water flow is currently 7,200 CFS and steady.
Lower Sacramento River fishing report - Lower Sacramento River Rainbow trout fishing has been great this week and over the weekend. 
Water is clear and low. 
Mornings and afternoon trips have been great. 
We are fishing from Bonneyview Bridge to Jellys Ferry Bridge is excellent.  
In early morning, fish are being caught in the shallow choppy waters around the Redding area, and middle of the day fish are moving into the deeper water. 
The largest fish have been caught the last few days in the Bonneyview area.
Working great is egg pattern, Cinnamon Pupa , and  PMD’s.  Dry flies late afternoon, last hour.  
We are spin fishing and fly fishing.

SAN JOAQUIN RIVER, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
The San Joaquin River has been good through much of July.
It is currently falling prey to low water levels making the fish move out of the productive riffle and pocket water, & into the deeper pools.
It is still fishable if you work to locate the deeper sections.
Use attractor dry flies, caddis, or mayfly adult imitations.

SHASTA LAKE, CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
August 1, 2015  Shasta Lake guided fishing-
Northern California fishing Lake Shasta. 
Offer daily guided fishing on Lake Shasta.
For Shasta Lake fishing, We are catching Rainbow Trout and King salmon, trolling Shasta Lake main body, Rainbow trout fishing is excellent !
Limits of fish daily. We are fishing 35 to 100 ft deep depending on the time of the day.  Early morning fish are ranging from 35 to 50 ft deep, Mid day 80 to 100 ft deep using triple teasers and rolling shad. 
Wow great days on the lake right now.

SMITH RIVER, OREGON:
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (800-720-ODWF) (www.dfw.state.or.us.com) reports:
Smith River, including all tributaries, is closed to fishing for trout, steelhead, salmon and sturgeon from 2 p.m. until an hour before sunrise except in tidewater. As of May 23, retention of adipose fin-clipped steelhead is allowed in the Smith River mainstem from the mouth upstream to Spencer Creek and in the North Fork of the Smith River from the mouth upstream to Johnson Creek.
The use of bait is allowed in tidewaters.
Trout fishing on the Smith River and tributaries also opened on May 23, and anglers should pay close attention to catch and release, harvest, and artificial fly use deadlines outlined in the regulation manual.
Sturgeon fishing is catch-and-release only

SOUTH FORK RESERVOIR, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Surface water temperatures are the low 70’s and the weeds and algae are thick.
Trout fishing is slow to fair and bass fishing is fair to good depending upon the day. Lots of algae and the weed beds at the south end of the lake are thick. Best luck for both trout and bass has been early in the morning or late in the evening.
Boaters should fish their presentations down at least 15 feet deep for trout.
Shore anglers should look for shorelines that drop off quickly so they can get their presentation to deeper water.
Fly rodders have been having luck with smaller flies such as hares ears, prince nymphs, black micro leeches and copper Johns in sizes 14 to 18 fished about 12 to 15 feet below an indicator. Wooly, seal and crystal buggers on a full sink line are also catching trout and bass, but mostly in the early morning.
There is a damselfly hatch going on, so damselfly nymphs and adults should provide some action, though for trout you need to fish early in the morning.
Bass have been caught along the dam using top water gear. At the south end, look for holes in the vegetation and fish soft plastics hooked weedless. Dark soft plastic baits in motor oil, guacamole, root beer and dark purple with some sparkles in them have been working early and late.

LAKE TAHOE:
A continuing report of limits of average sized Mackinaw Trout being caught on silver flasher blades and minnows, trolled at depths of 100-300 feet on the west side of the lake near Homewood, California.

TRUCKEE RIVER, CALIF & NEV:
Mountain Hardware and Sports of Truckee (530-587-4844) (mountainhardwareandsports@gmail.com) reports: 
Don't Fish and Don't Ask If you have any idea of what is going on!   
I would highly recommend looking for other water to fish at this time and I would NOT fish the Truckee for the rest of the summer and fall if you have any Ethics!  YES, THAT IS CORRECT, DON'T FISH THIS RIVER IF YOU HAVE ANY ETHICS AND with the DFW and States stance on the Truckee that it can run dry and it still will not fall under closure regulations.

TRUCKEE RIVER, LITTLE, CALIF:
Mountain Hardware and Sports of Truckee (530-587-4844) (mountainhardwareandsports@gmail.com) reports:
Don't fish.

TWIN LAKES, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
August 02, 2015  
The Twins are still producing some really nice fish, up to around 5 or 6 pounds.
The trolling is best done deep, around 6 to 8 colors of lead core or 30 to 40 feet with down riggers.
Needlefish, Rapalas and Thomas Bouyants are all doing well.
Bait anglers are catching fish from shore and boats with mice tails, powerbait and inflated crawlers.
Fly anglers are doing best with sinking lines stripping leech patterns and streamers like simi seal leeches, mini leeches, matukas and seal buggers with soft hackle and zug bug droppers.              

VIRGINIA LAKES, CALIF:  
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
August 02, 2015  
The Virginias were a little of a rollercoaster this week with a few days early on that were pretty tough but later in the week things livened up with good action and some fish up to around 9 pounds coming in!
Bait anglers did well with mice tails and inflated crawlers, lure anglers had success with Thomas Bouyants and Kastmasters. Fly anglers were using beetles and ants on top and buggers, matukas and leeches sub surface. 
We have had some random thunderstorms the last few days with some spotty flash flooding. This can cause some sections of the East Walker and West Walker to muddy up for a day or two. This can change daily depending on what the weather is doing and can make the fishing difficult in sections that are affected. Keep this in mind when hitting the river(s) and try to have a back-up plan if the water is too muddy!

VIRGINIA LAKES, CALIF:
John and Carolyn Webb of the Virginia Lakes Resort (760-647-6484) (vir@qnet.com) report: Fishing was fair to good with the cooler air until the heat arrived, but changed with the water temperature. DFW planted 300 pounds. It's been basically slow all over the county due to the warmer water temperature but improves when the lakes are stocked. 
Also, Desert Springs stocked on the 30th for the County Trophy Program, so use your best methods and test your skill/ability and adjust to what works best.

BAIT: Slammer mouse-tails tan/red head were number one with inflated crawlers for second and yellow glitter power bait, Garlic Chartreuse glitter, meal worms, grasshoppers and anything natural.

LURES:  The best action was on red/gold Thomas Buoyant's 1/4oz, and Bouyant Silver/blue.  Kastmaster's gold prism silver/blue have been working and small gold Panther Martin's, and black with yellow dots, some success on Mepps size 1 gold, also the redhead gold Super Duper. Always try different lures, you just never know.
FLY AND BUBBLE: The hatches have been prolific with midges and a few bottom larvae. 
Friday was a bit breezy about 6am until around 11am. 
Hatches are continuing to show with  mayflies, caddis flies, moths, blue damsels, and very large black ants.  
FLY RODS: Black or olive bead-head wooly buggers were seeing action, also try Hornberg's either plain or the rainbow version.  A with a dropper (prince nymph, Zug Bug or hare's ear).  Midges:  Try 'em all.

BACKCOUNTRY: Has seen a lot of action this past week using dry flies with a bubble, lures and worms, without a lot of success due to the water temperature at that elevation.  
Please keep only what you can eat, it is a valuable resource.


WALKER LAKE, MINERAL COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
No new updates. No Lahontan cutthroat have been reported or seen at Walker Lakes since 2009.
Launching is not possible right now.

WALKER RIVER, EAST, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
East Walker River August 02, 2015: The East is running at around 37 CFS right now and though there hasn't been much traffic down there lately we have had a couple of encouraging reports.
The cooler weather we've been having the last several days have kept the water temps down to under 70 and the fish are still very healthy.
We had a couple good reports from the "Miracle Mile" section, it sounds like there's some very nice rainbows hanging out in the deeper slots and pools in that section. Not too much news on the browns, sounds like they might be being a bit more shy than the rainbows.
The Nevada side is still producing some nice fish as well.
It's probably best to get out early and only fish until 10 or 11 in the am to give the fish a break as the heat of the day wears on.

WALKER RIVER, EAST, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Bridgeport Reservoir & the East Walker River have been punished by the drought. Levels are very low in both locations; with tepid water. Cooler weather will help bring the fish back on the bite later this summer into fall.

WALKER RIVER, WEST, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
August 02, 2015  
The West is still having very good action with bait like salmon eggs and crawlers. Lure anglers are using Panther Martins and Roostertails. Fly anglers are using dry/dropper rigs with fat alberts, madam x, stimulators and hoppers on top and prince nymphs, hare's ears, copper johns and pheasant tails underneath.
Some fish have been showing up that are in the 7 to 9 pound range.       

WILDHORSE RESERVOIR, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Not many anglers visiting Wildhorse, and those that are, find fishing slow.
Surface water temperatures are in the 70’s.
Grassy shorelines combined with algae and decomposing vegetation doesn’t make the best fishing conditions.
Few if any anglers are making the trip.
The average angler is getting about one fish a day with the average size coming in at about 20 inches.
The limits are back on at Wild Horse Reservoir.
As of Wednesday, July 1, anglers may keep one black bass 15 inches or longer. Make sure you check the current Nevada Fishing Guide for current regulations and limits.

WILLOW CREEK RESERVOIR, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Extremely low water levels with warm water make this reservoir a poor choice for fishing. Not worth the trip.

WILSON RESERVOIR, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Fishing for stocked trout has been fair to good, while fishing for carryover trout (think larger) is slow to fair.
Bass fishing is fair to good, and just like at South Fork early morning or late evening seems to be the best times for both bass and trout. Water condition and levels are good with water temperatures in the low 70’s.
The same presentations and baits that used at South Fork should also work here.
Lake is getting very little visitation so your fishing experience should be good.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com