FISH

Nevada game wardens are seeking any tips or information on a poached bull elk found on the south side of the Meadow Creek-Jarbidge road in Hunt Unit 071, 10 miles west of the Diamond A Ranch in northern Elko County.

“The bull was shot through the heart and left to rot only 50 yards from Forest Road 071,” said Jason Jackson, game warden for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “We really want to catch the criminal that stole Nevada’s resources by poaching and wasting this animal.”

Usually if you were offered the chance at hunting a premier big game species anywhere in Nevada, you would think that’s a pretty good deal. With the Silver State Tag, however, that’s just the beginning.

The Silver State Tag already allows hunters the opportunity to hunt one of four big game species (mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, Nelson (desert) bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope) anywhere in the state, but this year the winner could also walk away with thousands of dollars’ worth of hunting gear and services.

Following the lowest snowpack ever recorded and with no end to the drought in sight, California Gov. Jerry Brown announced actions on Wednesday he says will save water, increase enforcement to stop wasteful water use, streamline the state's drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California this first week of April, 2015. Opening Day for California fishing is April 25.

Elaine and I just returned from a fishing trip to Pyramid Lake where we had a very weird experience.
When we fish at Pyramid, we like to stand in the water in our chest waders and spincast with various colored lures, while trying to catch one of its monster-sized Lahontan Cutthroat Trout.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife named Jennifer Newmark as Wildlife Diversity Division Administrator. The position oversees the division responsible for Nevada’s diverse wildlife heritage through the protection, management and restoration of non-game species.

Newmark has almost 16 years of experience in increasingly responsible roles working with Nevada’s wildlife. In her most recent position, Jennifer served as the Administrator of the Nevada Natural Heritage Program, an independent state agency within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Elaine and I just returned from a mini vacation in Lone Pine, California, where we spent three days and two nights, having fun goofing off. The original purpose of our trip was to fish for trout in its nearby Diaz Lake, however those plans were reluctantly cancelled due to high winds.

Hello fellow anglers, we shot past spring and are now starting summer. This weekend we will be in the 70 degree temps for all surrounding areas. But do not let mother nature fool you, our weather can and will change dramatically this time of year.

So far as I have been keeping a journal, there has always been snow or a heavy frost on the ground on the last Saturday in April, otherwise known as opening day fishing season in California.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of March 25, 2015 and beyond.

Congressman Mark Amodei will hold an agriculture town hall meeting in Carson City on Wednesday, April 1, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the second floor chambers of the Paul Laxalt State Building at 401 N. Carson Street.

“Nevada’s agriculture industry is strong, but our hard-working producers and ranchers face unique challenges. This forum is an opportunity for them to continue to voice their concerns to me and my staff, as well as state and federal agencies," said Amodei, Nevada's second congressional district representative.

Jim Rackley of Winnemucca, Nev. has won the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioner’s 2014 Wayne E. Kirch Conservation award. Rackley’s commitment to Nevada’s wildlife resources was recognized during the March 20, 2015 Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioner’s meeting in Reno, Nevada, where he received the award.

Rackley was nominated for the award by Nevada Muleys a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the conservation of mule deer and their habitats in Nevada. According to the nomination, in 2014 Rackley had a “very impressive record of time and commitment to Nevada’s wildlife.”

People think of elephants, tigers and sharks as a bellwether for how the environment is doing, but monster fish, two dozen species of large freshwater fish weighing more than 200 pounds, are an alarming indicator of the health of aquatic ecosystems around the world.

“These big fish are in a steep decline,” Zeb Hogan, conservation biologist and researcher in the University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Science, said. “The disappearance of aquatic animals is a freshwater extinction crisis.”

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of March 18, 2015 and beyond.

This is my annual reminder that if you are a trout fisherman and are new to our area, you may not be aware that some of our best Lahontan Cutthroat Trout fishing is at Pyramid Lake in the month of March.
Pyramid Lake, which is roughly the same surface size as Lake Tahoe, is about 30 miles north of Reno-Sparks, and it contains Lahontan Cutthroat Trout that can weigh more than 20 pounds.

Hello fellow anglers, spring has sprang in our local area. With our temperatures this weekend to reach into the 70 degree range, we are all getting the fishing bug. Renee and I set out on another fishing adventure through Alpine County last weekend. This report will reflect on our adventures.

SILVER LAKE:
The lake is completely thawed out, and many anglers have been fishing along the shore. The Kit Carson Resort is scheduled to open mid April this year. Anglers have been using Kastmaster lures and power bait. A few fish were caught in the 8 to 13 inch range.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of March 11, 2015 and beyond.

Friends in Service Helping, also known as FISH, is launching a new community project to renovate and improve the façade of its thrift store on North Carson Street in Carson City. The human services nonprofit invites residents and local organizations with construction experience to participate in the project by volunteering their skills and materials to renovate their store front on Carson Street.

This week, hosts Edwin Lyngar and Teresa Malloy sit down with Nevada Department of Wildlife Fisheries Division Administrator Jon Sjoberg to discuss the Devils Hole Pupfish.
This unique fish lives in only one place on earth and is extremely endangered, and NDOW has a unique perspective and responsibility to save this fish from extinction.


The Nevada Department of Wildlife Fisheries Division has released a proposed plan to restore the sport fisheries in Comins and Bassett Lakes near Ely in White Pine County by removing northern pike. The plan is available for public comment for 30 days beginning March 5, 2015.

Until the mid-2000s Comins Lake was a premier sport fishery for rainbow and brown trout, supporting up to 35,000 angler days per year. The illegal introduction of northern pike in the early 2000s decimated the trout fishery and angler use is now less than 2,000 days per year.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of March 4 and beyond.

Nevada Department of Wildlife game wardens are seeking the public’s assistance with the poaching of a mule deer doe on Broken Arrow Lane in Pleasant Valley, just east of Spring Creek at the base of the Ruby Mountains.

The poaching occurred on Feb. 20, 2015 at approximately 4 p.m. Two males were observed loading a mule deer doe, that had been shot in a residential yard, into a bright or electric blue late model Dodge pickup truck.

Hello fellow anglers, someone asked me the other day, when does fishing season open? I told him, I fish all year around. The rivers and streams in Alpine County are closed until April 25, 2015, but the lakes are open all year. As for ice fishing, that has come to a close for this year.

Due to our unusually strange winter, the higher lakes have started to thaw out. I talked with John Voss from Caples Lake last week. John said he has not seen such an early thaw in 40 years.

Here is the latest fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Feb. 25, 2015 and beyond.

During summer of 2014, a gentleman was jogging on Windmill Road in Fish Springs when he suffered sudden cardiac arrest. The gentlemen, who had no previous history of heart problems, collapsed in view of a bicyclist. The bicyclist was a nurse and immediately went to the jogger and provided CPR while flagging down two passing gentlemen who called 9-1-1.

By the time 9-1-1 was called, the three bystanders were cycling through CPR to pump blood through the jogger’s body until additional help could arrive to try to restart the heart.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Feb. 18, 2015 and beyond.

Hello fellow anglers, the fishing report this week will be a little different. I have not had the opportunity to fish myself for a few weeks and the reports that I have received are not that encouraging. I will give you what reports I have and give you personal tips on other waters. I will tell you one thing though. I will be fishing this weekend somewhere to rid myself of fishing withdrawals.

LAKE TAHOE:
This time of year is usually the best time to fish for bigger mackinaw at Lake Tahoe.

More than 130 Scouts and adult leaders participated in the 2015 Pinenut District Klondike Derby at Sugar Pine Point State Park at South Lake Tahoe on January 23-24. 

The weather was beautiful, chilly and not enough snow. Scouts completed in events that tested their outdoor skills. This included shelter building, fire building, knot tying, First Aid, signaling and even entertainment. Each Scout patrol brought its sled containing essential equipment needed for the competition.

This is an annual reminder for fishing in nearby waters: Saturday, February 14 is the opening day of the 2015 fishing seasons for the following waters in Lyon County:

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Feb. 11, 2015 and beyond.

When federal employees get together for training and meetings, fancy lunches aren’t on the menu anymore. In fact, food of any kind — tuna fish sandwiches, green salad, oatmeal cookies — can no longer be served by the government. Even coffee ......