With summer winding down, and vacation days running short we decided to take yet another off-roading adventure to a place that we have never been: Smith Creek in Lander County.

And being the adventurous types, we decided to take, what I only admitted after our flat tire, could have been one of the most rugged roads that we have been on to this day. So when off-roading, always be prepared!!! Bring plenty of spare tires, lots of ice and of course plenty of frosty cold and canned beverages.

Smith Creek (including inlet and outlet streams in Lander County):
Season is open year around, any hour of the day or night. Limit is 5 trout.

If you have fished Desert Creek in Lyon County… the fishing is very similar. The water is extremely low and sage follows both sides of the banks making it pretty much impossible for casting.

What worked on those 5-8 inch trout: Simple Grasshoppers.

Smith Creek Reservoir
Working our way down the Creek, we were reminded that the Reservoir remains locked with NO FISHING signs clearly posted around the area. It seems that if you want to fish the reservoir, you will need to ask permission from the land owners, Reno Fly Shop or call NDOW for more information.

Ok, there are so many things to talk about since my last post 30 days ago… subjects such as a 27 inch brown caught near Truckee, a Big Horn Sheep that was simply strolling not but a few yards from the pavement off of Highway 50, Smith Creek and Smith Creek Reservoir, Wall Canyon, Deer Scouting and preparing for opening day of Dove Season.

I’ll begin with an update from Wall Canyon Reservoir that came in from Jeff, who just recently took the wife for some Nevada style adventure.

“The wife and I went out to Wall Canyon Reservoir about 3 weeks ago and what a trip. It was 191 miles one way to the dam. We caught rainbows and smallmouth bass and had a great time.

We really went for the crayfish. We set about 4 traps and left them overnight but unfortunately only caught 4 crayfish. I was very disappointed since all I ever heard of Wall Canyon Reservoir was for how big the crayfish were and yet we caught nothing.

Word is that some guys took commercial traps and coolers and caught them all. All in all — we had a great time.”
Thanks Jeff – Carson City

Dove Season Opens September 1
To celebrate, I thought I would share a recipe that we’ve been using for years — enjoy!

DOVE NUGGETS

• 10-14 Dove
• 1 Egg
• 1 Cup Bread Crumbs
• Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Pepper
• Fresh Rosemary
• 3 tblsp. Olive Oil
• 2 tsp. Garlic

Split doves down the back and slice 1/4 inch thin strips from each of the bird’s breast. Add all spice ingredients to the bread crumbs and then whisk the egg in a seperate bowl. Wet the meat in the egg wash and then lightly toss in the breadcrumb mixture. Put pieces to the side.

Add oil and garlic to a large saute pan on the stove. Get the pan really hot and then place the Dove pieces into the oiled pan. Brown on all sides which should take about 5 minutes. Remove and let rest for 3-5 minutes. They taste just like chicken nuggets so feel free to use your favorite condimant’s or dipping sauce or simply eat alone.

Here are a few photos that should get you motivated for Fishing this weekend…
Thanks Paul for these great photographs of the Browns you caught last week!

Fishing Tales from Wayne and Robin in Idaho…
I always enjoy reading his stories and hope that you do as well…

“Hello again from south central Idaho.”

Well we miss pyramid lake but here in this small town of Oakley we are surrounded by mountains with small streams and high moutain lakes you can only get to by horse back or hiking.

Our favorite stream is just 15 minutes to the trail head. This is a wild life management area for about two miles. (Big Cotton wood, BCWMA). THE STREAM IS LOADED WITH NATIVE YELLOW STONE CUTTHROAT TROUT.

Robin and I spent a night about 4 miles up surrouned by beaver ponds. This stream has plenty of caddis, mayfly and stone fly. The grass hoppers are coming on strong. The trout seem to like the smaller nymph patterns in size 16 and 18. Most fish are in the 10 to 12 inch range, but often we catch them in the 14 to 16 inch range (there are bigger ones). These fish fight hard. We use 7 and a half FT. 4 wt rods that add to the excitement.

BIG Cottonwood canyon has Elk, big horn sheep, couger, rattlesnake, wild turkey, chuker ect……The trout limit is two fish and suggested single barbless hook (good idea).

By the way, we had trout for supper and breakfast. We added currant berries and butter to the fish, very good — you should try it. — Wayne and Robin, Idaho

The Nevada Department of Wildlife is sponsoring a FREE Family Fishing Clinic on Thursday, July 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This clinic is designed for children and is limited to the first 20 who enroll.

SIGNUP TODAY: 688-1559

After you sign up for some family fun, be sure to check out all of the other Fishing Clinics coming up: Fishing Carp, Fly Fishing Still Water, Fly Fishing Moving Water and much more…

More Information
Family fishing clinic is geared for entry level anglers. We will demonstrate basic hook and line setup.

WHEN:
Thursday July 12, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Marilyn’s Pond, 18350 Mount Rose Highway

SIGN-UPS:
Registration is required. For more information call the Department of Wildlife at 688-1559.

BRING:
You will need your own fishing rod. If you do not have a fishing rod NDOW can provide one. The spinning rods are limited to the first requests. Children twelve and older are required to have a license.

SIGNUP TODAY: 688-1559

We went fishing at South Fork Reservoir for the first time this weekend and within 15 minutes of trolling a Kastmaster …my fiance’s pole bent over and caught this beautiful 6.5 pound rainbow.

– Randy H.

I completely forgot to tell you how great the Fly Fishing Class was for the girls a few months back. The class was taught by Richard Dickerson, a local Nevadan, who wrote and published a book called NEVADA Angler’s Guide — Fish Tails in The Sagebrush. It was a great class taught by an even better instructor.

So if you missed out on that class, which you had to pay for by the way… be sure to take advantage of the next Fly Fishing Class offered by the Nevada Department of Wildife. It’s a three day FREE… yes, I said FREE class that takes place in the beautiful city of Verdi.

CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION (775) 688-1559

NDOW sponsors Introduction to Fly Fishing Clinic
The Nevada Department of Wildlife is sponsoring a FREE three-day Introduction to Fly Fishing clinic, starting on Friday, July 6, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and continuing Saturday July 7, and Sunday, July 8, from 8:00 a.m. to noon each day. This clinic is designed for entry level anglers and is limited to the first 20 who enroll. Participants must attend all three days of this clinic.

WHAT: Class is geared for entry level fly anglers. We will demonstrate techniques for fishing moving water and still water.

WHEN:

• Friday July 6, 2007, starting at 6:00 p.m. and ending at 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday July 7, 2007, starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending at noon.
• Sunday July 8, 2007, starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending at noon.

WHERE: Verdi at the Verdi Community Library and Wildlife Education Center,
270 Bridge Street. (Building is adjacent to the Verdi Elementary School grounds.)

SIGN-UPS: Pre-registration is required. For more information call the Department of Wildlife at (775) 688-1559.

AGES: Minimum 10 years of age.

BRING: Participants are requested to provide their own tackle. A limited number of rods are available for use by those who do not have their own fishing equipment. Note: A fishing license is required for those 12 years of age and older.

J.R., Thanks so much for the Fishing Report out of Wildhorse this last week!

“I fished Wildhorse north of Elko on 6/15/07. Caught my first Tiger Trout and several nice Rainbows including a 20″ fatty!!! Also got a bucket full of White Bass and several perch.”

“I was fishing from shore with gold Kastmaster and white mini jigs.” — J.R.D

I met with Nevada Department of Wildlife’s Marketing Coordinator last week to talk about how Fish The West could partner with NDOW in helping to increase the visibility into what a great state Nevada is for its Fishing.

Of course, we said we would do anything we could to help spread the word… So, periodically FTW will begin to post angling press releases and angling information direct from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

HOW TO FISH IN NEVADA

Something that every angler should have in his or her library is the FREE How to Fish in Nevada – An Experts Guide to Fishing in the Silver State Guide. This is one of the best all encompassing FREE Guides developed by the Nevada Department of Wildlife’s Team of biologists and angler experts.

The content covers everything from:

• Basic fishing knots with renderings
• Stillwater angling techniques
• Fishing by boat techniques
• Fishing from shore techniques
• Flowing water techniques
• Equipment
• Flies that work
• Bait that works
• Carp
• Catfish
• Bass
• Tilapia
• Trout
• Walleye
• Yellow Perch
• Sunfish

Support NEVADA and purchase a Nevada Fishing License Today! Pick up your FREE Guide at the Nevada Deaprtment of Wildlife’s offices or call (775) 688-1500 for more information.

The Sparks Marina is the place to go this Saturday… Why, you ask?

Well, it’s FREE FISHING ALL DAY FOR KIDS!

Saturday, June 9
Sparks Marina, Reno

When: Saturday June 9, starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m. Lunch, drinks and coffee in the morning will be provided.

Where: Sparks Marina, South Shore 300 Howard Drive, Please call (775) 353-2385 for more information.

Signups: Register at Sparks Marina on the day of the event.

Ages: Children of all ages. Parent or guardian must accompany all children.

Bring: Participants are urged to bring their own rods and reels. Some equipment is available for loan to those without.