Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Good fishing on upswing at local lakes

Paula DelGiudice

Thursday, Aug. 23, 2001 | 11:03 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears weekly. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

The fishing has been good for striped bass, according to the Nevada Division of Wildlife, at both Lake Mead and Mohave.

Though some nice stripers are coming out of the Boulder Basin, some of the best action has been for largemouth bass with anglers using top water lures and live nightcrawlers to catch the fish.

The best areas for bass have been Saddle Cove, Swallow Cove and the Hemenway Wall in the Boulder Basin and Secret Cove in the Overton Arm.

Striped bass fishing has also picked up at Willow Beach with anglers catching nice-sized stripers after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's trout plant. The water level at Lake Mead is rapidly declining, leading biologists to share concern over the effects on game fish that depend on shoreline cover to hide from predators.

Jim Heinrich of NDOW said that there is now little available cover for fish along the shoreline because of the rapid drop in the water level. The lakes elevation is now 1,180 feet, down more than 20 feet from its maximum level.

Heinrich says that fish such as bluegill and green sunfish are particularly vulnerable to predators because of the lack of escape cover.

"These smaller fish have nowhere to hide," he said. The lake's water level is expected to begin stabilizing and Heinrich hopes this will cause vegetation to grow along the shoreline, thereby providing cover for the fish.

Anglers and boaters should use extreme caution when fishing or boating at Mead and Mohave. A 48-year-old California man drowned this week on Lake Mohave near Chili Pepper Cove after jumping from a boat into the water to cool off. He started experiencing difficulties soon after getting in the water.

According to National Park Service reports, this is the 12th fatality of the year at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Outdoors people should also use extreme caution when recreating outdoors due to the high heat that usually plagues Southern Nevada in late August. Those enjoying the outdoors should make sure to drink plenty of fluids in order to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration.

Those camping and four-wheeling during the last few weeks of summer should take extreme caution with their campfires and in driving off-road in this incredibly dry fire season across the West.

Conditions are just like a tinderbox in most parts of the West. Please do what you can to assure that the devastation that can be caused by wildfires doesn't happen nearby.

There's good news for women hunters.

The Nevada Division of Wildlife is offering a special hunter education class for women on Sept. 17 and 18 from 6-9:30 p.m. at its Las Vegas office, 4747 Vegas Drive.

The instructors for the workshop are women, as is the game warden that will be giving a presentation during the class.

Students who successfully complete the course will be issued Nevada hunter education cards, which are accepted in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces when purchasing hunting licenses.

Participants must obtain and complete a workbook before attending the class. It and an accompanying hunter's field guide are free.

The fee for the class is $5, payable at the door. Class registration begins Sept. 4. To enroll, call NDOW at 486-5127, ext. 3504.

Available to hunters will be 65 tags, including 10 for Moapa Valley in Clark County and 10 for Lincoln County. The other 45 tags are for Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area in Lyon County.

To be eligible for the upcoming drawing, applications must be received by mail at the Wildlife Administrative Service in Fallon by 5 p.m. on Sept. 14.

The cost of the tags is $20 and there is a $10 non-refundable application fee. The tag fee will be refunded to unsuccessful applicants.