Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Bass, trout fishing heats up in area

Paula DelGiudice

Thursday, June 28, 2001 | 11:33 a.m.

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

The fishing has been good at several locations in both Southern Nevada and Southern Utah, according to local anglers.

Echo Canyon Reservoir was very good last weekend when a Utah angler caught a 7 1/2-pound largemouth bass from its waters. Big bass are typically pulled from the lake during the first two weeks in June. Last June, a fisherman caught a lake-record 8 3/4-pound bass.

Young Las Vegas angler Kyle Cunningham can vouch for the excellent fishing conditions at Echo Canyon, except the anglers in his group caught mostly trout and smaller bass. They caught their fish on worms. Las Vegas angler Joe Maviglia reports the best way to catch trout in many reservoirs, including Otter Creek and Panguitch in Utah, is to troll flies.

Maviglia passes along a recipe for cooking all those trout you catch. First, mix Locatelli Romano cheese (the good kind from the Italian deli with the black skin on) with some flour, salt and pepper. Then place your cleaned trout (skin on) in a bit of heated oil in the skillet. Cook briefly on both sides, just until the skin is cooked through. Remove the fish from the skillet and take the skin off the fish. It ought to peel right off.

Next, coat the fish in the flour and cheese mixture and put it back into the skillet. Maviglia says that cooking it with the skin on for just a few minutes gives you a little flavor but not too much. He says it's absolutely the best way to cook trout.

Maviglia also reports that the bluegills are hitting at Gunlock Reservoir. He recommends drift trolling with wooly worms until you find the bluegills and then cast into them.

Cave Lake continues to provide good action for stocked rainbow trout. The lake, southeast of Ely, is being stocked with rainbows once monthly through the summer months from NDOW's Gallagher Hatchery.

Illipah Reservoir, located west of Ely off U.S. 50, has been red-hot for stocked rainbow trout. Holdover trout that range 15-17 inches are being caught as well. Powerbait and worms work from shore while boaters are still fishing with baits and trolling with spinners.

The 8-1/2 by 11 inch document, which sells for $10 at all NDOW offices, details the condition and status of deer, antelope, elk, three types of bighorn sheep, mountain goat and mountain lion. The books are available by mail or over the counter at NDOW offices in Henderson and Las Vegas.

For the third time, the front and back covers of the book feature the artwork of Washoe Valley artist Jani Lamoreus. This year's cover is a painting of mountain goat in the Ruby Mountains and titled "High Above Clover Valley."