Fishing report: Boat fishermen finding success

Friday, Jan. 2, 2004 | 10:25 a.m.

NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE

Boaters are still finding fairly good action for striped bass in Las Vegas Bay while shore fishing is continuing to decline in Lake Mead's Boulder Basin, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Threadfin shad, the main food fish for stripers, are still being seen in large numbers in Las Vegas Bay and the game fish are nearby. Boaters are trolling with Sassy Shad lures and fishing deep with live shad and anchovies to catch the fish.

NDOW creel clerks said they have checked a number of large stripers in recent weeks with the largest weighing 23 pounds. Stripers ranging 6-17 pounds have been appearing regularly in the catch.

A few stripers weighing 2-3 pounds have been taken recently from shore at Pumphouse Cove by anglers who are casting large plugs.

Hemenway Cove has also produced some stripers recently for anglers who have been fishing with anchovies.

The next rainbow trout plants are scheduled to take place on Saturday at Hemenway, Horsepower, North Saddle and Pumphouse coves.

Also on Saturday, two boaters caught 60 stripers a mile south of Cottonwood that ranged 12-18 inches. The fish were caught with anchovies.

A 25-pound striper was caught Saturday at Willow Beach following the trout plant in that part of the lake.

The next trout stocking at Willow Beach is scheduled for Saturday. Cottonwood Cove as well as Willow Beach, Aztec Wash and Placer Cove will be planted on Friday.

The lake is covered with a layer of ice that ranges 3-7 inches in depth.

Ice conditions may be unsafe away from the fishing dock, so anglers should confine their fishing to that portion of the lake. Temperatures have been ranging from well below zero at night to the low to mid 30s during the day.

The lake is in Spring Valley State Park east of Pioche.

A storm that arrived on Christmas deposited 18 inches of snow at the lake, which is 7 miles south of Ely along U.S. 93.

Temperatures have ranged from minus 12 degrees to highs in the low 20s. Winds and cold weather have made for unpleasant fishing conditions.