Fishing report: Tournament anglers find bass success

Friday, March 19, 2004 | 9:24 a.m.

NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE

Anglers who competed in a Nevada Striper Club fishing tournament held over the weekend at Lake Mead had good success for striped bass, including some that ranged 5-10 pounds. A number of fish weighing 2-4 pounds were caught as well.

Competitors told Nevada Department of Wildlife creel census clerks that most of the stripers were caught around the Hemenway Wall and Sand Island in the Boulder Basin and Stewart's Point in the Overton Arm.

Fishing deep with anchovies took most of the fish.

Creel clerks checked the stomachs of 25 fish that were caught during the contest and one had a crayfish in it and another had a rainbow trout. The rest were empty.

Some action has been found recently for largemouth bass around St. Thomas in the Overton Arm. The fish have been running from 1 1/2-2 pounds and are being caught with crank baits.

On Sunday, creel clerks checked shore anglers at Hemenway Harbor who had 19 trout, two channel catfish and a striped bass. Trout were stocked in the area on March 12.

Over the weekend, NDOW creel census clerks checked only nine striped bass and a single channel catfish at Cottonwood Cove. The stripers ranged from 8 ounces to 1 1/2 pounds.

Anglers experienced good success for rainbow trout that ranged 11-14 inches. Fewer people fished Cold Springs but rainbow trout that averaged 13 inches were caught. The fish were taken with an assortment of baits, with PowerBait being the most popular.

Maes said that the surface water temperatures were 53 degrees and he expects temperatures to rise.