If you have spent much time fishing South Fork, Wildhorse or Wilson Reservoirs in Elko County, chances are you have run into Chris Drake, Fisheries Biologist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Or should I say retired Fisheries Biologist.
Drake retired earlier this week after 30 years with NDOW and he will definitely be missed. A native of Winnemucca, he started his career Dec. 30, 1991 at Gallagher Fish Hatchery in Ruby Valley working for Curt Baughman. He later transferred to Mason Valley Fish Hatchery in western Nevada.
In 1996 he took the fisheries position in Fallon responsible for waters such as Walker Lake and Lahontan Reservoir. Drake explains, “As luck would have it, I was the recipient of some wet water years in the late ‘90s and oversaw a comeback of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in Walker Lake.”
In 2001 he accepted the position in Elko responsible for some of the most popular waters in the state, South Fork and Wildhorse Reservoirs. He spent the remainder of his career there.
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Drake says that among the challenges were drought, including a severe one between 2011 and 2015 and fish kills associated with drought, low water and above average water temperatures. In spite of that, both South Fork and Wildhorse have benefited from his management and are considered some of the best trophy Stillwater fisheries in the west.
He’s not leaving the area and while he will definitely be missed as the biologist for these great waters, anglers can expect to see him on the lakes he used to manage as an avid angler. If you are a golfer, expect to see him trying out his new clubs on the local courses. Unfortunately, he’s not quite as good a golfer as he is biologist and fisherman, so he needs lots of practice. Good luck Chris and thanks for all you have done for the anglers of Nevada.
If you like to ice fish, the annual Wildhorse Trout Derby will be held on Presidents Day Weekend, Feb. 19 and 20. There is a $10 entry fee with 100% payout of that fee for prizes. Each day is a separate tournament so you don’t have to participate in both days but are welcome to. Registration will be 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. both days with judging from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. For more information call Amy’s Bar & Grill (formerly the Wildhorse Resort) at 775-388-3556.
WILDHORSE
As of Friday, February 4, Wildhorse still had nine to 15 inches of ice near the state park boat ramp but was averaging 12 inches in most places. There is enough snow on top of the ice to make walking safer but not so much to make it harder. Fishing for trout continues to be good using PowerBait or worms fished about four to six feet below the ice though a few are being caught throughout the depths. Trout have been averaging 15 to 20 inches with a few in the 20+ range. Perch fishing has been good for numbers but it takes a lot of catching to get a few keepers. The larger perch generally are deeper in the water column, often 25 to 35 feet deep, the best fishing for the larger fish is further from shore so anglers do need to head out from shore into deeper water. For perch fish within a foot of the bottom in 25 to 35 feet of water using small plastic jigs tipped with a piece of worm. A slight jigging action occasionally helps. If you are catching mostly small ones, move as they generally school by size. Those anglers willing to move and punch a lot of holes in the ice eventually start catching keepers, but not a lot of them. The ice skating rink by the state park boat ramp is in great shape so bring your skates. The State Park Campground is open on a first come first served, with the loop closest to the boat ramp open for campers.
SOUTH FORK RESERVOIR
On Friday, February 4, the lake was ice covered with ice that is still five to six inches of ice with little to no snow on top making it very slick. There were a few spots where the ice was pushing eight inches but South Fork is notorious for variable thickness of ice and anglers should still use extreme caution and drill test holes as you venture onto the ice. Please carry safety gear including ice claws and PFD’s. The few anglers daring to walk on the ice have been catching fish ranging from 15 to 20 inches using worms suspended about four feet below the ice.
JIGGS/ZUNINO RESERVOIR
Almost dry and no fish.
WILSON RESERVOIR
No recent report but expect similar conditions as at South Fork. The road to Wilson is more than likely 4WD only with the snow and mud.
RUBY LAKE NWR
Someone punched through the drift at the top of Harrison Pass, but it is still iffy to go over the pass. Only those vehicles with high clearance and good tires should attempt it. There are still some drifts on the west side of the pass that could cause some problems. Carry chains and a shovel. It is still advised to use Secret Pass. The roads in Ruby Valley are in good condition. There is ice at the north end of the ditch though open water where there are springs. With the colder weather there has been some expansion of ice on the collection ditch but there is still plenty of open water for fishing. Warmer weather, pushing 50 degrees on a few days next week, should help open up some more water. Fishing has been good for 13 to 16 inch fish depending upon the day and location on the ditch. A few in the 20 + inch range are occasionally reported. With the cold-water conditions fish deeper areas and springheads where the water is a bit warmer. Chironomid patterns such as zebra midges, Yankee buzzers, chromies and ice cream cones should work. Other flies such as Leech patterns, balanced leeches, crystal buggers, #14-16 hare’s ears, and #16-18 PT nymphs and chironomids under an indicator are recommended. Egg patterns can be effective this time of year here. Spin anglers should be using small spinners in black or olive with contrasting yellow or red colors. There is still three inches of unsafe gray ice at the boat ramp. Not worth going on especially with all the springs there will be weak spots.
JAKES CREEK/BOIES RESERVOIR
Jakes Creek has approximately eight to 10 inches of ice. Anglers report slow fishing for trout.
COLD CREEK RESERVOIR
Cold Creek Reservoir was salvaged so that water control structure could be fixed to prevent leaking. When the control structure is fixed, the reservoir will be filled and NDOW will begin rebuilding the fishery in spring or summer of 2022 depending upon water conditions.
CAVE LAKE
The water levels continue to drop at Cave Lake in an anticipation of renovation efforts on the dam in 2022. The lake is closed to fishing at this time. NDOW conducted a fish salvage in December and moved some very nice brown trout ranging in size from eight to 25 inches into Comins Lake. A few of the larger brown trout were pushing seven pounds. Cave Lake is closed to fishing due to shorelines that are very soft and dangerous due to the complete saturation of the soil as the lake is drained. By draining the lake, it should shave a couple of years off the re-building of the dam and cut costs tremendously. It will also make the project much safer for those performing the work.
COMINS LAKE
No change here. The ice at Comins is ranging between 10 and 15 inches of good hard ice. There are some slick spots with the warm afternoons melting the surface and then refreezing overnight. Traction devices on boots are recommended. Anglers continue to report good fishing for 14 to 18-inch rainbows on night crawlers. A few anglers also appeared to be doing well using PowerBait. Soft plastic jigs tipped with a worm should also be effective. Pike anglers have had some success using artificial minnows or spoons jigged through the ice for 12-to-18-inch fish with one angler reporting a five pound pike. Anglers, please note that NDOW has placed radio tags in several Northern Pike. These pike will have an orange Floy tag near their dorsal fin and a small antenna (~ 7 inches long) coming from their stomach. Please return these fish to the water for research purposes. All other pike should be humanely dispatched. There is no limit on the pike.
ILLIPAH
The road into the lake has been plowed and in good shape. There is eight to 13 inches of good ice with some slick ice. Traction devices on boots are recommended. No recent report from anglers but expect good fishing for trout in the 12 to 15 inch range. The usual nightcrawlers or PowerBait should work here as well as dark colored soft plastic jigs tipped with a worm.
ANGEL LAKE
The road to Angel Lake is closed for the winter and the lake is ice covered and there will be no more fishing reports until late spring or early summer depending upon snowfall this winter.
ALPINE LAKES
Alpine lakes are frozen over and there will be no more fishing reports until late spring or early summer depending upon snowfall. Travel into the high mountains at this time is not recommended due to avalanche conditions.
STREAMS
Not much change here as many streams are still mostly covered in ice with open water where flows are faster. Shorelines are snow and ice covered and very slippery. If fishing these streams, fish the ice edges. Access is iffy to many of these waters so leave a trip plan and be prepared to spend the night. Anglers need to go into Idaho to access the Bruneau and the Jarbidge. With colder water temperatures expect stream fishing to be slow. Fish the deeper pools and slower water (if open) where the fish hang out this time of year to conserve energy. As of February 4, the East Fork of the Owyhee near Mountain City was showing ice but expect flows around 25 to 30 cfs, the Bruneau River is also showing ice but expect flows around 20 cfs, the Jarbidge another water showing ice, but expect flows between 10 and 13 cfs, Salmon Falls Creek at 39 cfs, Lamoille Creek at 3.2 cfs, the South Fork of the Humboldt between 7 and 12 cfs, Cleve Creek showing ice but expect flows around 4.5 cfs, Steptoe Creek at 1.9 cfs and Kingston Creek at 2.5 cfs.