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Here's a typically handsome Dacey spring rainbow trout of about 16 inches. |
Once our unusually wet Clark County, NV winter subsided, my angling plans began to coalesce around making Dacey Reservoir my first spring angling venture. Dacey is located in the Wayne Kirch Wildlife Management Area (Kirch) on Nevada Highway 318, about halfway between Alamo and Ely.
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Although not the largest, this 13-inch rainbow was deeper into his spawning wardrobe than any of the other trout. |
When I arrived there was a fly angler in a kayak on the reservoir, which gave me hope that I could also pass over the mass of weeds in the Water Master. He turned out to be a fisheries biologist for the Nevada Dept. of Wildlife (NDOW). Before I got setup to launch my Water Master fishing craft he extracted himself for a lunchbreak. He had been on the water about one hour, catching a nice sixteen-inch rainbow. When I first saw the NDOW truck I assumed he was a warden, but when I voluntarily proffered my fishing license he said he wasn’t a warden, but rather a biologist.
I recalled running running into a fisheries biologist named "Mark" on my second trip to Dacey on October 23, 2013. In fact, I snapped a far-off photograph of him playing a large rainbow trout and posted it on that blog. The fishing was marvelous that day, and Mark and I hollered to each other across the water to celebrate our joy. I never got a close enough look to recognize Mark on the street, but I could never forget his first name, of course. So, I asked this guy if his name was “Mark,” and he said “Yes.” We had a nice conversation about Dacey and other waters in the area he covers (essentially, waters in Lincoln, Nye, and Esmeralda Counties). He provided some updates about Beaver Dam Creek which will encourage me to make a return visit over the next month or so, possibly with my son, grandson, and daughter.
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The temperature was moderate, but the clouds hid the sun from time to time. Mark, the NDOW fisheries biologist, can be seen in he distance paddling his kayak. |
Mark finished angling around 1:30 PM, I think. As an unexpected thank you, he left the damsel nymph fly on the lip of my tailgate... it was the kind of gesture you come to expect from fellow outdoorsmen who cherish and respect their hobbies and the special places they are allowed to practice them.
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Here's a partial photo, looking north from the dam, of the massive vegetation debris blocking access from the boat launch area located off the left side of the photo (see next photo). |
Shortly after 3:00 PM, after the fishing action cooled off, I began the battle of plowing through the weed bed blocking my access to the launch ramp. I noticed that the journey back seemed to require much more effort with much less progress. I also noticed that the Water Master’s left oar’s rack-and-pinion joint appeared to be getting stressed and that my collapsible aluminum oars were flexing under the weight of the weeds. I decided to attempt a riprap dam extraction. It all worked out fine, and it certainly saved me 20-30 minutes, but I wasn’t comfortable going up and down that riprap. I made several trips in order to remove everything from the Water Master (fly rod, landing net, kick-fins, oars, stripping net, snacks, and fly boxes) before moving the bare raft up the dam’s riprap to the road, whereupon I could walk over to get my Fish Taco truck. I was very thankful that with everything removed it only weighed about 30 pounds, although it's eight-foot by five-foot dimension was still awkward under my old 5-foot, 5-inch body frame.
Maybe some of the floating debris will decay and fall to the bottom of the reservoir, I don’t know. I do know that if some pathways aren’t opened through the weeds I think I’ll not try to row through them again. I’ll leave that to the thirty-somethings in kayaks.
That aside, the fishing was very good in my eyes. Seven trout landed between 13 and 17 inches in about three hours is a nice afternoon in most everyone's book. I’ll never get the October 2013 experience out of my mind, but I also realize that experience was an anomaly for Kirch.
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Grant Range touching the clouds. The cottonwood trees rising above the sage mark the Dave Deacon campground location. |
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It was a satisfying trip. |
9 comments:
Fisher Dad,
So glad that you shared your Early Spring fishing trip with us. Your posts are always enjoyable to read and your friendly writing style so welcoming.
Thanks for giving us something to look forward to.
Randy -
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I pray that the Lord is looking over you and your loved ones, and that your ministry awakens many more to His grace, and His judgment.
- Mark
As always......interesting to read & very well written. I almost fell like I was there!!
Jeannie
It is always an interesting read of your blog. You definitely have a gift in expressing God's creations & beauty.
Thanks Jeannie/June! Nice to know non-angling women appreciate parts of my blog.
Fisherdad,
As always, a nice article about an enviable trip. I don't suppose you'd like to share some of those "updates about Beaver Dam Creek" with us :)
Thanks for sharing,
Ron S
Ron S -
Sure, nothing too mysterious.
The last time I fished there was September 2010, and I only fished the creek from where the old “wilderness campground” road first crosses the creek (several springs from the Oak Knoll area flow into Beaver Dam Creek at that point) to up where the old Schroeder Reservoir spillway used to be (about a 1/3 of a mile). I did not visit the water below. From the Oak Knoll down to the old wilderness campground is another 3/4 of a mile. Before they put in the new road to service the downstream ranches, the old 4x4 trail was the only way down. The new and improved road version avoids the Oak Knoll canyon and the stream crossings but still reconnects to the old wilderness campground. I haven’t visited those waters down there since 2002.
The fisheries biologist told me they converted the old 4x4 jeep track into an ATV trail (in my book, that’s not a good thing). But, he said it’s not really used much, and most who fish that stretch walk the ATV trail (better news). He said that section fishes well, which I take to mean it fishes like it did in the 1980s. But then he told me that once while electroshocking for a fish count they turned up a rainbow close to 20 inches. While that sounds somewhat incredulous for Beaver Dam Creek, I can tell you that back in the 1980s I waded up a stretch below the Oak Knoll that was impossible to fish from the bank due to willows, and that’s when I discovered one long pool that was waste deep.
In 2002 there were quite a few beaver dams down that stretch, and for whatever reason I didn’t fish below the Oak Knoll. I’m thinking it might be a fun area to fish with youngsters.
All the best to you.
- FisherDad
Ron S -
One more thing. I recall that you take a trailer to Eagle Valley, and were asking about camping around Ely, NV.
The road from US95 to Beaver Dam State Park is 30-miles of dirt. It is very drivable with a 2-wheel truck when not muddy from heavy rains. Heavy rains turns sections of that road into muddy gumbo, especially the switchbacks descending into the park canyon (on college spring break I once got stuck in there driving a 2-wheel drive mini-pickup).
Speaking of switchbacks, a mini-trailer or pop-up camper can make it down there, but a normal sized trailer will not. If you copy/paste this link into your browser (https://www.fisherdad.com/2010/09/beaver-dam-creek-early-years.html) and scroll to the bottom of that blog you’ll see a Google Earth satellite image of the park. On the upper-right corner of that image you’ll see flat lands. Think of that as the rim of a mini-Grand Canyon. On the lower-right of that image you’ll see an obvious dirt road. As that road reaches up to the canyon rim there is one tight switchback that would make me nervous hauling a trailer (it’s off the edge of the image, so use your imagination). And just below that switchback is where I stuck my little pickup truck in 12-inches of gummy mud in 1977.
Take caution.
- Fisher Dad
Fisherdad,
Thanks for the info. Not sure if I'll go out there with the trailer but was curious when you said there were a few updates. I'm currently looking at heading to GB Nat Park and Ely area next summer (2020).
Thanks again for your advice and all the great stories,
Ron S
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