It’s been about three months since my last fishing outing, which is normal when you start the holiday season with Halloween and stretch it into January as you pass by Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Fishing isn’t much of a priority during these months. Fortunately the proximity of Cold Creek Pond allows for a few hours of it once in a while. But beyond the convenience of Cold Creek, my early exploration of angling with a fly rod was conducted on its treasured headwaters. For that reason alone, it holds a very special place in my memory (visit this post for a glimpse of that small creek fly fishing: https://www.fisherdad.com/2006/11/04/cold-creek-clark-co-nv/).
I cherish my days on Cold Creek Pond. It’s become my Las Vegas version of “On Golden Pond.” The act of fishing, especially with my Sweetgrass fly rod, is always meditative, reflective, and healing. It’s seldom about the fishing itself, but rather about the state of mind it allows me to reach. I am thankful to the Lord for giving me a hobby and venue that creates so much peace and pleasure, especially in my senior years.
A white pickup truck arrived as I was stringing up my fly rod and tying on my first fly. Two young men emergered to enjoy some fishing. I don’t think they were father and son, but they could have been brothers. It became apparent that the older one was teaching the younger one about fishing.
The pond was stocked with 992 Rainbow trout on November 10, 2025. Despite my sentimental description of Cold Creek, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) manages it like an urban pond, which is to say that it’s designed to put food on the table, as well as being a pleasant fishing venue. Those who watch the NDOW stocking reports will descend upon the pond, and I know that my fly casting will be impaired by the crowd, not to mention my peace of mind. By waiting a couple months after the stocking the trout will be fewer and harder to catch, which generally translates into anglers who are looking for solitude and relaxation, like me.
After I hooked two trout, the older man walked over to ask me what I was fishing with. To my surprise, he had never heard of “fly” fishing, let alone observe someone casting a fly rod. I explained what fly casting was about, showing him the line, leader, and the tiny Damsel nymph fly with which I was finally experiencing some success. I’m not sure if he walked away amazed by it all, or if he walked away feeling pitty for my folly.
Regardless of what the man thought of my approach towards angling, I personally enjoyed our talk. I decided it was time to go home after I landed my third trout. So I walked over to talk with them abount the structure of the pond and where more of the remaining stocked trout might be found. I told them to try the deeper north edge of the pond. I was pleased for them when I noticed they moved their chairs to the place I suggested. I sure hope they caught a couple of nice trout.
My wife and I were having an interesting conversation with our teenage daughter the other night. She expressed concern about finding a good marriage partner when she’s ready. She is observant of the relationship between my wife and I, and she wonders if her marriage will be as deep and fulfilling as ours. Of course, we have our marital arguments and irritations, but our love remains rich and faithful. We believe the Lord destined us to be a marriage team. I am pleased that our daughter can see past our marriage weaknesses and feel our strong, enduring love for each other. I assured her that she will find a “good man” to marry someday, and the best way to find him is to be a “good woman.” I believe she understood what that entailed.
When my wife and I started our young courtship, we both expressed a desire to have a larger than average family. That, and our desire to own a suitably sized home, were our two most significant goals. We didn’t fully understand what achieving those goals would entail, but we grew in faith that the Lord was preparing us for parenthood. My wife’s degree and experience in teaching elementary special education were instrumental in the success of our six children’s primary education, which carried through to secondary and higher education. She sacrificed her teaching career to serve her children as a stay-at-home mom.
Our parenting was far from perfect (what set of parents can be perfect?), but I don’t believe our rough spots invalidate our overall success. I mention my family because as much as I enjoy my angling hobby and the pleasure and peace it provides, raising up our six children in the envelope of a loving marriage that tries to serve the Lord is my proudest accomplishment.
My angling adventures helped me focus on what is important in my life. They not only recharged my battery, but they also provided quiet time to listen to the Holy Spirit so I could course correct my wrong turns.
We have a photo on our foyer table of our six children, and on the mat is this verse:
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalms 127:3-5
….and speaking of the “Taco Truck”, the other day I saw a Tacoma truck with this personalized license plate:
TACOTRK
Hey Jeannie! Yes, Tacoma owners seem to be a proud bunch. Years ago I juggled around with FSHRDAD or FSHTACO, but in the end I decided against personalized plates in favor of my truck cap window stickers, which you’ve also kidded me about… LOL
Fun article…great content…keep em coming. First Bag of coffee is ancient history🫠☕️
Don’t you know every time I make a pot of Allegro Organic Breakfast Blend I think of you… see how that works 😎
Thank you for endorsing my addiction…only about 30 Oz. a day now…cut back from closer to 40! Made a big difference in sleep and leg cramps etc. One of life’s special treats. A great memory enhanced by the receiving of a special gift from a llloooonnngggg time friend. Blessings to you all and thanks again!🥰
Now I’m thinking I should cut back.😉
Another wonderful article and fishing trip in the books. I realize too , that as we get older (I’m 67 years old), time seems to go by quicker even though our Father in heaven gives us 24 hours in a day. I also love to fish in peace and solitude. The quieter my surroundings are when I fish , the more in tune I am with the Holy Spirit . I see things differently when I’m on the Lake (Angel Lake) near Wells, NV. I’m so grateful for the solitude and peace that each day brings. Even when I fish Magic Valley Reservoir above Twin Falls, ID., I find that peace that only fishing for trout gives. In retirement , we both have learned to slow down and pick our “battles” I guess you can say , even though the “battles” of fishing are well served. Thank you again for your articles and God richly bless you !!
Was it you, Fred, that remarked that we were kindred spirits? Regardless of that, I believe we are. Yes, we have slowed down, but every day the Lord gives us is a blessing. Our cherished angling hobby is another blessing. And our “extra time” to continue sharing our faith in Jesus is yet another. We should plan an Elko trip this spring. I’ve never fished Angel Lake, and I’m not sure if you’ve fished the Ruby Marshes or its spring fed “Ditch.” We should take that discussion off line.
Meanwhile, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord show you his kindness and have mercy on you. May the Lord watch over you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
Another excellent blog, Mark! I lunched with Keith Gronquist and Ed Farley last week and they both asked about you. I told them you looked great the last time I ran into you and remarked on your fishing and this great blog. A hello comes from them to you.
Judy, I know how this blog fires up memories of your dad, and that’s a good thing. My own memories of my dad and older brother are often my own fuel for writing. It’s good to hear that Keith and Ed are doing well. I have good memories of the work they did for the City of Las Vegas.
May our Lord continue to bless you, my dear friend.
As always, another good blog! God has indeed blessed us in soooo many ways, I can hardly enumerate them all.
Keep fishing and praising God, my friend, coworker and boss 🙂
Karen
Thanks for being such a faithful reader, Karen. I know the love you have for the outdoors, and all of our Lord’s creations in it. We who know the love of Jesus are all blessed beyond what we deserve, and that’s why we are compelled to share it with those who haven’t found Him yet.
As to all my blessings, you are right at the top. I remain so very grateful for all the years we were co-workers at EG&G and CLV. I was far from a “fully ripe” Christian in those early years, but Jesus has BIG forgiveness, which every one of us needs. Praise to Him!
Thank you for all these blogs! I originally read your posts from Pine Valley 2010-2012, and so happy to see you still post. I’m just a trout-fishing loving dude (never fly-fished, but I love my little mini-jigging trout addiction) from san diego now in Vegas and just trying to find more spots/rivers and creeks to fish within day-trips drive from Vegas. Been to Pine Valley, work unfortunately has prevented me from trout fishing further places that aren’t just the LV urban ponds but thank you for sharing all your experiences I might try some of the places you’ve been to. Hope to get out to the waters soon, maybe we’ll cross paths!
Steve, thank you for your comments. There are a few “day trip” trout waters, but they are generally 2-3 hours one way. The formula I liked to use was that actual time on the water had to at least equal the round trip driving time. That was my definition of a successful So. Nevada fishing “day trip.”
So, Nevada water like Beaver Dam and Spring Valley State Parks can fulfill that formula. You can find posts on those waters by using the “Categories” pull down menu on the bottom/right side of the blog.
Besides Utah’s Pine Valley, waters like Mammoth Creek, Sevier River, as well as reservoirs like Red Creek, Panguitch, Kolob are fishable from the shore (but better in a float tube) and the I15 freeway makes travel into southern UT mountains an easier drive.
But, don’t sell yourself short on Nevada water farther away like the East Walker, Ruby Mountains ditch and marshes. Nevada waters are usually much less crowded than Utah.
Feel free to ask more questions or share your experiences through the FisherDad Blog. As they say, “Tight Lines” and best wishes.
Hi there FisherDad,
I’ve been reading your posts for some time now. Really love them and it’s been very informative for me as a Southern NV to Southern UT fisherman.
I wanted to ask, unrelated to this post, about Mammoth Creek. I saw your images and went to the forest roads on Google Maps but there isn’t good street view so I am unsure of where I can access that large meadow that isn’t private property. Would you be willing to help me out?
Shoot me an email. barspin400@gmail.com
Thanks!
Hey Gabe, thanks for checking in. I will try to put together something on Mammoth Creek as well as the Santa Clara, Sevier, and Beaver rivers. Give me a few days to do that. I’ll send it to your Gmail address.
All the best.
Mark
Sent you a package of customized PDF docs that should help you locate decent streams/creeks suitable for a day-trip. Let me know if I need to clarify anything for you.