Author: FisherDad

I am a Christian who has been married to my wife for over four decades, with six children and four grandchildren so far. I have retired from a string of successful occupations as a certified public accountant, a chief financial officer, and a registered municipal advisor. I have been a fly angler for almost five decades. My one and only article submission was published by Southwest Fly Fishing magazine (now American Fly Fishing). You can learn more about me by clicking on “About” on the top of my blog page.

Evolution of a Fly Fisherman in the Mojave Desert

My good friend Bill fighting a Lahontan cutthroat on Martis Creek inlet. Note the trout porpoising under the leverage of Bill’s fly rod.

In prior blogs I’ve written about the allure fly angling has had on me since my early youth. It is rooted in New Hampshire. My earliest memories are of our home on Benton Road in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Benton is a rural-like road, and Hooksett is just north of Manchester. Our backyard was the New England woods all the way to the Merrimack River. The Merrimack is a large, powerful river, and its upper reaches still support Atlantic salmon as part of the Merrimack River’s Anadromous Fish Restoration Program. There is a small brook, Benton Brook, that is north of our old house towards the Londonderry Turnpike (I believe it is now called Dalton Brook). The brook drains into the Merrimack, and on the way it skirts along the backside of commercial property on the west side of the Turnpike. One of those properties had a little man-made reservoir that contained stocked rainbow trout back in the early 1960s. As the crow flies, the Merrimack was less than a half-mile from our house, and the meandering course of the little brook was about a mile long from where it passed under Benton Road. Also behind our house, in the thick of the Merrimack Valley woodlands, were other shallow ponds and swamps. I recall skating on Maureen’s Pond on double-rail skates in the winter, and that was without adult supervision. As a child I never realized how close we lived to the mighty river; the thick woods made it seem so far away and mysterious. Images of my brothers Neal and Bruce emerging from the woods with water moccasin snakes, cottontail rabbits, grey squirrels, and even a porcupine are still vivid in my memory. At the edge of our property, abutting the woods, my father had a dog kennel. Dad raised Weimaraners, training them for bird hunting. We had a chicken coop where we harvested fresh eggs, and a garden that grew fresh melons and vegetables. I recall the wonderful cucumber sandwiches mom would slice up, as well as the trouble I got into from secretly dipping wild rhubarb in the sugar bowl, the pink stain being the convicting evidence. I may be suffering from selective memory or romanticism, but I think that was a wonderful way to start a life, and I’m thankful for those beginnings.

Eagle Valley Reservoir, Spring Valley State Park

Here’s the Eagle Valley Reservoir boat dock, looking west towards the Spring Valley State Park campground.

I had visited Eagle Valley Reservoir just three times over the last three decades. Eagle Valley is located at the end of state highway 322 in the Spring Valley State Park, next to Ursine, Nevada. Geographically, it is east of Pioche and northeast of Panaca, about seven miles west of the Utah border. It is one of southern Nevada’s more picturesque parks. Although I’ve not camped overnight, it seems to have great facilities (even showers) and plenty of park ambassadors to compensate for any lack of park rangers. Its proximity to Ursine and even Pioche give it added amenities, but also contribute to its high usage. The little enclave of Ursine that functions as the park gateway has that rural “commercial” feel to it, which is another detractor for my sensibilities.

Cold Creek, Spring Mountains, Nevada

Spring Mountains southeast of Cold Creek Pond

Curiosity got the best of me. The warmer weather prompted me to wonder how the Cold Creek trout were faring. So, after dropping off my son at his school, I high-tailed it to Cold Creek to check them out with my favorite fly rod.

Cold Springs Reservoir, Wayne Kirch Wildlife Management Area

Sixteen-plus inch Cold Spring rainbow (note spawning color into caudal fin)

My first trip to Wayne Kirch was on April 1, 2005. It was a cold, windy day as I recall. I was the only fisherman on the water, and it was rough going in my Fish Cat tube. My notes from that day report that I landed just three rainbows. They also record three long distance releases (LDRs, as we call them) and three missed strikes. The notes blamed my poor showing on the cold weather and slow reflexes. Although I don’t recall that trip being particularly enjoyable, it was my maiden voyage to the Kirch WMA.

Haymeadow Reservoir, Nye County, Nevada

John in new tube, snow-capped Egan Range in background

As the strange weather patterns for southern Nevada continued, I was looking for an opening to try my new Outlaw Escape on the reservoirs of Wayne Kirch Wildlife Management Area. The winds are usually the problem there as a float tube is a must to effectively fish Wayne Kirch, and kick-paddling a tube in fifteen mph winds is an unhappy chore. Finally I saw a break in the windy weather, but it brought with it one of the warmest April Fools days we’ve seen for a while. That meant light waders and shirt-only fishing.

Cold Creek Solitude

Mount Wheeler, Spring Mountains, overlooking Cold Creek Pond

I made a quick trip to Cold Creek after dropping Evan off at school. The Nevada Department of Wildlife has yet to make their spring stocking (usually in mid to late March), but there are still a good number of trout present. I arrived about 7:30 am to find a heron on the northern bank near the brush (I assume a great blue heron as they are common to our area, but then I’m not an Audubon member…). His three-toed tracks in the pond shallows were evident all over. When I stepped out of the truck he flew away. Later he circled and landed to the east of the pond. I was unable to track him to take a picture in flight, but I did manage to get him hiding amongst the sage. His presence meant that he was finding fish food, and thus a good omen.

Cold Creek Pond, Clark County

The “town” of Cold Creek, south of the pond

My new work schedule was producing a four-day weekend for Presidents Day, but the forecast called for rain starting Friday evening. Just for fun I ran up to Cold Creek after dropping Evan off at school this morning. It seemed calm in the valley; although I knew it would be in the mid-thirties up there. Unfortunately, at 7:30am the wind was whipping pretty good off the northern end of the Spring Mountains.

Cold Creek Revival

Some say communing with nature can be a religious experience. I, for example, find that everything in nature screams of the Creator. I don’t worship nature, but I find that the Lord’s hand is everywhere to be found in it. In the Bible, Job retorts in his defense against his so called friends, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or ask the birds of the air, and they will teach you. Speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea tell you. Every one of these knows that the hand of the Lord has done this” (Job 13, 7-9). So, today I went to speak with Mr. Trout.

New Watercraft – Wayne Kirch

Adams McGill bay area, looking southwest

BEFORE READING THIS BLOG, READ THIS ONE: North Fork Outdoors: Not Responsive to Warranty Claims

If you’ve been reading my blog for some time you know I prefer to use a Fish Cat float tube to navigate and fish stillwater lakes and reservoirs. As much as it makes stillwater fishing fun, I always had a couple complaints about the Fish Cat. My most significant complaint about that style watercraft is that your lower legs are always under water which is uncomfortable after six hours fishing in the late fall or early spring. My second complaint, although less serious, is that kick-paddling is too difficult against winds in excess of fifteen miles per hour.

Cold Creek Pond, Clark County

Approaching the town of Cold Creek on highway 172

Hey, for those Las Vegans that have been asking about the stocking of Cold Creek I am happy to report that occurred last week. I made a short visit Thursday morning on a hunch that the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) had performed their scheduled deed even though their website had not been updated since last August.