Nevada fishing report

LAKE MEAD — Bass sightings are increasing, but the fish are not being fooled, and most are not yet taking bait. The largemouth and smallmouth are moving into the shallows. Within the next week or two, the fish should begin making nests and stand ready to protect them. Crankbaits, drop shot rigs and crawdad patterns fished on jigs all might be worth a try. Striper reports have been light, but with the new moon on Friday, fishing should improve for those fishing at night.

LAKE MOHAVE — Fishing continues to improve throughout the lake. Smallmouth and largemouth bass are taking baits near submerged brush at the edges of coves, and some already are fanning out areas for nests. Plastics and night crawlers are good bets. At this time and through the spawn, catch-and-release fishing is good to practice to help improve the fishing resource. Catfish are showing up in many coves, with anchovies being a top bait. Bluegill and redear sunfish will put up a good fight and have been biting on night crawler pieces and small jigs.

LAUGHLIN — While striper fishing is picking up after a few slow weeks, it is catfish that are showing up on lines this week. Most are averaging 2.5 pounds, but one angler reeled in a 9-pound catfish near the Davis Dam. The stripers are coming in at about 1 pound and traveling in larger schools. Many of these fish are proving adept at stealing bait. When that occurs, switch to a smaller hook to increase the odds of getting a hook up.

URBAN PONDS — Catch rates have been slow at most of the ponds, with trout refusing most baits and the warm water fish not yet active. A few anglers reported having better success with small spinners in gold or silver.

KIRCH WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA — The action for rainbows picked up this past week, but weed growth continues to be problem across some of the dikes. The upper ends of Cold Springs, Hay Meadow, Adams-McGill and Dacey reservoirs are closed due to waterfowl nesting.

EAGLE VALLEY RESERVOIR — The reservoir recently was stocked with rainbow and tiger trout, and anglers have found good action. Bait fishermen have found the best action with rainbow PowerBait. A few anglers had a good time catching brown trout in the upper end of the lake over the weekend using small Mepp’s spinners in red with white coloration.

ECHO CANYON RESERVOIR — The reservoir has seen increased fishing activity following recent trout plants. Fishermen are catching rainbows using a variety of methods; the fish don’t seem to be showing a preference.