OUTDOOR BRIEFS

ONE-FLY

Tournament kicks off fall fishing season

Fly-anglers looking to test their skills gathered at Lincoln County's Eagle Valley Reservoir Sept. 20, and set the tone for what some hope will be a fall fishing season filled with fast action for feisty rainbow and tiger trout. The gathering's focal point was a one-fly tournament where anglers are allowed to fish only with a single fly that cannot be changed or replaced during the tournament.

Participants in these tournaments are pretty secretive about their choice of flies, and Bob Litwiller was no different. His choice of flies, described only as a small brown nymph, made him the tournament winner with a total of 24 trout in the net.

Despite very windy conditions, the tournament's 18 participants netted almost 200 trout with the first three places accounting for 67 of those fish. Most of the fly-rodders used variations of Woolly Buggers or Hare's Ear nymphs that were either brown or olive in color.

PUBLIC INVITED

Anglers may benefit from park face lift

Fishermen access at the Sunset Park pond has been one of the many topics of discussion during meetings whose focus is the park's future. The Clark County Parks and Recreation Department has been having these meetings over the past several months to discuss and create a new look for Sunset Park. On Wednesday, informational meetings will be set so the public can see conceptual plans and learn about changes being proposed for the park.

The open-house style meetings will take place at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the main conference room of the Sunset Park Administrative Building and are open to all who are interested in seeing the plans. Some of the new ideas for the park include a paved roadway encircling the main core of the park, new play areas for children, a plaza area for gatherings and improved access for fishing in the pond.

POPULAR HUNT

Deadline approaching for goose hunt

Goose hunting in the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area is a popular hunt among residents and nonresidents alike, but Elmer Bull, Wildlife Staff Specialist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife,, reports it was that popularity that forced NDOW to institute a draw system for the hunt.

"The controlled goose hunt was implemented in the late '80s in response to overcrowding in fields. This overcrowding resulted in angry confrontations between hunting parties," said Bull. It was felt that a drawing system should be initiated in an effort to alleviate the ill will between hunting parties and to provide a quality hunting experience for those who were fortunate to draw a reservation to hunt."

With the application deadline for the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area Controlled Goose Hunt fast approaching, hunters are reminded that all entries must be received via postal service to the NDOW office at 1100 Valley Road before 5 p.m., Oct. 8.

Applications can be found at local Nevada Department of Wildlife offices, or on the NDOW Web site at www.ndow.org/hunt/apps/. A public drawing will be administered at the Valley Road Office, at 10 a.m. on Oct. 29. The results will be posted on the NDOW web site and all party leaders will receive a letter indicating if they were successful or unsuccessful in the drawing.

The hunt will be conducted on nine consecutive Saturdays beginning Nov. 29 and ending on Jan. 24. In addition, two Wednesdays will be included in this year's hunt.

The Mason Valley WMA is located in Mason Valley in Lyon County, about 75 miles southeast of Reno.