Sparks Marina is located off of Interstate 80 in Sparks, Nevada. Season is open year around, 1 hour before sunrise to 2 hours after sunset. Limit is 5 game fish, of which not more than 2 may be black bass. Fishing is prohibited in the swimming and diving areas.

Adventure # 1,010: If you haven't driven east on Highway 50, visiting the Lehman Caves and the Great Basin National Park should get you motivated. With only six days to explore Nevada, we ended up seeing more than we've ever seen before: Great Basin National Park, Lehman Caves, Elk, Deer, Fawns, Wild Turkeys, Pheasant, Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, Antelope, Jack Rabbits that come when you call 'em, Peacocks, SheepHerders and quite a few other things. If you haven't experienced Nevada, this trip is a must.

Walker Lake is located 12 miles north of Hawthorne and 55 miles south of Fallon off U.S. 95. It is a terminal lake (lake with no outlet) that is fed by the Walker River. Walker Lake is a remnant of the ancient Lake Lahontan that once covered most of the Great Basin 50,000 years ago. The native Lahontan cutthroat trout still inhabit Walker Lake, but the fishery is now maintained by hatchery stocks. River barriers prevent any natural reproduction. Upstream water demands have decreased lake levels by 130 feet since the turn of the century. The decreased water levels have led to increased levels of dissolved solids (salts) and increased the alkalinity to near lethal limits for all fish life in the lake. An increase in lake elevations or a decrease in dissolved solid levels is needed to secure the future of the lake.

Rye Patch Reservoir was constructed on the Humboldt River as an irrigation source for the Lovelock Valley. Season is open all year around, any hour of the day or night. Limit is 25 gamefish of which not more than 5 may be walleye, 5 may be black bass and 5 may be white bass or white bass hybrids(wipers) over 14" long. White bass or white bass hybrids under 14" may be included in the 25 game fish limit.

Primarily managed as a put-and-take fishery, the lake is an excellent year round fishery for stocked rainbow and brook trout. Ice fishing usually lasts from December through March. Virtually all fishing methods are productive. Fishing deep with salmon eggs, power bait or night crawlers is effective. Spin fishermen do well with the normal hardware such as Mepps and Panther Martins as well as a fly on a bubble. Fly fishermen should try wooly buggers or nymph patterns on a sinking line. The normal baits fished with bright colored jigs work well for ice fishing. The limit is 5 trout daily and in possession. Season is open year around, any hour of the day or night. Boats must be operated at a flat wake and no faster than 5 nautical miles per hour.

The season is open January 1 through September 30, 1 hour before sunrise to 2 hours after sunset, except for the area within the jetties of Topaz Marina, which is closed to fishing. Limit is 5 trout, 10 mountain whitefish, and 15 warmwater game fish of which not more than 5 may be black bass. Persons under 16 years of age are not required to have a fishing license. Those anglers, 16 years of age and older, must have a Nevada fishing license and a trout stamp, a Nevada short term fishing permit, or a California fishing license. Two-rod stamps are valid in both states.

Rainbow trout, brown trout, largemouth bass and northern pike currently inhabit the reservoir. Due to the tremendous amount of feed, these fish grow very rapidly and reach very healthy sizes. Creel census for 2003 showed a catch rate of 0.47 fish per hour and 1.93 fish per angler with an average catch size of 13.9 inches for the rainbow and 20.9 inches for the brown trout. In addition to the fish checked, accounts of fish over 5 pounds were common, with some fish over 8 pounds reportedly captured. Largemouth bass have been stocked by NDOW and northern pike have been illegally introduced into the reservoir.

Fishing Tales

Wilson Common is a relatively new park, which was constructed in 1994. The Nevada Division of Wildlife first started stocking the pond in 1995, at which time it was opened to the public for fishing. Rainbow trout and bowcutts (rainbow x cutthroat hybrid) have been introduced into the pond.