Looking southeast across the Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds, which will open to 2010 fishing on Saturday, February 13.
The cooling ponds are adjacent to the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area near Yerington, Nevada.Photo by Elaine Quilici

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This Saturday, February 13, is the opening day of the 2010 fishing seasons for the following waters in Lyon County:

1. The Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds, near Wabuska.
2. Applicable open waters (Bass Pond, Beaver Slough, Crappie Pond, Hinkson Slough, North Pond and the Walker River), all on the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area (MVWMA), near Yerington.

All of the waters listed above will close on Sept. 30.

If you are interested in fishing at any of those waters on Opening Day, here is some miscellaneous information:

Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds:

How to get there:

• From Carson City, drive east on U.S. 50 to the Weeks cutoff, which is just a few miles west of Silver Springs. That cutoff will be just past a school on your right. Turn right onto the cutoff and drive to its intersection with Alt. U.S. 95. Turn right onto Alt. U.S. 95 and drive south toward Yerington. One mile past Wabuska (where you cross the railroad tracks) is Sierra Way (a paved road) on your left. Take Sierra Way, a short distance to the ponds.

The Cooling Ponds:

• The water is owned by Sierra Pacific Power Company (SPCC) and that area is open to the public through an agreement between the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) and SPCC, now known as NV Energy.

Restrictions:

• You can only fish from the shoreline. Wading or the use of boats or other floating devices is prohibited. Fishing is prohibited from the center dyke and in the posted areas. So, don't be tempted!

Regulations:

• The limit is 15 game fish, of which not more than 2 may be Black Bass.
• Minimum size for Black Bass is 14 inches.
• Fishing hours are one hour before sunrise to two hours after sunset.

Miscellaneous:

• This is a warm water fishery that produces good numbers of Channel Catfish and Black (Largemouth) Bass and Redear Sunfish.
• The Channel Catfish can be caught with worms, chicken liver, cocktail shrimp or popular prepared stink baits (AKA anything that smells!)
• The Black Bass can be caught by casting plastic worms or lures, with the best success casting parallel to the shoreline.

Bass Pond, Beaver Slough, Crappie Pond, Hinkson Slough, North Pond and the Walker River

How to get there:

• Take the first dirt road on your right, while driving on Sierra Way toward the Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds. Drive south on that dirt road until you reach the MVWMA headquarters Building. At the headquarters, there is a large informational board with a map that directs you to those waters.

Regulations:

• The limit for all waters (except Hinkson Slough) is 5 trout and 15 warm water fish, of which not more than 2 may be Black Bass.
• If Bass are kept at the MVWMA, they must be smaller than 11 inches or larger than 14 inches.
• Fishing hours are any hour of the day or night.

Hinkson Slough Special Regulations:

• The limit is 2 trout and 15 warm water fish, of which not more than 2 may be Black Bass.
• Minimum size for trout is 16 inches.
• Bass must be either less than 11 inches or longer than 14 inches.
• Artificial flies or lures only.
• Special Note: Several years ago, NDOW purchased and planted 200 Grass Carp in an effort to control the weed growth in the slough. Fishermen are requested to return those fish, unharmed, to the water should they be caught.

Bass Pond:

• It can produce very nice Black Bass when the temperatures begin to warm.
• The pond can become very weedy later in the summer, so fishermen would be wise to fish before the weeds start to grow in warm weather.

Crappie Pond:

Has only Black Bass.

• In spite of its small size, this pond has some good-sized Bass and typically begins to produce good fishing by mid-April.

For Information:

Call either the Nevada Department of Wildlife Headquarters in Reno at 688-1500 during regular business hours or the NDOW Region No. 1 Office in Fallon at (775) 423-3171 during regular business hours.

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you the different kinds of fish species that can be found in the Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds.

If he grins, takes a deep breath and says, "The Cooling Ponds contain Black Bass, Channel Catfish, Bluegill and Redear Sunfish," you just lost this bet.