March 11 Perch derby at Wildhorse Reservoir

The Wildhorse Resort at Wildhorse Reservoir in Northern Elko County is sponsoring a one-day, ice-fishing derby for Perch.

That Perch derby will be held on Saturday, March 11.

If you would like to participate, here is some helpful information:

To reach Wildhorse Reservoir, drive east from Carson City on U.S. 50 to Silver Springs. At Silver Springs, take U.S. Alt. 95 north to Fernley. At Fernley, take I-80 east to Elko. In Elko, take Nevada S.R. 225 (The Mountain City Highway) north to Wildhorse Reservoir. This will be a trip of about 364 miles (one-way) from Carson City.

The registration fee is $25 per person.

The three longest Perch will win $300 for 1st place, $150 for 2nd place and $50 for 3rd.

In addition, there will also be a number of raffle prizes.

When you fish, one of the most successful methods is to jig with a small, white, lead-head Crappie jig that is tipped with either a piece of worm or mealworm or a kernel of corn or a party-sized marshmallow.

You can also jig with other baits such as Power Bait or cocktail shrimp or various combinations of all of those baits.

Just drop your combination down to the bottom, bring it up about 1-2 turns on the reel handle and slowly jig, up and down.

When you are successful, you will catch lots of Perch, with most of them being in the 5-7 inch class. A 10-11 inch Perch is a giant at this reservoir.

There is no limit on the number of Perch that you can catch and keep.

In addition, you might also catch rainbow trout, German brown trout, Tiger Trout, black bass, Smallmouth bass and crappie.

Be advised that from March 1 through June 30, only "catch and release" fishing is allowed for the black bass. So, if you catch any black bass, they must be released unharmed.

The Wildhorse Reservoir fishing season is open year round, any hour of the day or night.

One of the better locations to fish is near the island, just in front of the State Park boat ramp.

For information, registration or room reservations, call Dennis Dunn at the Wildhorse Resort at (775) 758-6472.