Most anglers in western Nevada have either fished or heard of fishing at the Mason Valley Wildlife Management area. This state operated wetland is located at the north end of Mason Valley, 10 miles from Yerington and 70 miles from Reno. It can be accessed off of highway 95A from Sierra Way on the north or from the south via Miller Lane.
The Wildlife area was purchased by NDOW in 1955, primarily, to support waterfowl production. Fishing on the ponds of Mason Valley was pretty much a hit and miss proposition until the state completed the Mason Valley hatchery on the site in 1990. The hatchery pumps over 5,000 acre-feet of water each year to raise trout for the western half of the state. The nutrient rich outflow of the hatchery created a cold water source that flows into the fisheries pond series. These ponds consist of Hinkson Slough, Bass Pond, Crappie Pond and North Pond. There are a total of 280 surface acres of water here that supports trout, largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish.
During the first 5 years of hatchery operation, Hinkson Slough was a very productive trout fishery with good holdover of trout from year to year and fabulous midge hatches. Trout growth and excellent fishing promoted special regulations which restricted harvest and allow fishing with artificial lures only. In the mid-1990s, the area became infested with carp and fishing suffered until 2001, when NDOW poisoned the carp and restocked the pond. Carp continued to be a problem in the lower ponds of the fishing series until 2004, when these units were dried up to eliminate the carp and restocked. The only carp that should reside there now are grass carp, introduced by NDOW to control aquatic weed growth. These fish are sterile and may now weigh up to 14 lbs. If you are lucky enough to catch and land one, do return it back to the water.
The season opener for the Wildlife Management area and Ft. Churchill Cooling Ponds each year is the second weekend of February. As of this writing, the area has been open for two weeks. Almost all of the fishing pressure in the area has been at Hinkson Slough or the Cooling Ponds. Very few anglers are keyed into North Pond, Bass Pond or Crappie Pond.
Jackie Baily, president of the Carson Fly-fishing Club said the water was pretty cold on February 21, when the club had a fish out on Hinkson Slough. Jackie said, "The fishing improved in the afternoon, with most anglers catching a few fish on wooly buggers or midges. It was a typical winter day with cold windy weather. Wes Ong, of Reno, tied into a nice rainbow the same day that looked to be around 18 inches. This is a good indication that there are some carryover trout from last years stocking. Most of the fish being caught are 10 to 13 inch rainbow from a plant of 1,500 fish in January.
My fishing buddy, retired game warden, Rich Ellington, fished the slough last Wednesday and picked up a few fish, with an indicator and midges. He expects the daily hookups to really increase when we get a couple of weeks of warm weather.
Each water in the area is unique and there are secrets to getting the most out of each water. Here are some tips to help you connect on your next outing.
Ft Churchill Cooling Ponds: This is a 200 surface acre pond where fishing is restricted to shore angling. The pond is used to cool the effluent from the Ft Churchill Power Plant and has warm water. This is the first place to offer early season largemouth bass fishing in western Nevada. Anglers do catch largemouth over 14 inches pitching crank baits and rubber worms. There is a good population of small channel catfish here and anglers use bait to catch good numbers of these fish. This is a rectangular pond, with no trees and arguably could be the ugliest place in the state to go fishing. Bring your own chair.
Hinkson Slough: You can catch fish from the main dike road, but this water is a great place to float your canoe, kayak or float tube and wander through the tule-lined canals. The bass are coming back and will begin to hit later this spring. To be successful, fish along the reeds at dawn and dusk when the bass are out on the prowl. For great trout action, hit the slough in late March through early June. On days where the wind isn't blowing too hard, there are midges of many different varieties hatching. Hang a couple of copper johns from a strike indicator and retrieve the flies very slowly.
North Pond: This water is big with 200 surface acres. It was constructed to be THE bass fishery for western Nevada and the bass are making a comeback from the low water of 2004. There were some 18 inch bass hooked here in 2008. This unit has a nice concrete boat ramp and restroom facilities. No one is fishing here and the unit was stocked with 4,000 rainbow trout in January according to hatchery manager, Doug Anderson. The spring trout fishing should be good here. Anglers should concentrate their efforts in the water along the dam. Weed growth will be a problem later this spring and both bass and trout anglers will have to use a boat or canoe to get around. The best fishing each day will be early and late. Channel catfish were planted here and show good growth. Fishing at night is allowed here and anglers who know how to catch catfish should do well.
Bass and Crappie Ponds: These small ponds are located between Hinkson Slough and North Pond. Sego Pondweed grows well here. The ducks love it, but it makes fishing tough. Both waters have good bass populations, but need to be fished early in the season.
You will need a canoe to get around in each of these units. Surface water plugs or weedless rubber worms work best here.
Fishing regulations differ for the waters discussed above, so check your regulations before you begin fishing. Camping on the Mason Valley Wildlife Management area is restricted to the Sandhill Campground near the main entrance to Hinkson Slough. Bring your own water and be prepared to pack out your garbage. If you're a hard core angler or bird watcher this is a great place to spend a nice spring weekend. Watch out for the turkeys crossing the road.