QUAGGA REMINDER

With the ice melting on northern waters, anglers are preparing their boats for the trip north and the Nevada Department of Wildlife is asking boaters to take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of quagga mussels from the Colorado River system to other waters.

Thoroughly clean, drain and dry your boat, trailer and towing vessel before traveling to another water.

EAGLE VALLEY RESERVOIR

The ice is no longer safe, but anglers can fish by standing on the dock and drilling holes through the adjacent ice. Fishermen have been averaging three to five trout per day using worms or PowerBait.

ECHO CANYON RESERVOIR

Echo is nearly full and should receive a load of rainbow trout in the next week or two. As the water warms in spring crappie can generally be caught in the narrows at the upper end of the reservoir.

For hold-over rainbows try Mepp's or Panther Martin spinners and PowerBait.

LAKE MEAD

Windy conditions have again hampered fishing activity. A handful of trout were caught following the Nevada Department of Wildlife trout plant at Hemenway and Saddle Cove (B-5 Road).

Those waiting for big stripers to show up for the plants were disappointed. Anglers participating in a striper tournament over the weekend caught some nice fish - one weighed nearly 10 pounds.

Most of the fish were caught by anglers who were trolling. The action in the Las Vegas Wash area has slowed down though some fish are still taking bait and hardware.

LAKE MOHAVE

Finally, there is good news out of Willow Beach. Striper anglers have been catching fish on large baits like the Spro BBZ -1 and AC plugs designed to resemble trout.

One angler reportedly caught a pair of striped bass that weighed in at 20 and 32 pounds. The recent catch also includes numerous fish weighing from four to 11 pounds. Anglers have been catching the fish both up and downriver from Willow Beach.

Anglers have also been catching stripers as large as nine pounds near Aztec Wash and Placer Cove. Trout anglers have been catching fish on spinners and PowerBait.

Reports from Cottonwood Cove say the fishing remains only poor to fair. The storm that blew through over the weekend slowed fishing activity.

Some anglers have netted striped bass while trolling with prepared bait. Bass anglers found success for bucket mouths during a recent tournament.

The winning five-fish limit weighted in at 17 pounds and change. The big fish pushed seven pounds. The fish were caught on top- and shallow-water lures in water less than 20 feet deep.

LAUGHLIN

Fishing activity is still slow at the southern end of Lake Mohave though bass fishing should pick up shortly.

Anglers are still catching stocked rainbow trout along the Colorado River from Davis Dam to Casino Row. The fish have been taking spinners, PowerBait and worms.

WAYNE E. KIRCH WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA

Winds have battered the management area, slowed fishing activity and held water temperatures in the low 40s. The water in the area's reservoirs is murky and fishing action is slow to fair.

The department has stocked rainbow trout in Adams-McGill, Cold Springs and Haymeadow reservoirs. The roads and campground are dry.

URBAN PONDS

High winds have made fishing difficult at the urban ponds. Small Panther Martin or Mepp's spinners are generally a good hardware choice.

Bait fishermen may want to try a mini marshmallow followed by a worm, rainbow PowerBait or PowerEggs in a variety of colors.

The department planted trout in each of the ponds last week. Plans call for one more plant during the week of March 24; however, water temperatures that already exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit could preclude the final plant in all but the pond at Floyd Lamb Park.