Crittenden Reservoir, Nevada
Fishing at Crittenden over the years has always proven to be an adventure. The gravel road leading to this oasis in the Nevada desert has counted many a coup on anglers. Avoiding cattle, navigating slippery bentonite roads after a rainstorm, and risk of a flat tire are all challenges an angler faces before making the first cast.
Stagecoach heading down the road at Crittenden
This remote cattle ranch located 20 miles north of Montello, Nevada, provides a sense of the west as it once was. I am struck by the beauty of this fishery especially with the backdrop of magnificent sunsets. While you lose yourself in your own thoughts, the solitude is interrupted by the call of coyotes.
Crittenden at sunset
This location has no cell phone service – you are completely off the grid. I rely on my satellite GPS at Crittenden to provide me updates on weather conditions.
My first few days at Crittenden began with challenging high winds left over from the storms impacting Nevada, Utah, and southern Wyoming. High waves pounded the shoreline and stirred up silt creating milky and muddy conditions along the shorelines.
The fish moved away from the shallow shoreline areas deeper into the water column to seek shelter from the crashing waves above. Very few anglers were on the water. Most had already left to escape these stormy conditions.
After a few days, the strong winds subsided and crashing waves were transformed to a moderate chop on the surface.
Choppy water
Trout were feeding three feet below the surface. Under these conditions I trolled my slow sink intermediate camo line using my Black Predator Bugger. I found this combination productive in catching many hard-hitting trout.
Trout caught on Vickie’s Predator Bugger
On the third day, the wind completely ceased leaving clear, flat conditions and supporting few calliabaetis hatches. Trout moved into the shallow section of the lake feeding in depths of 5-7 feet beyond the muddy waters that remained next to the shoreline.
Natural springs feed the lake with crystal-clear water which covers an underwater forest of willow skeletons on the north end of the lake. Fish feed under and around these structures.
Underwater willows
While fishing this area can be productive, it is no time to use light tippets. Trout hit hard and immediately head for the safety underneath the massive willow matrix. If trout are allowed any leeway, they will wrap your tippet around a willow branch and escape with your fly, leaving you with only a broken tippet.
Caught on Vickie’s Black UV Crystal Pupa
To land these aggressive trout, I use a 0X, 19.5-pound nylon leader and a 1X 15.9-pound tippet. In addition, because the water is so clear, I extend the length of my tippet to 15 feet.
Pupa rising to the surface caught the attention of feeding trout . Switching to my slow intermediate sink tip, the trout devoured my Black UV Crystal Pupa.
I will return to Crittenden Reservoir this fall. You are invited to join me. To see my schedule, click here.
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