It’s time to catch fishing bug

The coyote showed absolutely no fear. She stood on the bank no less than 20 yards away at times and then followed us down the shoreline as we methodically worked the rocky ledges and outcroppings of Lake Mead's upper reaches for bass.

We figured she was looking for a free meal, and by the way she acted, it was obvious that humans had thrown her a morsel or two on more one than one occasion, which was no surprise on a lake where millions of people come to fish or go boating.

What was a surprise was how she reacted when the drag on my reel sang a short tune after my bait was hammered by a scrappy little smallmouth bass. The yodel dog, which had been walking away from us, wheeled around and made a beeline for the place on shore that came closest to the boat. She stood there with an eager look, but when it became obvious that I missed the fish, that coyote gave me the same disappointed look my black lab gives me when I miss a bird she flushed well within shooting range.

It was then we realized that the coyote somehow knew we were there to catch fish. She was hoping to get in on the action. Had she been equipped with opposable thumbs and a fishing rod, the coyote probably would have done well because the fishing was excellent.

While the coyote was looking for a handout, Tim Myers, president of the Nevada BASS Federation, was giving me a lesson in bass fishing.

My bass fishing career began quite by accident when I hooked a plump little bass while fly fishing for rainbow trout. Since then I have chased bass on several occasions but always with a fly rod. I couldn't pass up Myers' invitation to learn from a pro.

When we started fishing that morning, Myers handed me a fishing rod outfitted with a baitcasting reel and a crankbait with a silver-and-white color scheme. Myers could tell by the blank look on my face that I had never fished with a baitcaster so he gave me a quick lesson and turned the resistance up so I wouldn't create a nasty bird nest in the fishing line. It didn't take me long to figure out why bass anglers use a baitcasting rig. It can be summed up in one word -- control.

Myers took me to one of his favorite coves (sorry, I'm sworn to secrecy) and we began working the points and submerged rocks and ledges. After a half-dozen casts or so, Myers hooked a scrappy largemouth on a four-inch Powerworm fished on a drop shot rig. This rig puts the lead below the bait and keeps it off the bottom so fish can easily get at it, he said, and then he went back to catching fish.

While Myers kept working the worm, I was throwing the crankbait. He pointed to a small area and told me to cast about 10 feet so the crankbait would run parallel to the shoreline. The lure hit the water and within just a few turns of the reel handle a nice little smallmouth hammered the bait. Because this was the first smallmouth I had ever caught, their scrappy disposition surprised me. They fight much bigger than their size.

That was all I needed to keep going. We fished through the morning and caught about 25 fish between us -- both largemouth and smallmouth -- before noon. A couple of stripers showed some interest in the crankbait, but I missed them both.

Myers said the warm months are the time to be on the water, so if you have a hankering to wet a line, now's the time to get out there. For you striper fishermen, we did see some shad popping on the surface in an attempt to escape hungry stripers.

* WHIN BANQUET -- Wildlife Habitat Improvement of Nevada is having its 16th annual fundraising banquet June 9 at the Gold Coast. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. A Heritage tag for antelope will be auctioned, and there will be a raffle for new gear.

* FREE FISHING -- Saturday is Free Fishing Day in Nevada. The Nevada Department of Wildlife has scheduled fishing workshops and other related activities at Floyd Lamb State Park. The event begins at 9 a.m.

Doug Nielsen is an award-winning freelance writer and a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His column is published Thursday. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.