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Bull
Run
Elko County, Nevada
When a guy finds that magical fishing hole he's dreamed about for years, he might weigh the consequences of sharing his fish tales with others. But a guy who catches a lot of fish, or a few big ones, can't keep his trap shut forever. He's got to brag a little. So, consequences be what they may, here's the long-awaited fish tale.
This is Bull Run Reservoir in beautiful northern Elko County. Having already been camping out in the wild country of northern Nevada for three days with lack-luster fishing, we were anticipating hitting Bull Run and having great success.
To reach Bull Run Reservoir, you must be willing to walk a couple miles from the road. The reservoir is on private ranch land. The locals all told us the same story: "Walk in if you would like--the ranch doesn't want any vehicles on their property. But don't expect to catch much there. At the request of the land owners, the state stopped stocking if years ago."
Excited to get started, we loaded our essentials in our packs; water, tackle, bait, etc., and began the walk to the water. A few hundred yards into it I realized that, in our excitement, we had forgotten our fishing poles. So I ran back to the truck while Ryan waited.
The surroundings were spectacular. At this time of year, all of the high country in northern Nevada is aglow with wildflowers. A relatively level walk down to the lake, our pace was reasonably fast, but not so fast that we couldn't enjoy the views in all directions... snow capped mountains on all sides, the wildflowers, the pelicans on the lake, and the lake itself.
Ryan had visited Bull Run a month or so earlier with some friends and assured me that I'd be wasting valuable time by fishing in the reservoir. When we reached the spillway I could see that if there was a self-populating trout fishery in Bull Run River, it ended there. So downstream we ventured. The river is broad and deep by Nevada standards and appears ideal trout habitat. The following pictures tell the rest of the story.
We wrestled a bit with the idea of featuring this spot on desertislands.org. We agreed that heavy traffic would not only deplete the natural fishery in Bull Run River, but that increased human traffic might bother the land owners to the point that even foot traffic could be prohibited. We urge any who venture to Bull Run to honor the wishes of the land owners and show respect for the unspoiled setting. The folks at the bar in nearby Jack Creek reminisced about the days when Bull Run was open to the public but agreed that the fencing and apparent "closure" was a prudent decision on the part of the land owners. We concur.
Click the thumbnails below to view large, high resolution images.
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