Your father-in-law’s not alone. Las Vegas, like most other places in the world, is full of fishermen, desert or no desert. A good place to start in your search for information is the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which caters to local fishermen with its weekly "Fishing Report," providing anecdotal evidence of where they’re biting currently; check it out in Thursday’s Sports section and online at www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-22-Thu-2001/sports/17512531.html.
For the general lay of the land, 40 miles from the city is Lake Mead, North America's largest reservoir. At Lake Mead, largemouth bass, catfish, black crappie, and rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout have for decades been the mainstays of the fishing scene. These days, though, striped bass provide the sport; occasionally, a striper is caught that weighs in at more than 40 pounds, though they're more commonly around three to five pounds. Striped and largemouth bass are fished all over the lake, while crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, and catfish are more prevalent in Overton Arm, at the upper part of the lake.
Closer to home and much smaller and more tame is Sunset Park Pond, located at Sunset Park near McCarran Airport. The pond is roughly 14 acres around and 12 feet deep; it’s stocked with rainbow trout from the Lake Mead Hatchery in the winter and spring. Anglers congregate on the shoreline (all flotation devices are prohibited), casting for trout and catfish, mostly, as well as bluegill, sunfish, crappie, and largemouth bass.
Smaller ponds stocked from Lake Mead Hatchery are found at Floyd Lamb State Park, Lorenzi Park, and in Boulder City.
Reservoirs in southeastern Nevada within 100 or so miles of Las Vegas include Eagle Valley Reservoir, Echo Canyon Reservoir, and the Kirch Wildlife Management Area.
As for permits, the license year runs from March 1 to February 28/29. There are a variety of licenses to choose from: resident and non-resident, regular, junior, one-day, season, etc. The easiest way to see the requirements is by going to the Nevada Department of Wildlife Web site: http://ndow.org/about/license/special.shtm.
You fill out an application (available at the above Web site or by appearing at the Las Vegas office at 4747 Vegas Drive), supplying name, address, physical description, driver’s license number, Social Security number, and date of birth required.
A regular fishing license for the season, if you’re 16 or older, is $69. A one-day fishing permit is $18, with $7 each for additional days.
There are some special circumstances (such as a trout stamp, which is only required for a regular license, and a Nevada stamp, required for the Colorado River and Lakes Mead and Mohave), so inquire.
