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There is a place in north-western Nevada called Big Spring Reservoir.
I have caught plenty of fish from this reservoir on previous fishing
trips. It is said the springs here are fed from the Steins
Mountains, some 100 miles North. The drive to Big Spring is along
highway 140 from Winnemucca, Nevada to Lakeview, Oregon.
There is a large herd of donkeys that live in the wild along this
drive. I have seen the herd grow from just 8-10 animals to the
current population of over 30. |
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There are also some wild horses that normally range further north, in
higher country. However, with the extreme cold this winter I see the
herd has moved further south. |
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The temperature this morning was -10 degrees on my trusty Dodge Outside
Temperature Monitoring Device (DOTMD). This picture was taken from
the center area of the reservoir and looking south. There is quite a
bit of acreage to the reservoir. |
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This picture is looking north from the same location as above. |
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So, I began to drill holes. The first hole I drilled was 18" of ice
and then mud. Yup, the reservoir was froze solid at this location.
So I moved to another spot. |
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The absolute deepest portion of the reservoir was a mere 24-28 inches
deep, with 18 inches of that measurement being ice. I drilled
14 holes to discover my final calculations. |
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Oh well, it was a beautiful day and I wasn't about to drive 132 miles,
drill 14 holes, and not get my line wet. At this location I
concluded I was fishing in about 6-8 inches of water, hoping there were
several fish still alive. I didn't catch anything, but the weather
great. I left the reservoir around noon and I was down to my
first layer of shirts - just an absolutely beautiful day.
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The spring leaving the reservoir area (Big Spring Creek) was surprisingly
un-frozen. I wonder if there is a little temperature added from
underground activities. Never know.
No fish, but, coupled with great weather, junk food, and a hot cup of
coffee - I couldn't have asked for anything more. |