Fishing the city of Mesquite

 A few miles northeast of the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas streets is a small city called Mesquite. This city has been around for more than 220 years, yet as of the 2019 census, there is only a population of 18 446. It is, by all standards, a small city, giving it a relaxed, almost town-like feel. Situated next to the Arizona boulder on Interstate 15, the casinos and rest stops seemingly hug the highway giving the rest of the city a more rural look. Most human settlements are founded near a source of water, and through the heart of the city runs the Virgin River.

It was this river that drew me to this location. The Virgin River runs from Zion National Park and snakes its way down to join the Muddy river in flowing into Lake Mead. This conjures up images of rivers filled with trout preying on grasshoppers. In reality, the river is shallow and almost looks devoid of life. After all, we are in a desert with some areas in the river being only a few inches deep. The river has the odd fish in it, but it is hard to find some deep fishable holes. Large sections of the river do not provide any access, and few barely do.

Instead, we made our way to the local park pond. It is this, Hafen Lane Park pond, displayed in the picture. Like many ponds in the Clark County area, this one does get the annual stocking of Channel Catfish and Rainbow Trout. Thus, some people see this spot as a hidden gem, but the vast majority often feel disappointed when not catching any fish. I think it is the expectation that the fishing should be easy that causes the disappointment. Only by trial and error does it get easier.

It was after several hours of fishing that I finally landed a stocked trout. The trout were constantly being chased by cormorants, and it was a lucky break to have such a stressed fish go for my baits. It is only by spending time out there, observing and testing to find the right patterns, that you would not need luck to catch these fish. It is true that the 2020 pandemic affected the stocking of this and many other ponds, which only added to the problem. But we should never measure the fish-ability of a body of water, based on our knowledge because we can never know everything, and nowhere will then ever make the cut.