Fishing at Lava Butte

 Over the last few years, I have tried fishing in some beautiful and strange places. I have found that the main driver behind this, is simply curiosity. I look at a body of water and start to wonder what creatures are hidden there. Where would the fish be hiding in a particular pool or stream? What is it that these fish eat on a daily basis? These are but some of the questions that arise when I spot movement in the water.

This is what often leads me to strange places and the challenge of seeing if I can figure out what these fish want. I enjoy making videos where I test my skills to see what wild fish I can catch. One such spot is Lava Butte on the Las Vegas Creek. But this is where human nature baffles me once again. My videos in this location often receive harsh, dare I say crazy, feedback. From me being a government agent covering up chemical water treatment to planting the fish I catch there.

To be fair, this is where chemically treated grey-, and for a lack of a better description, brown-water gets reintroduced into the water supply for Lake Mead. The water does contain algae that feed on all the nutrients and chemicals in the area. To me, the bigger concern should be the untreated raw city run-off that gets dumped in the same spot. But that is why I don’t keep any fish from this area. Technically this water is safe, it runs straight into Lake Mead, as is. But I do always take extra care to avoid contact with the water.

The result is, in my opinion, a good spot to always find fish that other people seem to ignore. I have caught at least eight different species of fish from these waters. Being shallow in nature, one would not expect to find big fish here, but as clearly shown in the picture, there can be. Fighting these powerful fish on light tackle is an exhilarating experience. On second thought, I am a conspiracy government agent! You go ahead and leave this spot alone, leave the three-eyed mutant fish for me to catch.