Bowman Reservoir

 The more I learn about fishing, the more I realize just how little I know or understand about it. It makes sense that a largemouth bass in a highland’s reservoir would act different from one in a brackish water lagoon. But how would it differ? What effect does the altitude have and how does that change the feeding behaviors? These are not questions one would ask when exploring the local park ponds, but rather when traveling around.

The time and effort an angler puts into exploring a new location can be challenging. Every location has its own unique criteria that changes the way you approach catching fish. I believe this is why many fishermen will stick to that one spot they found to work. Why go to a new spot and struggle when you already know this one? Why reinvent the wheel? There is nothing wrong with this point of view, but for me personally, my why is to grow. To learn more. To be able to adapt to any location to make the most of it.

This brings me to Bowman Reservoir as shown in the picture. Not that far from Lake Mead but a bit higher in the mountains. I was excited to do some fishing here, a new spot might be your new favorite or have some new species to catch. The water is clean but has a milky look from minerals in the surrounding area. The calm water made it easy to see the odd fish leap out the water. After spotting some carp jumping, the first rod that made it out had some corn and the second followed with baits for catfish.

By the time the wife and I started setting up our second rods for bass fishing, a strong wind swept up out of nowhere. Not deterred by this, we kept fishing for a couple of hours. Ultimately, we admitted defeat and made are way to another spot for fishing. It would thus be easy to say this is a terrible fishing destination, but that would be highly inaccurate. We did see loads of fish around, but failing to catch any is not the fault of the reservoir. In a couple hours I only learned that this body of water is different from what I know. It is up to the angler to explore and figure out how to unlock the secrets of any new location.