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Comins Lake: Storm Odds Friday, Cool Ely Nights & Trout Dawn
Steptoe Valley WMA · near Ely · Fri Oct 2 – Sun Oct 4, 2026 · bank / kayak / boat · times PT
Early October on Comins Lake — cool dawn windows, quiet weather, and a Fri–Sun bite that rewards first light before weekend traffic builds.
Midweek outlook
NWS band pull (middle / Topaz representative) — applied to Comins Lake keeps a quiet early-October pattern for this Friday Cast window (Fri–Sun) at Comins Lake. Friday ~90°F / ~56°F, patchy smoke, wind SW 5 to 10 mph. Saturday ~89°F / ~57°F, sunny, wind E 0 to 10 mph. Sunday ~89°F / ~58°F, mostly sunny, wind N 0 to 10 mph. Storm chances stay near zero across the window. Reader clocks below are PT (water-local).
For trout: lean first light through mid-morning on windward points, creek arms, and ramp-adjacent structure before afternoon warmth or breeze rearranges the bite. Weekend recreational pressure usually runs heavier than midweek — no named B.A.S.S. / FLW / ABA trail event pulled for this water on Oct 2–4.
Friday Oct 2
- Patchy Smoke — fish the cool dawn window first
- Sunrise 6:55 AM · Sunset 6:35 PM PT
- Best bite: first light–mid-morning on points and creek mouths
Saturday Oct 3
- Sunny; use any breeze for windward presentations
- Sunrise 6:56 AM · Sunset 6:33 PM PT
- Best bite: dawn shallow; mid-day slide deeper if the sun climbs hard
Sunday Oct 4
- Mostly Sunny — another clean fall day; expect more weekend traffic
- Sunrise 6:57 AM · Sunset 6:32 PM PT
- Best bite: first light again before the Sunday crowd piles on
Window note
- Monday trend: watch the local NWS grid for cool-down or wind shift
- No storm train flagged for this corridor at pull
- Clarity unconfirmed; protected arms often fish clearer after calm nights
Dam / level cheat sheet
Comins Lake had no live USGS elev/storage series on this Sunday-night pull. Treat NDOW / Steptoe Valley WMA access notes, the west-side concrete ramp condition, and on-site visual pool cues as the failover board — no guessed number on this thin board. Soft thin-board notes only. Lead trout with warmwater mix secondary. Schedules can change without notice.
| Node | Pull snapshot | Ops signal | Bite context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comins Lake Steptoe Valley WMA |
: level thin No live USGS elev/storage at pull |
Failover: NDOW Comins guide + on-site ramp Confirm west-side ramp before launch |
Fish west-ramp points and weed/brush edges you can prove |
| West-side concrete ramp NDOW access |
Public hub for this pin | Confirm condition / access live | Dawn first light is the trout window when storms allow |
| Mon storm chance NWS LKN |
~59% storms Mon · cool nights ~30°F | Lightning = get off the water | Tue–Wed sunny cool mornings are the prize |
Honest thin board: No live USGS elev/storage for Comins at this pull. Confirm NDOW Comins / Steptoe Valley WMA notes and west-ramp condition before you go.
Main lake Fri–Sun
- Friday storm lulls: west-ramp edges at first light
- Tue–Wed sunny cool mornings: classic Comins trout window
- Level thin — confirm the west-side ramp before you trailer
Safety
- Lightning Friday is the hard stop
- Ely-country nights near 30°F — dress in layers for dawn
- Watch soft shoulders and private edges near WMA access
How to fish it
Bank
Comins west-side public ramp corridor and legal Steptoe Valley WMA shoreline are the weekday bank plays — dawn walk-and-cast with a small spoon or Rooster Tail while Friday’s storm chance softens the light. Saturday–Sunday clear cool mornings are the prize. Skip private edges, confirm WMA access rules live, watch slick mud after cells, and give trailer traffic room at the west ramp. Soft weekday pressure still favors first light over a busy midday stretch.
Kayak
Comins suits a kayak on calm Saturday–Sunday mornings more than a Friday thunder day. Launch from the west-side concrete ramp when open, work 6–14 ft weed and brush edges at first light for trout, and duck to shore when thunder starts. Wear a PFD, keep the paddle inside a short reverse distance, and stay clear of the trailer lane at the apron. Confirm ramp and water level visually — the live elev board was thin at pull.
Boat
Idle out of the west ramp at first light when access is open, graph weed and brush edges for bait, and stay mobile. Friday: fish cell edges and any lee bank that stays castable. Saturday–Sunday: classic cool sunny trout mornings. Soft recreational pressure midweek; confirm ramp and level visually before you commit. A compact west-ramp circuit — two edges and a cove — beats a long roam when the board is thin and storms can rebuild fast.
Lure box
Top
- Small spoons / Kastmasters at dawn
- Dry fly or hopper on calm banks when rises show
- Skip hard topwater in heavy rain
Mid
- Rooster Tail / Panther Martin along weed edges
- Soft hackle / nymph under indicator
- Stickbait slow-rolled mid-column
Bottom
- Weighted nymphs / eggs near bottom
- Jig + mealworm / PowerBait where legal
- Small tube for secondary warmwater on brush
Trout life stage
Early October on Comins is early-fall trout season with a warmwater mix secondary — cool Ely nights near 30°F and a Friday storm chance favor first-light feeding, then a midday slide under sunny Saturday–Sunday skies. Lead trout honestly.
Natural forage
Most-likely menu: midges/mayflies where present, baitfish along weed edges, and crawfish on harder bottom. Hatch reports are thin — match size to what you see. After Friday storms, expect slightly stained water near inlets.
Also hot / also in season
Largemouth — secondary on warmer brush edges with small swimbaits. Confirm NDOW / WMA regs before you keep fish.
Heavy Traffic
Fri Oct 2 – Sun Oct 4: no named national trail event pulled for Comins this midweek window. Soft recreational at the west ramp. Boat counts are not posted — treat pressure as soft weekday recreational unless a named event is on the calendar.
Pressure note: fish early, give trailer traffic room at the public ramp, and stay civil around bank anglers. Soft midweek recreational is the default when no named event is on the board.
Ethanol-free fuel · Pure-Gas.org E0 · this water
Closest Pure-Gas.org ethanol-free listings near Comins Lake (stations only — verify grade at the pump; listings can change):
- R Place — 909 E Altman, Ely, NV (~7.9 mi) · ethanol-free SHELL 88
- Raines — 901 N Main St, Eureka, NV (~66.6 mi) · ethanol-free UNBRANDED 87
- Maverik #681 — 1020 N Florence Way, West Wendover, NV (~116.8 mi) · ethanol-free MAVERIK 88
- Shell Gasoline — 266 Spring Creek Parkway, Spring Creek, NV (~118.0 mi) · ethanol-free SHELL 88
No pump prices in this Cast. Confirm ethanol-free grade at the pump if that matters for your motor.
Looking ahead
Thursday trends sunny near 79°F under light air — a soft extension of Sunday. Next 1–3 weeks: nights stay cold; trout windows stay dawn-first. Confirm west-ramp access before every trailer run.
Regs: NDOW / Steptoe Valley WMA rules (live). Confirm Comins special notices in the NDOW angler guide.
On the water this window
Idle a known edge at a slow pace before the first cast and mark bait height on the graph. If bait is up in the top few feet at dawn, start with a faster search bait; if the cloud is down on the break, go mid-column or bottom first. Re-scan after lunch — the same edge often looks empty on the graph once the sun is overhead even when fish are still there in the shade of cover or rock.
Any storm chance midweek is the pattern breaker: if cells fire, fish the edges carefully and get off the water for lightning. A stained inlet the morning after rain can outproduce a clear main-lake flat for a day or two. Keep the live Nevada regs page bookmarked — slot and length rules do not care how long your drive was.
Access pulse
Public ramps are the honest gate on this water — confirm hours, fees, and ramp condition before you trailer, especially after any overnight weather. Soft mud, unmarked rock, and drawdown shelves are the usual desert-reservoir tax. Give trailer traffic room at the apron, idle in no-wake zones, and leave private docks alone.
Carry a simple plan B: if the primary ramp is crowded or closed, have a second legal public access in mind and stick to a second legal public access rather than crossing posted land. Midweek recreational pressure is usually light enough that the first legal ramp you planned is still the right call.
Reader checklist
Before you leave the driveway: confirm the public ramp is open, pull the latest NWS day card for your launch hour, and confirm the level board named in the Dam / level cheat sheet. Soft boards and storm odds change overnight — the Cast is a Sunday-night snapshot, not a substitute for the live page.
On the water, start with one honest search pass at first light, then slow down only when bait or birds prove the spot. Midday under sunny highs is when most anglers grind empty shallows — slide deeper, find shade, or switch to a finesse presentation rather than repeating the same empty bank cast. End the day with a quick gear rinse and a note about what actually produced, so Friday’s Cast window starts smarter.
Shared safety once more: life jacket on, lightning means leave, and private docks stay private. Desert reservoirs reward the prepared angler and punish the rushed one — especially when Friday’s storm odds and Sunday’s heat bookend the same short midweek window.
Sources
NWS Elko (LKN) point forecast (Sunday night PT pull) · NDOW Comins Lake angler guide · Steptoe Valley WMA · NWS LKN · USGS elev/storage thin at pull — confirm on site before you launch · Pure-Gas.org ethanol-free station listings · Trail calendars skimmed for named events (none confirmed for this window). Schedules change — confirm before launch.