There are 12 types of fish found in Lake Tahoe. The predominate game fish species—in order of popularity—are Mackinaw lake trout, Rainbow trout, Kokanee (Sockeye) Salmon, Brown trout and Lahonta Cutthroats. Non-native invasive game fish species include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, bluegill and brown bullheads. Lake Tahoe proper, as well as the surrounding tributaries, also support healthly populations for Brook trout and Mountain Whitefish.
Mackinaw (Lake trout)
Mackinaw are the largest and most popular game fish in Lake Tahoe. They average about 3-7 pounds, but the largest specimens can reach on the upwards of 35 pounds. They’re often found in the deeper water off shelves and near underwater points. Some of the largest Mackinaw catches have been reported along the West Shore.
Lake Tahoe Mackinaw can be fished year round but most trophy-sized trout are pulled from the lake between mid-April and June. July through September provides some of the best fishing of the year, but with the warmer weather you can expect a lot more anglers and fishing pressure.
The pre-winter months of October through November is one of my favorite seasons to be on Tahoe fishing for Mackinaw. It’s a bit colder, but pressure is low and the big fish are feeding. If you can handle winter temperatures you can catch some big Mackinaw from December through February, and it one of the few seasons you can target these big trout from shore.
To effectively fish Mackinaw you need to get your bait down deep using a downrigger with about 10 lbs of lead on your line. You want your bait about 2-5 feet off the bottom. Traditional guidance has been 5-7 feet up from the bottom, but in recent years a lot of Mackinaw are hitting rigs just off the bottom. Your main line should be a braid with a 25 foot fluorocarbon leader.
To get Mackinaws’ attention you want to do a few things. First, add a large flashy dodger about 12-18 inches up the line from your bait. Second—and most important—use a super bait filled with some nice bloody tuna and krill. If you fishing during the early morning when Mackinaw are most active, use a glow bait that lights up in the dark.
Kokanee (Sockeye) Salmon
Kokanee salmon are another prominent game fish in Lake Tahoe and its tributaries. They average between 1 and 2 pounds but can easily reach up to 5 lbs. They’re a landlocked anadromous sockeye species that’s usually a silver or blue color most of the year. As fall approaches, and kokanee prepare to spawn, they turn a vibrant red.
If you’re a fish eater, you’ll love Kokanee. Most anglers say Kokanee is their favorite samon to eat. It has the same texture and taste as regular sockeye but is a bit more delicate. I love all types of salmon and Kokanee is right up there next to Kings in my book.
Unless you’re fishing the tributaries during fall spawn—where you can literally scoop them up with a net—the key to catching Kokanee is finding them. An experienced guide can help you find Kokanee in no time, but if you’re going at it on your own I recommend a good sonar. Kokanee tend to run in schools and once you find a school it’s go time.
The most popular method for fishing Kokanee on Tahoe is trolling. The biggest benefit of trolling is that you can cover a lot of water quicky, and with Kokanee being a challenge to locate on Tahoe, trolling is the best place to start. Trolling with downriggers is the most effective way to get your line down where Kokanee are.
My go-to lure for trolling Kokanee is a skirted hoochie. A hoochie tipped with a kernal of white corn doused with a liberal amount of Pautzke Liquid Krill or other foul smelling attractant will encourage weary Kokanee to a commit and take your lure.
Once you locate a solid school of Kokanee with your sonar—or by trolling—vertical jigging from above with a bomber slab spoon is very effective. Kokanee are sensitive to smell—both good and bad—so don’t forget to add some liquid krill to your presentation. Just put a little dab on one side of your lure. A good liquid krill will mask any unwanted scent and mimic the smell of the mysis shrimp Kokanee feed on.
If you really want some Kokanee action, don’t miss out on the fall salmon run at Taylor Creek on Tahoe’s West shore. Kokanee start migrating up Taylor Creek in early September. The run lasts from September through October, but fishing is only open through September 30th. And only artificial lures with barbless hooks are permitted.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbows rank right up there with Kokanee and Mackinaw in terms of popularity among anglers. It’s really a toss up between the three fish species in my opinion. Rainbows in Lake Tahoe average between 2-6 lbs with trophy catches tipping the scales at 25 lbs. They have small mouths with silver sides and bellies.
A large portion of Tahoe’s
There are some great fishing spots on the Nevada side of the lake at Logan Shoals. Some big rocks there offer access to some deeper water and consistent rainbow populations. Really a great place to set up camp for the day and do some shore fishing. You’ll also find good rainbow fishing along the rocky shorelines of Tahoe’s California side just off HWY89 about 4 miles from Tahoe City.
The best time of year to target Tahoe Rainbows is Spring through late fall with the ideal months being May, September, and November. This is when water temperatures are ideal and trout are at their most active. Rainbow trout are stocked throughout the season so you’ll find ample populations of this fish year round. During the winter months you can find Rainbows feeding in shallower waters just off shore.
Rainbow trout will take a variety of small lures when toplining from shore or from boat. Jigging tight to the bottom using artificial lures, live minnows, or nightcrawlers will work for targeting both Rainbows and Mackinaw. Many of the larger fish tend to stick to the bottom.
Trolling a large hoochie (6-8″), or nightcrawler, followed by a flasher is great for targeting cruising trout.
Brown Trout
Lake Tahoe’s German Browns average from 3-5 lbs but record fish can reach over 15 lbs. They are yellow-brown to brown in color with halo type spots along their heads and backs. They are often found in brackish water near inlets and on the shallow rocky ends of the lake.
There are brown trout in Lake Tahoe, but they can be a bit elusive. They’re far less common than Mackinaw, Kokanee and Rainbows. I’ve pulled several Browns out of Tahoe, but I’ll typically catch one Brown for every twenty Rainbows—if I’m lucky.
If you want to increase your chance of catching a Brown start by fishing the dropoffs and structure along the shoreline. You can cast out away from the shore or cast from a boat toward the shore. Just remember, most of your Browns are going to be caught inshore. However, as water temperature rise during the summer they may move to deeper, cooler waters.
Brown trout will take a variety of baits including spinners, small spoons, powerbait, live minnows or crayfish, and flies (streamers/midges). And you can’t go wrong fishing a nightcrawler. They’ll take them too.
Browns prefer low-light conditions, so early morning or late evening are going to be your most productive hours. Getting out early and staying late will provide you the best opportunity of hooking a big Brown.
Cutthroat Trout
Lake Tahoe cutthroats range from 8 to 13 inches in length and can weight up to five pounds. They are the only trout species native to the Tahoe Basin. Lahonton Cutthroats are stocked intermittently by the California and Nevada departments of wildlife, but they are still a rare catch.
Topline trolling with nightcrawlers or fishing from shore using worms and salmon eggs are you two best techniques for targeting cutthroats in Tahoe. Unfortunately, you’ll likely catch more Rainbows and lake trout than you will cutthroats, even with the best presentation.
Most cutthroat that are pulled out of Tahoe by anglers are caught during the spring and summer.
Brook Trout
Brook trout are not common in Lake Tahoe proper but they are found in many of the high mountain streams, rivers and lakes in the surrounding Tahoe Basin. They’re a beautiful red speckled fish with absolutely stunning coloring and markings.
If you’re really interested in fishing for Brookies, I’d recommend skipping Lake Tahoe all together and just focusing on the small creeks and rivers within the Tahoe Basin.
You’ll find nearly 60 tributaries to Lake Tahoe within the basin—some fishable, some not. A few of the more popular creeks for fishing Brook trout include Blackwood, Meeks, Trout, Eagle and Cascade. You’ll find Brookies, Browns, and Rainbows in all of these streams.
Most of the Brook trout found in the Tahoe basin are going to be in the 6-10 inch range and come in under 1 lb. You’ll come across a few lunkers in the 2-3 pound range, but they’re the exception.
Brookies are easy enough to catch on spinning gear using small lures or worms. They’re also a popular target of fly anglers and will readily take a variety of dry flies.
The best fishing for Brook trout is during early summer after spring thaw when aquatic life is bustling and insect hatches are in full swing.
Mountain Whitefish
Mountain Whitefish are found in the deeper waters of Lake Tahoe swimming in schools of about 5 to 20 fish. However, they are more common in the surrounding rivers, lakes, and tributaries within the Tahoe Basin.
Whitefish are a bottom dwelling species that feeds on aquatic insects. In high mountain streams you’ll find them in deep holes with slow current during the warmest parts of the day.
And if you find one fish, you’ll find more. Even in rivers, Mountain Whitefish tend to hold and feed in the same areas. So once you find an active pocket, fish it until they stop biting.
Fly anglers fishing Mountain Whitefish in higher elevations of the Tahoe Basin typically target this fish using wet flies including beadhead nymph patterns such as Copper John and Prince Nymph.
Don’t forget, these fish are bottom feeders and you need to get your presentation down where they are. Add some split shot weights to your line to get it down quickly and then drift it at the same speed of the current to create a natural presentation.
For anglers using spinning gear you’ll need an ultralight rod real combo and a light line to drift fish small earthworms, maggots or mealworms on the bottom.
Largemouth Bass
Lake Tahoe isn’t reknown for its largemouth bass populations, but it certainly provides the opportunity to land some lunker bass catches if you know where to fish.
Largemouth bass are primarily found in the warm, shallow waters in the Tahoe Keys area along the south shore. They prefer shoreline vegetation habitats in about 5 to 15 feet of water. They are seldom found in deeper areas of Lake Tahoe.
The south shore is full of residential complexes and it can be a bit confusing as where to go to access the water. Just head to the intersection of Venice Blvd and 15th St and you’ll find some places to park and walk to the lake.
Largemouths are not native to Lake Tahoe and are believed to have been illegally introduced in the Tahoe Keys. They’re not too hard to catch and will take artificial lures including soft plastics, jerkbaits and a variety of topwaters.
They range from 3-8 lbs and can reach up to 18 inches.
Smallmouth Bass
Like largemouths, smallmouth bass are not native to Lake Tahoe, but once introduced they flourished. They range from 2-5 lbs and are about 10-12 inches long. While most anglers don’t visit Tahoe to target bass, they’re a fun fish to catch with the kids if you’re in the area.
Smallmouths are found in the same areas as largemouths, along the south shore and Tahoe Keys. They prefer warm, shallow waters between 5 and 10 feet deep and are rarely found elsewhere in the lake. Anywhere along the south shore where there’s ample structure and shoreline vegetation you’re likely to find ample bass populations.
Smallmouth bass will take many of the same lures as largemouths including nightcrawlers, flies, baitfish immitations, as well as baitfish themselves. Remember, all baitfish used to fish Lake Tahoe must be harvested from Lake Tahoe.
Brown Bullhead
Brown bullhead are not native to Lake Tahoe and not a fish that most anglers target. They are a warm-water invasive species found in small warm-water pockets along the south shore of the lake near Tahoe Keys.
Average Brown Bullhead catfish measure from 8 to 14 inches when fully grown and can weigh between 1 and 2 pounds. They typically feed near or on the bottom.
If you want to try your hand at hooking a Brown Bullhead, they’re easiest catch during the evening or night using nightcrawlers, angle worms, dead minnows, chicken liver and dough balls.
Black Crappie
Black Crappie are another warm-water invasive fish species that has found its way into Lake Tahoe. Any crappie in Lake Tahoe are going to be found in the shallow waters along the south end of the lake near the Tahoe Keys.
Full grown, crappie can reach 7-10 inches and weight between 1 and 2 pounds—although I haven’t seen many crappie over 1 1/2 pounds.
They’re most plentiful in the spring in the heavily vegetated shallows of South Lake Tahoe. During summer they’ll move to deeper, cooler waters.
Crappie love minnows—which are by far the most effective bait for catching this panfish. Fish a minnow under a bobber, with a small split shot to weigh the your line down, and you’ll attract bites. Crappie will also take small jigs, grubs, and soft plastics.
Bluegill
You’ll find plenty of bluegill in South Lake Tahoe in and around Tahoe Keys, the surrounding shallows, and the harbor leading out to the lake. Bluegill in Lake Tahoe reach 6-8 inches in length and typically weight about 1/4 to 3/4 lbs.
These little panfish are easy and fun to catch. All that’s required is an ultra light spinning rod real setup, some light line, a worm, and a worm hook—nothing more, and nothing to it. Fish the weed pockets along the shoreline surrounding the keys and harbor and you’ll come home with a bucketful of these tasty morsels.
When attaching your worm section to the hook make sure to run the hook all they way down the length of the worm, otherwise the bluegill will steal your bait without touching the hook.
