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Best brown trout lakes in Nevada

14 Nevada waters hold brown trout, 1 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.

1. Lake Tahoe — 1634 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
2. Wild Horse Reservoir — 70 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
3. South Fork Reservoir — 67 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish
4. Topaz Lake — 92 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
5. Comins Lake — 14 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
6. Truckee River (Nevada) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
7. Wall Canyon Reservoir — 21 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
8. Eagle Valley Reservoir — 43 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
9. Spooner Lake — 13 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
10. Sparks Marina — 100 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
11. Squaw Valley Reservoir — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
12. Illipah Reservoir — 50 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
13. Cave Lake — 60 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
14. Virginia Lake — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout

When to fish brown trout in Nevada

• Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
• Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
• Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.

Also in Nevada: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes

Brown Trout elsewhere: Minnesota · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · Connecticut · Utah · Colorado · New York · Wisconsin · Arizona · Tennessee · Missouri · Maine · Pennsylvania