Best cutthroat trout lakes in Nevada
8 Nevada waters hold cutthroat trout. 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. The native trout of the West, named for the orange slash under its jaw. A shoreline cruiser that hunts drop-offs, inlets and rocky points for baitfish and insects.
- Pyramid Lake — 358 ft max · Cutthroat Trout
- Walker Lake — 69 ft max · Cutthroat Trout
- Willow Creek Reservoir — 17 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Channel Catfish, Cutthroat Trout
- Marlette Lake — 33 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout
- Truckee River (Nevada) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
- Spooner Lake — 13 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
- Catnip Reservoir — 10 ft max · Cutthroat Trout
- Verdi Lake — 85 ft max · Cutthroat Trout
When to fish cutthroat trout in Nevada
- Spring 3–15 ft — Pre- and post-spawn cutthroat gang up at tributary mouths and cruise gravel shorelines — swing a spinner or fly through the inlet current.
- Summer 10–35 ft — Summer cutthroat hold along the first shoreline drop and off rocky points, sliding deeper as the surface warms — troll or cast the 15-30 ft edge.
- Fall 5–25 ft — Cooling water brings cutthroat back onto rocky points and gravel shoals to feed hard before winter.
- Winter 10–40 ft — Cold-tolerant like all trout — cutthroat hang on the deep shoreline drops and basin edges through the cold months.
Also in Nevada: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes
Cutthroat Trout elsewhere: Montana · Wyoming · Washington · Utah · Colorado · Idaho