Lake Tahoe, CA/NV

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Where to start

Callibaetis (Speckled Dun) window is on — see the hatch outlook

Max 1634 ft

Know this water and see something off?

Hatch outlook

Callibaetis (Speckled Dun)Active window

Typical here: May 1 – Oct 1 · multi-brood; a documented midsummer lull when surface temps push fish deep

nymphthe hours before the midday emergence — nymphs rise off the weed tops in a vertical zigzag that can take hours — sources split between slow 2–4 inch strips with long pauses and a quicker steady retrieve; carry both speeds
dunmidday, roughly 11am into early afternoon
spinnermid-to-late-morning falls

Trout browse the weed-bed edges knocking nymphs loose, then cruise the flats sipping duns at midday — the marquee western lake mayfly.

The midday emergence puts cruisers over weed flats in under 20 ft: a casting bubble with a #14 Callibaetis nymph retrieved dead-slow with pauses is the honest match. Between hatch hours, small spoons and #1 inline spinners along the weed edges and drop-offs pick off the same fish.

The event happens over weed flats and weed-bed edges in 20 ft of water or less

Damselfly migrationActive window

Typical here: May 25 – Aug 31 · Davis peaks around the third week of June; Crowley runs through July

nymphdaytime, over days to weeks — the event is the shoreward swim: nymphs leave the deep weed beds and migrate toward shore to crawl out, swimming with a sinuous sidewinder motion in the top two feet — retrieve TOWARD shore in small slow strips with pauses, nearly unweighted so it stays in the strike zone
adultsummer days over and around the weed beds — still on the menu into early September

The marquee visual event of western stillwaters — fish follow the migration into the shallows and 'shark' in behind a swimming nymph a few inches under the surface.

The best conventional window on western lakes: fish herd olive nymphs along the weedlines in a few feet of water. Work the smallest olive and gold spoons and #1–2 spinners slowly ALONG the weed edge and toward shore — direction matters, the naturals all swim shoreward. Everything happens in the top 2 ft.

peak migration flurries run days at a stretch inside the multi-week window

The event happens over shallow weed flats and weedlines, migrating toward shoreline tules, timber and other crawl-out structure

Chironomids (stillwater midges)Active window

Typical here: Apr 25 – Oct 31 · end of April to the end of October at Crowley — the main food source for the entire season

nymphearly morning, start of the day — fish the bloodworm ON the bottom — 4–6 inches off the mud before the emergence starts
pupathe cool morning hours are prime — as the emergence builds, slide the pupa up to 12–15 inches off bottom under the indicator; a little wind chop does the jigging

Concentrates by DEPTH BAND and mud type, not a fixed spot: roughly 20–25 ft in spring, deeper midsummer, in against the feeder creeks in summer heat, 5–25 ft in fall. Match the band.

This one translates almost perfectly: a slip float with a 1/64–1/100 oz midge-pattern jig set 4–15 inches off bottom over a mud flat, dead-sticked with the chop doing the work. Depth control is everything — no moving lure imitates a hanging pupa; the float rig IS the technique.

The event happens over open mud flats alongside weedlines, channels and basin edges; feeder-creek mouths in summer heat

Grasshoppers (east-side summer)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Sep 30 · the East Walker and Upper Owens terrestrial program

adultall day in high summer, best when afternoon wind knocks bugs onto the water

Pulls fish to the windward grassy banks and edges for months — fish the bank the wind blows ONTO.

The friendliest crossover of the summer: on lakes, drift the windward bank with a bubble-and-foam-hopper — the bubble's splash doesn't hurt a hopper presentation. On rivers, the same rig dead-drifted along the undercut grass banks, or small gold spinners under the banks between rises.

The event happens over grassy banks, undercut edges and windward shorelines

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are interpolated from real agency depth surveys (state DNR / USACE). Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Lake Tahoe

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Lake Tahoe on the board.

Fishing Lake Tahoe: what the data says

122,958-acre lake near South Lake Tahoe. 1,634 ft deep on the California-Nevada line and one of the clearest, deepest lakes in North America. Trophy mackinaw off the deep ledges; kokanee, rainbow and brown trout up in the column The lake tops out around 1634 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

The outline encloses 122,979 acres, worked by 89.2 miles of shoreline, broken up by an island. With a 1.8 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 1% of this chart. The basin spans about 22.3 mi end to end and 12.3 mi across at its widest. Placer County claims this one. Spooner Lake sits 7 mi east — the closest neighbouring chart.

Lake Trout fishing at Lake Tahoe

When the water first warms, lake trout slide up into 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 50 to 120 ft game here, winter a 20 to 80 ft one. Start at Offshore hump. It's an offshore hump holding about 94 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (39 ft)	Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow)
Summer	50 to 120 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (94 ft)	White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger
Fall	10 to 50 ft	dusk & dawn	Offshore hump (35 ft)	Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (51 ft)	White tube jig, Airplane jig

Kokanee fishing at Lake Tahoe

Early season kokanee use the shallows, holding in 10 to 30 ft. Summer is a 30 to 70 ft game here, winter a 20 to 80 ft one. The chart's best answer is Marlette Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 37 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (1634 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (51 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	Marlette Creek inflow (37 ft)	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (51 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Tahoe

Spring rainbow trout on Lake Tahoe hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. Put Shoreline point first on the milk run — a point near 26 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow flat (9 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Marlette Creek inflow (37 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (26 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Marlette Creek inflow (37 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brown Trout fishing at Lake Tahoe

In spring, brown trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. Marlette Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 37 ft, rated prime for winter brown trout. Time it for after dark and early morning. You won't need more than a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (26 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	Offshore hump (51 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Shoreline point (26 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Marlette Creek inflow (37 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Notable structure

The chart marks 37 structure features on Lake Tahoe; the deepest is Deep basin at about 1634 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 1634 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 1553 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 1530 ft
Steep shore break: drop-off, around 236 ft
Secondary point: point, around 216 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 94 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 83 ft
Steep shore break: drop-off, around 83 ft
Deep break: drop-off, around 73 ft
Madden Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 59 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 59 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 59 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 58 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 51 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Lake Forest Public Access — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Lake Tahoe fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for California waters are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Lake Tahoe specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official California fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Tahoe?

Lake Tahoe is about 1634 ft (498 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.

What fish are in Lake Tahoe?

Anglers target lake trout, kokanee, rainbow trout, brown trout on Lake Tahoe.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Tahoe?

Offshore hump is the top-rated area: an offshore hump in about 94 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Lake Tahoe?

For lake trout, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Tahoe?

Fishing on Lake Tahoe is regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official California regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Spooner Lake 7 mi, NV · Marlette Lake 10 mi, NV · Rubicon Reservoir 12 mi, CA · Hobart Reservoir 12 mi, NV · Buck Island Lake 13 mi, CA · Lake Aloha 16 mi, CA · American Lake 17 mi, CA · Washoe Lake 19 mi, NV · Scotts Lake 23 mi, CA · Cascade Lakes, Upper 25 mi, CA · Crater Lake 26 mi, CA · White Rock Lake 29 mi, CA

See how Lake Tahoe stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in California · best brown trout lakes in California · best kokanee lakes in California

Browse all California fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.