South Fork Reservoir Depth Map & Fishing Spots (NV)

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 on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at South Fork Reservoir

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Fishing South Fork Reservoir: what the data says

1,593-acre reservoir near Elko County. The lake tops out around 67 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

Traced from the shoreline, South Fork Reservoir runs 1,550 acres with 11.4 miles of edge — 2 islands included. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 2.1) — enough points and pockets to pattern. 50% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Call it 3.3 mi long by 1.5 mi wide at the broadest reach. You'll find it in Elko County. For a second option, Lamoille Lake lies 20 mi east.

Rainbow Trout fishing at South Fork Reservoir

In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring rainbow trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (17 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (30 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brown Trout fishing at South Fork Reservoir

When the water first warms, brown trout slide up into 3 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Keep a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (30 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Smallmouth Bass fishing at South Fork Reservoir

The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 20 to 45 ft for winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (30 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (17 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Break off the point (30 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Largemouth Bass fishing at South Fork Reservoir

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (17 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (17 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (30 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at South Fork Reservoir

Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 7 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in after dark and the evening and you'll meet the bite.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Break off the point (30 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Break off the point (30 ft)

Crappie fishing at South Fork Reservoir

The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (30 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

South Fork Reservoir also holds white bass & hybrids (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

8 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 57 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 57 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 30 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 17 ft
Secondary point: point, around 17 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Hamilton Boat Launch — ramp

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

South Fork Reservoir fishing regulations

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

Check the official Nevada fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is South Fork Reservoir?

South Fork Reservoir is about 67 ft (20 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in South Fork Reservoir?

Anglers target rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, white bass & hybrids on South Fork Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on South Fork Reservoir?

Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish South Fork Reservoir?

For rainbow trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. 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 South Fork Reservoir?

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

Nearby waters

Lamoille Lake 20 mi · Liberty Lake 20 mi · Favre Lake 20 mi · Island Lake 20 mi · Verdi Lake 21 mi · Angel Lake 43 mi · Willow Creek Reservoir 55 mi · Wild Horse Reservoir 69 mi · Wilson Sink Reservoir 75 mi · Dry Creek Reservoir 82 mi · Chimney Reservoir 89 mi · Illipah Reservoir 94 mi

See how South Fork Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Nevada · best smallmouth bass lakes in Nevada · best crappie lakes in Nevada · best channel catfish lakes in Nevada

More water nearby: Elko County fishing maps (11 charts). Browse all Nevada fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. 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.