Spooner Lake 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 Spooner Lake

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

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Fishing Spooner Lake: what the data says

88-acre lake near Douglas County. The lake tops out around 13 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

On the chart, Spooner Lake draws 77 acres inside 1.7 miles of shoreline. At index 1.4 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.5 mi with a 0.4-mi widest point. The water lies in Douglas County. For a second option, Marlette Lake lies 5 mi north.

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Spooner Lake

Spring cutthroat trout on Spooner Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 13 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 4 to 13 ft in summer, 3 to 13 ft once it turns cold. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 6 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	4 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (6 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	3 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	3 to 13 ft	dawn	Break off the point (6 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Brown Trout fishing at Spooner Lake

Spring brown trout on Spooner Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 13 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 4 to 13 ft in summer, 2 to 13 ft once it turns cold. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 6 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run after dark and early morning. The summer box starts with a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night).

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	4 to 13 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (6 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	2 to 13 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	2 to 13 ft	dawn	Break off the point (6 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Rainbow Trout fishing at Spooner Lake

Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 3 to 13 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 13 ft covers summer, 3 to 13 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 6 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	3 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (6 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	4 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	3 to 13 ft	dawn	Break off the point (6 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 11 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 11 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 6 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft

Spooner Lake 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 Spooner Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Nevada fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Spooner Lake?

Spooner Lake is about 13 ft (4 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 Spooner Lake?

Anglers target cutthroat trout, brown trout, rainbow trout on Spooner Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Spooner Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Spooner Lake?

For cutthroat 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 Spooner Lake?

Fishing on Spooner Lake 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

Marlette Lake 5 mi · Hobart Reservoir 6 mi · Lake Tahoe 7 mi, CA/NV · Washoe Lake 13 mi · Rubicon Reservoir 19 mi, CA · Buck Island Lake 20 mi, CA · Lake Aloha 21 mi, CA · American Lake 21 mi, CA · Scotts Lake 24 mi, CA · Crater Lake 27 mi, CA · Virginia Lake 28 mi · Truckee River (Nevada) 28 mi

See how Spooner Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Nevada · best brown trout lakes in Nevada · best cutthroat trout lakes in Nevada

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.