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Fishing Wild Horse Reservoir: what the data says
1,315-acre reservoir near Elko County. The lake tops out around 70 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Rainbow Trout fishing at Wild Horse Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Owyhee River inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Brown Trout fishing at Wild Horse Reservoir
Spring brown trout on Wild Horse Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Owyhee River inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in spring. Best bite is after dark and early morning. Summer baits: a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Wild Horse Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 6.244748861307103 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Yellow Perch fishing at Wild Horse Reservoir
Spring yellow perch on Wild Horse Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Wild Horse Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Owyhee River inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Wild Horse Reservoir
Spring crappie on Wild Horse Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 35 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Wild Horse Reservoir also holds largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), 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
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 60 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 35 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 32 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 18 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 18 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 13.9684551194786 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 12.030027485051628 ft
- Owyhee River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 6.244748861307103 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 6.211509372251573 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 5.460179391664168 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 5.344786923067516 ft
Common questions
How deep is Wild Horse Reservoir?
Wild Horse Reservoir is about 70 ft 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 Wild Horse Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, rainbow trout, white bass & hybrids, yellow perch, brown trout on Wild Horse Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Wild Horse Reservoir?
Owyhee River inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Wild Horse 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.
Nearby waters
Dry Creek Reservoir · Wilson Sink Reservoir · Willow Creek Reservoir · Angel Lake · South Fork Reservoir · Verdi Lake
See how Wild Horse 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
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