Wild Horse 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 Wild Horse Reservoir

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 Wild Horse Reservoir on the board.

Fishing Wild Horse Reservoir: what the data says

1,315-acre reservoir near Elko County. The lake tops out around 70 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

The drawn outline gives you 32.2 miles of bank to pick apart. An index of 4.3 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 24% of this chart, as modeled. End to end it runs roughly 5.4 mi, about 3.4 mi across. You'll find it in Elko County. For a second option, Dry Creek Reservoir lies 24 mi northwest.

Rainbow Trout fishing at Wild Horse 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. Owyhee River 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	Owyhee River inflow (7 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Owyhee River inflow (7 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (18 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brown Trout fishing at Wild Horse 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 Owyhee River 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	Owyhee River inflow (7 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Owyhee River inflow (7 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Owyhee River inflow (7 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Wild Horse 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 Rock reef, a rock pile in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. 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	Rock reef (6 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Sharp break (12 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (18 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Yellow Perch fishing at Wild Horse Reservoir

When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Sharp break (12 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (32 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (32 ft)	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. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Owyhee River 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	Owyhee River inflow (7 ft)
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Owyhee River inflow (7 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Old creek channel (35 ft)
Winter	20 to 40 ft	midday	Old creek channel (35 ft)

Crappie fishing at Wild Horse 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 Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 35 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. 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	Sharp break (12 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Sharp break (12 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (35 ft)	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

Count 14 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 60 ft.

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 14 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 12 ft
Owyhee River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 6 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 6 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 5 ft
Weed flat: weed flat, around 5 ft

Wild Horse 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 Wild Horse Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Nevada fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Wild Horse Reservoir?

Wild Horse Reservoir is about 70 ft (21 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 Wild Horse Reservoir?

Anglers target rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, channel catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, white bass & hybrids on Wild Horse Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on Wild Horse Reservoir?

Owyhee River 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 interactive chart above rates every 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Wild Horse Reservoir?

Fishing on Wild Horse 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

Dry Creek Reservoir 24 mi · Wilson Sink Reservoir 27 mi · Little Blue Creek Reservoir 46 mi, ID · Willow Creek Reservoir 48 mi · Angel Lake 58 mi · Cedar Creek Reservoir 60 mi, ID · South Fork Reservoir 69 mi · Chimney Reservoir 72 mi · Verdi Lake 75 mi · Island Lake 76 mi · Lamoille Lake 78 mi · Liberty Lake 78 mi

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

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.