Willow Creek 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 Willow Creek Reservoir

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

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Fishing Willow Creek Reservoir: what the data says

579-acre reservoir near Elko County. The lake tops out around 17 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.

Willow Creek Reservoir maps at 483 acres behind 6.2 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (2) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. About 92% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Figure 1.8 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.8 mi at the beam. It sits in Elko County. Wilson Sink Reservoir sits 33 mi north — the closest neighbouring chart.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Willow Creek Reservoir

Spring largemouth bass on Willow Creek Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 17 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 17 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	5 to 17 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (8 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	5 to 17 ft	midday	Break off the point (8 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Willow Creek Reservoir

Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 5 to 17 ft game here, winter a 5 to 17 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 14 ft, prime for winter. 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	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	5 to 17 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (8 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	5 to 17 ft	dawn	Break off the point (8 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	5 to 17 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Willow Creek Reservoir

Spring channel catfish on Willow Creek Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 5 to 17 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 17 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 14 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Shallow bay flat (3 ft)
Summer	5 to 17 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (14 ft)
Fall	5 to 17 ft	dusk	Deep basin (14 ft)
Winter	5 to 17 ft	midday	Deep basin (14 ft)

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Willow Creek Reservoir

The spring pattern is a shallow one: cutthroat trout in 3 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 5 to 17 ft before dropping to 4 to 17 ft for winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	5 to 17 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (8 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	3 to 17 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (8 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	4 to 17 ft	dawn	Break off the point (8 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 14 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 14 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft

Willow Creek 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 Willow Creek Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Nevada fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Willow Creek Reservoir?

Willow Creek Reservoir is about 17 ft (5 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 Willow Creek Reservoir?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, cutthroat trout on Willow Creek Reservoir.

Where is the best fishing spot on Willow Creek Reservoir?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Willow Creek Reservoir?

For largemouth bass, 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 Willow Creek Reservoir?

Fishing on Willow Creek 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

Wilson Sink Reservoir 33 mi · Chimney Reservoir 35 mi · Dry Creek Reservoir 43 mi · Wild Horse Reservoir 48 mi · South Fork Reservoir 55 mi · Verdi Lake 73 mi · Island Lake 73 mi · Lamoille Lake 73 mi · Liberty Lake 74 mi · Favre Lake 74 mi · Angel Lake 76 mi · Little Blue Creek Reservoir 77 mi, ID

See how Willow Creek Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Nevada · best crappie lakes in Nevada · best channel catfish lakes in Nevada · best cutthroat trout 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.