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Carson River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The East Fork out of the Sierra: the Carson runs stocked and wild trout into the Nevada desert.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
63 cfs
Air / High
49 / 53 F
Wind
N 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 10309000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Carson River fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 63 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 53. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:38 AM-11:38 AM and 10:07 PM-12:07 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 53 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Nevada requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $40.00 for residents. What a Nevada licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with NDOW before you keep anything. The season dates for Nevada, read off the agency, are on the Nevada seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 10309000.

48556163 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 104 years of October 23

At 63 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 10309000 (East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville) is at the 35th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 104 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 76 cfs; the highest was 420 cfs and the lowest 33 cfs.

p10 44median 76p90 129

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 10309000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp49 F
High / Low53 / 36 F
WindN 5-7 mph
Pressure1019.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain15% cloud, 18%
Sunrise / Sunset07:16 / 18:09
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Carson River this week

The best day on Carson River this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:38 AM-11:38 AM and 10:07 PM-12:07 AM
Minor period
4:02 AM-5:02 AM
Sun
07:16 to 18:09
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 11 mph
Rain chance
18%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Carson River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Carson River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Carson River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 54 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 61 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 15 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Nevada requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Nevada license (California upstream). Trout limits per current NDOW regulations; some reaches have special rules.

Access

Highway 88 and 395 access points, Riverview Park and the Carson River Aquatic Habitat near Gardnerville.

About this water

A Sierra river through the Carson Valley of western Nevada toward Lahontan Reservoir, Douglas County.

Fishing Carson River: the full guide

A river between mountains and desert

The Carson River flows out of the Sierra Nevada through the Carson Valley of western Nevada, its East and West forks joining near Genoa before the main stem runs east toward Lahontan Reservoir. The forks run cold and hold wild and stocked trout; the valley reaches warm and hold whatever survives the irrigation season.

Trout in the forks

The East Fork below the California line holds rainbow and brown trout, with Nevada stocking it heavily and the canyon water above holding wild fish. The West Fork runs smaller and colder through Hope Valley on the California side. Both fish best from late spring through fall once runoff drops.

Flows and irrigation

Snowmelt drives the river: high and unfishable through late spring, then dropping into prime condition through summer. Irrigation diversions in the valley reduce flows substantially by late summer, concentrating fish and stressing them in hot years. The upper canyon reaches hold water better than the valley.

Carson Valley logistics

Access is via Highway 88 and 395 with public points at Riverview Park, the Carson River Aquatic Habitat and various pullouts. Gardnerville, Minden and Carson City provide services. Reno is 45 minutes north, and the California headwaters in Hope Valley are worth the drive for smaller, wilder water.

Common questions

Which fork is better?

The East Fork carries more water and heavier stocking; the West Fork is smaller and colder through Hope Valley.

When does runoff end?

Usually by late June: the river fishes best from then through fall as flows settle.

Does irrigation affect it?

Substantially: valley diversions cut flows by late summer, concentrating and stressing fish in hot years.

Is fishing good at Carson River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Topaz Lake16 miCaples Lake20 miTruckee River43 miSparks Marina47 miStampede Reservoir49 miLahontan Reservoir55 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 10309000 β€” East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:25 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.8500, -119.7200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.