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Lahontan Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Lahontan Reservoir: a Newlands Project irrigation lake on the Carson River inside Lahontan State Park, with walleye, wipers, white bass and catfish.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
4152.12 ft
Air / High
54 / 55 F
Wind
NNW 16 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 10312100, 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.

Lahontan Reservoir rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The gauge reads 4124.96 ft, easing 1.06 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind NNW around 16 mph, steady pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 55. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:35 AM-11:35 AM and 10:04 PM-12:04 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

White bassFair

The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55Β°F.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Hybrid striped bassFair

In spring, windblown shorelines, riprap and dams during the shad spawn (May in Oklahoma); in fall, the pre-winter feed on the same kind of banks.

Tomorrow: Similar at 57 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 walleye 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 Lahontan Res nr Fallon, NV.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 10312100.

4126.074128.134130.194124.96 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp54 F
High / Low55 / 42 F
WindNNW 16-19 mph
Pressure1019.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 31%
Sunrise / Sunset07:14 / 18:05
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 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 Lahontan Reservoir this week

The best day on Lahontan Reservoir 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
9:35 AM-11:35 AM and 10:04 PM-12:04 AM
Minor period
3:60 AM-4:60 AM
Sun
07:14 to 18:05
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 18 mph
Rain chance
31%

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

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55Β°F.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. In spring, windblown shorelines, riprap and dams during the shad spawn (May in Oklahoma); in fall, the pre-winter feed on the same kind of banks.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

When to come: the Lahontan Reservoir 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
Walleye
White bass
Crappie
Largemouth bass
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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 Lahontan Reservoir 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. Walleye led the card at good. High of 61 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 67 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 72 F, wind to 16 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 fishing license. NDOW 2026-2027 seasons (Jan. 1, 2026-Dec. 31, 2027): Lahontan Reservoir is open all year at any hour; 15 game fish a day, of which no more than 5 black bass, 5 walleye and 2 white bass or wipers 15 inches or longer. The spilling pool below Lahontan Dam is closed. Nevada State Parks links an NDOW health warning on eating fish from the reservoir.

Access

Lahontan State Park (entry fee): paved launches at Silver Springs near the day-use area and at Churchill Beach (North Shore Marina) on US 50 a mile west of the dam; four-wheel-drive vehicles may launch from beaches open to camping. Showers and flush toilets close from October to May.

About this water

10,600 acres at maximum storage (NDOW), Carson River, Churchill and Lyon counties, NV. Lake level on this page comes from USGS gauge 10312100, Lahontan Reservoir near Fallon.

Fishing Lahontan Reservoir: the full guide

An irrigation reservoir

NDOW describes Lahontan Reservoir as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Newlands Irrigation Project on the Carson River: Lahontan Dam was built in 1905, irrigation water was first delivered in 1916, and Truckee River water arrives through the Truckee Canal. At maximum storage the reservoir is 17 miles long, covers 10,600 acres and reaches 85 feet deep near the dam; Nevada State Parks counts 69 miles of shoreline.

Species and seasons

NDOW lists wipers, white bass, walleye, channel catfish, white catfish, largemouth bass, spotted bass and crappie as the primary game fish, and says the best fishing runs April through July and again in October. The upper basin stays turbid and dense algae blooms are usual in summer; the large basin near the dam is clearer.

What NDOW suggests

Walleye come mostly in spring on jigs, nightcrawler harnesses trolled behind flashers and live minnows. Wipers take crankbaits and live minnows, white bass take spinners, spoons and minnows, and catfish take dead minnows, nightcrawlers and chicken liver on the bottom.

Stocking

NDOW stocked 350,000 walleye on April 28, 2026 and 1,000,000 on April 25, 2025, plus wipers in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Common questions

Where can I launch a boat at Lahontan?

Nevada State Parks lists paved ramps at Silver Springs and at Churchill Beach by the North Shore Marina, and allows four-wheel-drive launching from beaches open to camping.

What is the wiper limit at Lahontan?

Two white bass or wipers 15 inches or longer a day; smaller ones count toward the 15 game fish limit under NDOW's 2026-2027 regulations.

Is Lahontan stocked?

Yes. NDOW stocked walleye in April 2025 and April 2026 and wipers in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Is fishing good at Lahontan Reservoir 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

Sparks Marina35 miPyramid Lake45 miTruckee River51 miCarson River55 miStampede Reservoir56 miTopaz Lake59 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 10312100 β€” Lahontan Res nr Fallon, NV
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.4600, -119.0700 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.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
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 text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was 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.