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South Fork Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Elko’s home water: South Fork holds trout, bass and wipers in a high desert canyon.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
73 / 78 F
Wind
SW 14 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

South Fork Reservoir sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 14 mph, rising pressure near 1005 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp73 F
High / Low78 / 48 F
WindSW 14-25 mph
Pressure1005.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:13 / 19:10
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 78/48 F, wind 17 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 17 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the South Fork 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
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 South Fork Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 70 F, wind to 17 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 24 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 81 F, wind to 24 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. Trout, bass and wiper limits per current NDOW regulations.

Access

South Fork State Recreation Area ramp, campground and shoreline access south of Elko.

About this water

A 1,650-acre reservoir on the South Fork Humboldt River, Elko County, Nevada.

Fishing South Fork Reservoir: the full guide

A reservoir near town

South Fork Reservoir covers about 1,650 acres on the South Fork of the Humboldt River south of Elko, Nevada, a state recreation area reservoir in high desert canyon country. It offers an unusually varied fishery for the region: rainbow and brown trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, wipers and yellow perch, all within twenty minutes of town.

Trout and bass together

Trout are stocked and hold the deeper water and the inflow area, taking trolled spoons, spinners and bait, best in spring and fall. Bass work the rocky shorelines and any submerged structure, with smallmouth on the rock and largemouth in the few brushier areas. The combination is rare in Nevada and makes for varied days.

Wipers and the ice

Wipers were stocked and provide hard-fighting summer action, schooling over open water when they find bait. Yellow perch fill the flats. Ice fishing is popular in winter given the elevation and the proximity to Elko, targeting trout and perch through the hard water when conditions allow.

Elko County logistics

South Fork State Recreation Area provides a ramp, camping and shoreline access, about twenty miles south of Elko. Wind sweeps the open canyon and builds chop quickly. Water levels vary with irrigation demand and snowpack, sometimes substantially, which affects both the fishery and ramp usability.

Common questions

Trout and bass in the same lake?

Yes: an unusually varied fishery for northern Nevada, with wipers adding a third dimension in summer.

How close is Elko?

About twenty miles north: this is the closest quality fishing to the town and gets steady local use.

Does the level vary?

Yes, with snowpack and irrigation: check current conditions, as low years affect both fishing and ramp access.

Is fishing good at South Fork Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Wildhorse Reservoir74 miComins Lake109 miCave Lake113 miRye Patch Reservoir138 miSouth Fork Boise River189 miAnderson Ranch Reservoir189 mi
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