Welcome to 2023 Nevada Fishing
Free Fishing Day: June 10, 2023
If we could describe fishing in the beautiful state of Nevada in one word, it would be variety. From the world-famous waters of Lake Tahoe to the pristine high alpine lakes in Elko’s Ruby Mountains to the desert lakes like Lake Mead near Las Vegas, Nevada has a wide range of fishing opportunities. The Silver State is home to 113 lakes and reservoirs and 420 streams and rivers, providing nearly 400,000 surface acres of sport fishing opportunities.
The fish species in the Silver State are as diverse as the geography. Coldwater species include native cutthroat trout, redband trout and mountain whitefish. Non-native species include rainbow, brown, brook and Mackinaw trout. Nevada also has hybrid species such as bowcutts (rainbow/cutthroat) and tiger trout (brook/brown).
Warmwater species include smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, wipers, and crappie. Lake Mead and Lake Mohave are best known for their stripers that average close to two pounds, although 20- to-30-pound fish are occasionally caught. Wipers, a cross between a striped bass and a white bass, can be found in Lahontan, Rye Patch, Wildhorse, South Fork and Chimney reservoirs. In northeastern Nevada, Wildhorse Reservoir, traditionally a trout fishery, is also known as a great spot for yellow perch, especially in winter. Largemouth bass and channel catfish are found throughout the state including Lakes Mead and Mohave, and Lahontan, Rye Patch and South Fork reservoirs.
Urban waters offer a great way for anglers to fish without traveling too far from home. They offer the chance to fish after work, hone your fishing skills, pick up a nice meal, or take the kids fishing. Rivers such as the Carson, Truckee, Humboldt, and Walker also offer nearby fishing for several small and large communities along their path.
While flipping through this year’s Nevada Fishing Regulations, make sure to read the articles found throughout this magazine. Read about Topaz Lake, one of the best kept fishing secrets in the state or check out the article on the amazing smallmouth bass fishing at Lake Mohave. We have a section introducing our new fishing web tool, FishNV, that allows you to search waters by species, water type, region or county. There is an article on how to make fishing trips fun for the kids and a story on the warmwater species opportunities in eastern Nevada. Don’t just flip past the stories, there is a lot of great information throughout.
This publication is intended as a reference for any questions you might have regarding fishing the Silver State. Statewide regulations and license information can be found near the front of the magazine (pages 4-25), with a region by region breakdown of all available waters throughout the magazine. The Nevada Fishing Regulations Book also includes information from boating regulations (40-41) to Wildlife Management Areas (38) to our Angler Recognition Programs (42-44). If there is anything you can’t find in this publication, check out the Nevada Department of Wildlife website at ndow.org.
