Lake Tahoe Fishing Report

Tahoe’s spring bite is red hot, and conditions couldn’t be better. Water clarity is the best locals have seen in decades... glass-clear... with surface temps holding steady in the low to mid 50s. That combo has the big lake firing on all cylinders.

Mackinaw are stacked deep and hungry. Most boats are running either tube jigs tipped with sucker meat or deep-diving stickbaits between 80 and 110 feet. Both techniques are putting fish in the box. The southwest and north ends have been consistent producers.

Kokanee are starting to stage but still sitting deeper than usual for spring. Look for them between 60 and 75 feet, especially where you can mark bait. Trolling wedding rings behind dodgers is working well, especially early when the light’s low.

Nearshore action is picking up too. Rainbows and browns are pushing shallow, particularly in the mornings and late afternoon. Long casts with spoons or a slow roll with a streamer can pull strikes from cruisers nosing the banks.

Winter is a great time to catch big Mackinaw on Lake Tahoe. For those who can brave the cold (most guides have heaters on their boats, though), Tahoe is delivering excellent days, with double-digit monsters not uncommon. The southwest area is producing the best at around 150 feet, trolling live minnows. Shore casters are seeing very good rainbow trout action from the west shore, casting spinners or live nightcrawlers off the rocks

The weather is cooling in the mountains, but Lake Tahoe’s fishing is heating up, especially for rainbows and browns. As the water temperature drops, these trout rise to the surface, making shallow trolling with spoons highly effective. Expect to pick up a few cutthroat as well. The Mackinaw bite is improving for quality fish, though numbers are still down. Most are holding deep, from 150 to 220 feet.