Lake Tahoe Fishing Report

Mackinaw season is in full swing at Tahoe, and the big fish are showing up. Guides and locals have been consistently putting giant macks in the net over the past month, targeting 120–150 feet of water with 1–2 oz. minnow-style jigs or trolling live minnows / flashers.

On the east side, the rainbow and brown trout bite has been very good as well... in the top 30 feet. Boat anglers and shore casters alike are working Rapalas along rocky structure and finding quality fish. NDOW also stocked cutthroat last week. Look for the Kokanee bite to pick up in another few weeks.

Tahoe is set for some snow next week, but it shouldn’t put a damper on what’s been a good bite for both Mackinaw and rainbows. Over the last few weeks, Macks were holding very deep during spawn (250 ft), but that’s just about wrapped now. They’re starting to move up shallow, chasing schools of minnows. Rainbows are cruising high in the water column, too. Trolling is still the go-to, but shore casters are finding both Macks and rainbows as well. Brown trout action has been quiet, but the occasional cutthroat is being caught. Hopefully, the kokanee spawn fires up soon, though flows out of Taylor Creek are looking low... next week's weather pattern could help.

Tahoe’s fall transition is setting in, with water temps in the low 60s and crisp weather dropping morning lows into the 30s. The kokanee season is just about wrapped... most fish have turned, though a few chrome stragglers are still showing deep off the south shore. Mackinaw are the main draw now, holding between 50 and 150 feet across zones like Cal Neva Hole, South Lake, and the west shore, with bigger plugs and jigged minnows pulling fish into the teens. Trout are active too, running deep for trollers around 100 feet but also cruising in tighter into the shallows for early morning shore anglers. Tourist season is over, and boat pressure is light.