A Nevada license lasts a year from the day it is bought. The general waters are open all year under the two-year regulation in force since January 1, 2026, with limits set by county. Pyramid Lake is fished on a Tribal permit, not a Nevada license, and its trout season runs from October 1 to June 30, so the winter is the heart of it. On Lake Mead and Lake Mohave striped bass are unlimited.
What to fish for in early November
Nevada's best months on the water come in the cold. The big cutthroat of the lake north of Reno move close to shore from late fall to spring, the high-desert reservoirs near Elko and Ely ice over and draw most of the state's ice fishing, Tahoe and Topaz on the California line stay open for trout, and the southern lakes give striped bass and planted trout in the mildest weather in the state.
These notes cover the whole winter, the ice included. In early November, Wild Horse Reservoir is usually still open water, at about 47F.
Cutthroat Trout
Comes into the shallows off the beaches in the cold months, when the biggest fish of the year are taken from shore, often by anglers standing on ladders in the water.
Where. Pyramid Lake, by Tribal permit, from its beaches and points.
The cutthroat trout waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Pyramid Lake about 53F Best Wed, Nov 11, A+Today's forecast Rainbow Trout
Planted below the dams and in the city ponds, and caught through the ice up north.
Where. Willow Beach and Laughlin, the Las Vegas ponds, Topaz Lake, and Wild Horse, South Fork and Cave Lake up north.
The rainbow trout waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Truckee River near Sparks about 46F Best Wed, Nov 11, A+Today's forecast Wild Horse Reservoir about 47F Best Mon, Nov 9, A+Today's forecast Striped Bass
Feeds on shad in loose schools, deep by day and nearer the surface at first and last light.
Where. Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and the river below Davis Dam.
The striped bass waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Lake Mead about 68F Today's forecast Lake Trout
Holds in the deep, clear water of Tahoe through the winter, fished from boats over the drop-offs.
Where. Lake Tahoe's Nevada shore, from Incline Village down the east side.
The lake trout waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Lake Tahoe about 51F Best Sun, Nov 8, AToday's forecast Brown Trout
Feeds through the winter in the river below the state line, on nymphs and streamers in the deeper runs.
Where. The East Walker below the California line toward Yerington.
Usual water now is that water's normal for this point in the season: a lake's modeled seasonal curve or a river gauge's long-run average, not this year's reading. The forecast link reads this week's.
What changes soon
Nothing on this report's calendar for Nevada in the next six weeks.
This week's fishing reports
This report covers the season. For what was caught this week, read the people who report on this water.
Nevada's winter reporting is on Nevada Fish Reports, where shops, state parks and the Department of Wildlife post under their own names: last winter 31 Pyramid Lake reports from six shops and guides, the department's northeastern reservoirs all season, and a state recreation area's ice measurements at Wild Horse. Doug Busey and Mountain Hardware & Sports report Lake Tahoe and Topaz there through the winter. The department's southern waters had one round, in February, and the Review-Journal's column has ended.
Where to fish in Nevada, area by area
Each water links to its live forecast. The engine outlook in these areas was generated November 3, 2026, for the 14 days from that date; good hours are the hours at or above a B+.
Pyramid Lake and the Truckee
Pyramid Lake · Truckee River
The desert terminal lake north of Reno on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, home of the giant Lahontan cutthroat and fished from the shore, often standing on ladders, from autumn to early summer, and the Truckee River that feeds it, flowing down from Lake Tahoe through Reno.
Who reports here. Six shops and guides reported it last winter, several posts a month between them: Trout Creek Outfitters most often, then The Fly Shop, the Reno Fly Shop and Pyramid Fly Co., most of them on Nevada Fish Reports.
Engine outlook
- Best: Wed, Nov 11, A+9 good hours47F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 9h
- Best: Wed, Nov 11, A+11 good hours47F measured Nov 3 at TRUCKEE RV NR SPARKS, NVbest run 6h383 cfsat TRUCKEE RV NR SPARKS, NVon this water
Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Laughlin
Lake Mead · Lake Mohave · Willow Beach · Colorado River below Davis Dam
The Colorado River reservoirs east of Las Vegas, shared with Arizona: Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam, Lake Mohave below it with the cold reach at Willow Beach, and the river past Laughlin and Bullhead City below Davis Dam, with striped bass the year-round fish and trout stocked in the cold water below the dams.
Who reports here. The thinnest winter in the state: the Department of Wildlife's southern reports ran once, in February, and a local regular posts from Laughlin as Rusty. The hatchery's stocking notices and Arizona's reports are set out under Arizona.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The northeastern reservoirs
Wild Horse Reservoir · South Fork Reservoir · Cave Lake · Comins Lake · Illipah Reservoir
The high-desert reservoirs around Elko and Ely, from Wild Horse and Wilson in the north to Cave, Comins and Illipah in White Pine County, trout water with some bass and perch that freezes hard in most winters and draws most of the ice fishing in the state.
Who reports here. The Department of Wildlife's eastern office reported these waters all winter, several times a month across them, and Wild Horse State Recreation Area posted its ice measurements in January and February.
Engine outlook
- Best: Mon, Nov 9, A+12 good hours47F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 12h
Tahoe, Topaz and the western waters
Lake Tahoe · Topaz Lake · East Walker River · Lahontan Reservoir
The Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe, from Incline Village down the east side past Sand Harbor, deep clear water for lake trout and rainbows; Topaz Lake on the California line south of Gardnerville; the East Walker below the state line toward Yerington; and Lahontan Reservoir on the Carson near Fallon. Tahoe and Topaz are shared with California under reciprocal agreements.
Who reports here. Nevada Fish Reports carried twenty-one posts on these waters last winter, each under its reporter's name: Doug Busey and Mountain Hardware & Sports on the big lake from December 3 to February 10, Busey and the site's staff on the border lake from November to late January, Ken's Sporting Goods on the river from November to mid-February, and the state recreation area once on the reservoir, on January 31.
Engine outlook
- Best: Sun, Nov 8, A9 good hours51F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curvebest run 7h
The Las Vegas ponds and the southern reservoirs
Las Vegas urban ponds · Eagle Valley Reservoir · Echo Canyon Reservoir · Kirch Wildlife Management Area
The city park ponds of Las Vegas, stocked with trout in the cool months, and the reservoirs of the region's high country to the north, Eagle Valley at Spring Valley State Park and Echo Canyon near Pioche in Lincoln County, with the Kirch marshes in the White River valley.
Who reports here. The Department of Wildlife's southern office reported these waters once last winter, on February 4, and Spring Valley State Park posted once, on January 24.
The rules from November to February
What changed this time
- Striped bass on Lake Mead and Lake Mohave are unlimited: Nevada dropped its old 20-fish, 20-inch rule on January 1, 2026, and Arizona matched it on its side.
- The Wildlife Commission's two-year regulation, CR 25-16, runs from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027, so this winter and next run under the same general rules.
Read on October 20, 2026, from the Nevada Department of Wildlife (the Wildlife Commission's regulation CR 25-16 and its license pages), the Nevada Revised Statutes and Administrative Code, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe's fisheries pages, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department's release on the shared lakes.
Licenses, and which state's rules apply
- A license is needed at 12 and older, and by anyone helping someone else fish, whatever that person's age. Children under 12 fish free, though a nonresident child keeps only half the daily and possession limits. A license is good for one year from the day it is bought. Residents pay $40 a year or $9 a day, plus $3 for each added day; nonresidents $80 a year or $18 a day, plus $7 for each added day; a youth hunt and fish license, ages 12 to 17, is $15. A small processing fee is added.
- Nevada law lets the Colorado River, Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake be shared with the neighboring states under reciprocal agreements, and Nevada sells nonresidents an annual license to fish only those waters. An Arizona license covers the Colorado River and its lakes on the Nevada border from shore or boat. Check the terms for the water before fishing it on another state's license.
- Pyramid Lake lies on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, and the Tribe sets its rules. Its trout season runs October 1 to June 30, every angler 12 and older needs a Tribal fishing permit, and the daily trout limit is two, with slot rules on the lengths that may be kept.
Bait, gear and fish you cannot keep
- Two rods at most, each closely attended. Each may carry up to three baited hooks, three flies or two lures, and no more than two lures to a line. Fish may not be used as bait in most waters. On Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and the Colorado River, no more than two hooks for bait or flies; striped bass may be speared on Lake Mead and part of Lake Mohave, but no spearing or bowfishing within half a mile of a dock or swimming area; and an unattended stringer or live box carries the name, address and license number of each angler using it.
Lakes, ponds and rivers
- The Wildlife Commission's two-year fishing regulation, CR 25-16, sets general limits by county, with exceptions listed water by water, and the general waters are open all year. In Carson City and Churchill, Douglas, Humboldt, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, Storey and Washoe counties the daily limit is 5 trout, 5 mountain whitefish and 15 warmwater game fish, no more than 5 of them black bass and 5 walleye. Elko, Eureka and White Pine counties allow 10 black bass among the 15 and put no limit on northern pike or yellow perch. Clark, Esmeralda, Lander, Lincoln and Nye counties allow 10 trout and 15 warmwater game fish, up to 10 of them black bass. Possession is twice the daily limit, and a fish released alive at once does not count toward either. Lake Tahoe is 5 game fish a day, fished from an hour before sunrise to two hours after sunset.
- On Lake Mead and Lake Mohave the daily limit is 5 trout, 6 black bass, 25 catfish and 15 crappie, and striped bass are unlimited: Nevada dropped its old 20-fish, 20-inch striped bass rule and Arizona matched it on its side, where the catfish limit is also 25. At the community ponds the limit is three game fish a day.
Through the ice
- A hole cut for ice fishing may be no more than 10 inches across.
Read on these agency pages: NDOW: Fishing Licenses, NRS chapter 502: Licenses, tags and permits, AZGFD: 2025 & 2026 Arizona Fishing Regulations (PDF, revised January 30, 2026), Pyramid Lake Fisheries (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe): Fishing, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe: Ranger Station, NRS chapter 503: Hunting, fishing and trapping, NDOW: Rules & Regulations, NAC chapter 503: Hunting, fishing and trapping; miscellaneous protective measures, Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners: CR 25-16, Fishing Seasons and Regulations, approved September 2025 (PDF), AZGFD: New bag limits for lakes Mead and Mohave (February 9, 2026), NDOW: Baily Fishing Pond Angler Information Guide (2026, PDF), NDOW: Lorenzi Park Pond Angler Guide (2025, PDF).
The season at a glance
What these months usually do
Each lake's own seasonal curve, the one the engine scores the lake on: what these dates usually do, modeled rather than measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mead | 69F | 58F | 51F | 50F | 55F |
| Lake Tahoe | 52F | 44F | 41F | 40F | 40F |
| Pyramid Lake | 54F | 49F | 47F | 45F | 47F |
| Wild Horse Reservoir | 48F | 39F | 36F | 36F | 36F |
Each river's own gauge: its average for these dates across the years it has recorded, measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truckee River near SparksTRUCKEE RV NR SPARKS, NV, 1980 to 2026 | 47F | 38F | 35F | 38F | 41F |
The moon from November to February
| Month | New moon | Full moon |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Sun, Nov 8 | Tue, Nov 24 |
| December 2026 | Tue, Dec 8 | Wed, Dec 23 |
| January 2027 | Thu, Jan 7 | Fri, Jan 22 |
| February 2027 | Sat, Feb 6 | Sat, Feb 20 |
The U.S. Naval Observatory's dates, on local time.
Daylight in each area from November to February
Worked out for one place in each area, on its own clock.
| Area | Shortest day | Earliest sunset | Latest sunrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyramid Lake and the Truckeeat Pyramid Lake | 9h 19m, Dec 21 | 4:34pm, around Dec 8 | 7:22am, around Jan 4 |
| Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Laughlinat Lake Mead | 9h 41m, Dec 21 | 4:24pm, around Dec 6 | 6:50am, around Jan 6 |
| The northeastern reservoirsat Wild Horse Reservoir | 9h 9m, Dec 21 | 4:14pm, around Dec 8 | 7:12am, around Jan 3 |
| Tahoe, Topaz and the western watersat Lake Tahoe | 9h 24m, Dec 21 | 4:38pm, around Dec 7 | 7:21am, around Jan 5 |
| The Las Vegas ponds and the southern reservoirsat Las Vegas | 9h 42m, Dec 21 | 4:27pm, around Dec 6 | 6:53am, around Jan 6 |