Burnt Lake, Nevada: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Burnt Lake is set in Washoe County, Nevada. The setting is open valley on every side. Surface area runs to roughly 417 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. For supplies, Johnstonville is 51 miles out. The big place round here is Reno, 94 miles distant. Within a short drive: Steer Lake some 1.1 miles off, Garden Lake at 2.4 miles, SOB Lake some 3.8 miles off, Willow Lake at 4.1 miles and Dry Steer Lake some 4.8 miles off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Burnt Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Washoe County list tahoe sucker, great basin cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and brown bullhead. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Burnt Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 66°F, while January sits near 28°F. Spring and autumn are the strongest, but nothing is truly closed. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. The season on Burnt Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records show it does not hold water year-round. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Steer Lake is 1.1 miles distant. Signs at Burnt Lake carry more weight than any list.