Fishing at Central Lake, Washoe County, Nevada

• Overview

  Central Lake is a Washoe County water, Nevada side. It sits in rolling hill. It measures some 444 acres, and wind has room to build across it. You are looking at roughly 3.6 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. You are 37 miles from Alturas. Lakeview is 54 miles away, with Susanville at 87 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Central Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Washoe County list tahoe sucker, great basin cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and brown bullhead. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Central Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 67°F; the cold one sits at 28°F. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Central Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Fortynine Lake is 4.6 miles distant. Check the position at Central Lake before loading the car.