Dry Steer Lake in Washoe County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Dry Steer Lake is a Washoe County water, Nevada side. It sits in mixed woodland country. At about 124 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. 48 miles away sits Alturas, the nearest town. Johnstonville is 51 miles and Susanville 52 miles. Close by you also have: Willow Lake at 1.2 miles, Garden Lake (2.7 miles), Powell Reservoir at 3.1 miles, Willow Lake (3.3 miles) and SOB Lake at 3.5 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Dry Steer Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name tahoe sucker, great basin cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The shape of Dry Steer Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 29°F in January up to 67°F in July. Seasons here are moderate, and the fishing runs most of the year. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. On Dry Steer Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Mapping flags this water as intermittent: it can be dry for part of the year, so check before travelling. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Willow Lake sits 1.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Dry Steer Lake if anything is unclear.