Middle Lake Fishing in Washoe County, Nevada

• Overview

  In Nevada, Middle Lake belongs to Washoe County. Height above sea level is 5,522 feet. It measures some 1,157 acres, and wind has room to build across it. The margin runs to about 12 miles in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our Washoe County list. Lakeview is the closest place, 44 miles off. Alturas lies 47 miles off, Susanville another 105 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Middle Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Washoe County include tahoe sucker, great basin cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Fish Middle Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 66°F; the cold one sits at 28°F. Fishing continues through most of the calendar, with quiet spells rather than closures. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. Middle Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Public mapping marks it as seasonal water rather than permanent. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Cow Lake, 3.7 miles out. For Middle Lake in particular, ask before you travel.