Doubling Down on Big Trout in Lake Tahoe

IT ISN’T OFTEN WE COVER FRESHWATER DESTINATIONS in this magazine, but from time to time a fishing experience pings our radar that is worthy of sharing. For Florida anglers, the notion of snow-covered mountains is about as foreign as a sailfish in Alaska. But, for those looking for a break from Florida’s heat and humidity, there’s a wild adventure waiting for you in one of the clearest lakes on planet Earth.

If Lake Tahoe sounds familiar, that’s because it’s been part of Americana lore for more than a century. It was prominently featured in the hit TV show Bonanza (the Ponderosa Ranch itself was, until recently, a popular tourist attraction on the lake’s north shore). The lake has also been featured in movies like The Godfather, where the Corleone family kept their second residence. These days, the area is a globally recognized all-season destination that caters to every level of tourist from motel weekenders to the Michael Jordans of the world.

Lake Tahoe is one of those destinations with so many options for outdoor activities that it’s virtually impossible to do it all on one trip. Besides the casinos, which it’s known for, it’s both a globally recognized rock-climbing and bouldering destination and renown as one of the most beautiful places in the world to hike and backpack. Its back-country region, known as the “desolation wilderness,” sees more than 100,000 visitors annually. Even so, finding solitude in this vast area of wild terrain is still not hard to do; it’s that big!

But, for many people, while summer is the high season, it’s winter when Tahoe really shows its true colors. As winter comes, powerful storms slam into the West Coast. When they do, they can dump incredible amounts of snow on the Lake Tahoe region. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Lake Tahoe is America’s premiere destination for high-octane skiing and snowboarding, and it is regularly featured in magazines and movies depicting the world’s greatest winter sports athletes pushing the boundaries on the region’s wild terrain.

Split down the middle with the state line dividing California and Nevada, Lake Tahoe is an impressive feature on any map. At 22 miles long and 12 miles wide, it covers 191 square miles of the Earth’s surface. With an average depth of more than 1,000 feet, its deepest spot is rumored to be 1,645 feet. On any given day, the lake contains 41 trillion gallons of water (yes, trillion)! The lake is considered one of the clearest bodies of water on Earth, with an average of 65 feet of visibility.

While skiing is the big draw during winter, when summer does come, it’s more than wildflowers that draw people here from all over the world. As the snow melts and the water warms, attention turns to the beauty of the lake and the monster trout that lurk in its deep, cobalt blue waters.

There are several species of trout in Lake Tahoe, these include rainbows, browns and the legendary mackinaw, or lake trout. It’s these big lakers that are the main target species, as they grow huge here. But, in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall), there is also a boutique fishery for these other species that posts a few impressive catches each year. Big spawned-out browns can go to 15 pounds here, but targeting these fish is an expert level endeavor. The macks, however…

In Tahoe, the record for mackinaw is at 38 pounds, a monster by any measure. And, each year, a few dozen double-digit fish are landed. Many anglers these days are releasing these giants to breed and fight another day, keeping the mid-sized specimens for the dinner table.

Over the years, I’ve been working with one guide in particular on Tahoe who has shown a real knack for bagging the biggest and baddest trout in the lake. Nijal Wheeler of Double Down Guide Service is an unassuming fellow who relocated to Tahoe from Modesto, California, 20 years ago. Before long, his passion for fishing became a career that quickly put him in the upper echelon of respected Tahoe guides.

When I asked Nijal what it was that drew people up to Tahoe to fish, he didn’t hesitate: “Many people don’t even know we have big fish up here; they come out because they want to see the lake. But once they find out you can consistently catch trout in the ultra-clear waters, they usually jump at the opportunity.”

If catching a big trout in Tahoe is your mission, like any fishing trip there’s no guarantees. But there are things anglers can do to increase their odds of getting a double-digit fish here. When I quizzed Nijal on how he has such good luck with the trophies, he chuckled and said, “It’s all about putting in your time. The more time you’re out there the better your chances of landing a trophy. I’m on the water five days a week, so, over time, I’ve learned how to read the lake.”

This kind of home-court advantage is what makes the difference for an average angler who wants a real shot at double-digit glory.

In addition to trout, Lake Tahoe also hosts a population of landlocked sockeye salmon, also called kokanee. These fish are nowhere near the size of their ocean-faring brethren like coho and king salmon, but they do very much resemble these larger species with their pink flesh and bright chrome skin. The role of the kokanee in Tahoe’s ecosystem is an important one; as a food source, they are a big reason the various trout species grow to such a large size.

With this in mind, it makes sense that targeting these bigger trout is often a case of finding the kokanee first. Like the seafaringg sockeye, these salmon, despite being landlocked, still go through a spawning metamorphosis and swim upriver to spawn. “

“In the fall, when the kokanee start to change, they tend to stack up and stage near the river mouths. This is a great time to drag big plugs beneath these vast schools. This is often where we find the biggest mackinaw of the year,” Nijal says.

In the past decade, as California swelters under an ongoing drought, the Tahoe region has been plagued by catastrophic forest fires during the fall season that occasionally create difficult conditions as smoke gathers in the lake basin. If you do decide to make a late summer/early fall trip to Lake Tahoe, especially if you have pre-existing breathing difficulties, be sure to call ahead and make sure that smoke isn’t an issue.

If you would like to try your hand at catching a monster Lake Tahoe trout, you can reach out to Nijal at Double Down Guide Service. His number is (530) 721-7253 or you can find him on Instagram as @doubledowntahoe.

Most travelers fly into the Reno Tahoe airport, then do the scenic 1.5-hour drive from the valley up to the lake. It’s a beautiful trek that is definitely worth a slow cruise to see all the views this magical place has to offer.

Source: https://floridasportfishing.com/doubling-down-on-big-trout-in-lake-tahoe/