South Fork Reservoir was built in 1988 with recreation specifically in mind. It lies entirely on public land managed by Nevada Division of State Parks.
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- Region
- Eastern
- County
- Elko
- Type of water
- Lake or Reservoir
Fishing Report
South Fork Reservoir has a lot of ice for this time of year. As of 03/14/23 the entire reservoir was covered except for near the river inlet. There is around 12” of ice at the boat ramp and 18” at the south shoreline. Anglers should be cautious getting on and off the ice as the edges are very soft and several large fractures can be seen. Anglers may find that they can get on the ice in the morning but then have a difficult time getting off the ice in the afternoon. Anglers where reporting fair catch rates with several trout in the 19-inch range being caught. Fishing is best in 5-to-10 feet of water. Combinations of worms, corn, and PowerBait on jig heads were working well. Some lures are also seeing action. Ice fishing holes must not exceed 10 inches in diameter (NAC 503.583). Limit of 5 trout.
03-14-2023
Stocking Updates
| Stocked | Species | Inches | Date Stocked | Year to Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6480 | Rainbow Trout | 9.2 | 04-22-2022 | 6480 |
| 13080 | Rainbow Trout | 9.1 | 04-25-2022 | 19560 |
| 6000 | Rainbow Trout | 9.4 | 04-25-2022 | 25560 |
| 7380 | Rainbow Trout | 8.8 | 04-26-2022 | 32940 |
| 3015 | Rainbow Trout | 9.1 | 04-28-2022 | 35955 |
| 2168 | Rainbow Trout | 9.7 | 04-29-2022 | 38123 |
| 3400 | Rainbow Trout | 8.4 | 05-09-2022 | 41523 |
| 7500 | Channel Catfish | 5 | 05-10-2022 | 7500 |
| 500 | Wiper | 9 | 05-10-2022 | 500 |
| 6916 | Rainbow Trout | 8.8 | 10-17-2022 | 48439 |
| 6900 | Rainbow Trout | 9 | 10-18-2022 | 55339 |
| 7392 | Rainbow Trout | 8.9 | 10-19-2022 | 62731 |
| 3344 | Rainbow Trout | 9.4 | 10-19-2022 | 66075 |
Pertinent Information
South Fork Reservoir comprises 1,640 surface acres and has a maximum depth of 67 feet at full capacity. It stores excess flow from the South Fork Humboldt River and is operated to release only the amount of water that flows in. The reservoir contains rainbow, brown, and bowcutt (rainbow x cutthroat hybrid) trout along with smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, wipers (striped bass x white bass hybrid), and channel catfish. Harvested rainbow trout average about 16 inches and bowcutt trout are usually greater than 19 inches. Black bass reach up to 21 inches and wipers range from 6 to 12 pounds. Most bait such as nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, and Power Bait are best for trout, along with small spinner, spoons, and tied-flies. The typical small- and largemouth bass fishing lures such as rubber worms, crankbaits, spinner baits, and topwater work great; however, the abundance of natural feed can make angling success at times tough. Catfish are caught using the typical baits such as chicken livers, nightcrawlers, and large shrimp. Spring through early summer is the most productive time for anglers catching trout; however, fish the early morning hours in summer. Ice fishing during the colder months has also produced good results. The best bass fishing occurs in late spring. The entire perimeter of the reservoir is fishable with numerous access sites, but float tubing is very popular. South Fork State Park has a campground facility along with a few primitive camping spaces around the reservoir. Two improved, concrete boat ramps are located within the park on both sides of the reservoir.