Lake Tahoe Fishing Report: Spring Runoff, Trout Feeding, and Hot Spots for May 2025

Howdy anglers, Artificial Lure here with your Sunday morning fishing report for May 18, 2025, around beautiful Lake Tahoe!

The spring runoff is in full swing, folks! Current flows on the Truckee are running about 400 CFS through town and pushing 1000 CFS near Farad. That's a bit high but still fishable if you know where to look. Water's clear in the morning but gets a touch murky by afternoon as the day warms up.

Water temps are sitting in the low 50s now, and that's got the fish more active than we've seen in weeks. The trout are starting to move out of their winter holding patterns and are becoming more aggressive. They're mainly hanging in deeper pools, tailouts, and those slower seams where they can conserve energy but still grab a meal.

Hatches are picking up nicely! We're seeing good numbers of Blue Winged Olives, and the March Browns are finally showing up. PMDs should be popping any day now. If you're nymphing, go with a longer leader (12-15 feet) and use heavier anchor flies to get down in that faster water. For you streamer junkies, olive and black patterns are producing early and late in the day.

Been hearing good reports from Emerald Bay where anglers are hooking into some nice Mackinaw and Rainbow Trout. The middle of the lake is also hot right now if you're looking for those bigger Macks. Don't forget about Zephyr Cove – trolling there on a breezy day like today could fill your cooler quick.

The Truckee River is fishing surprisingly well despite the higher flows. Focus on that stretch where the river flows out of Lake Tahoe for some killer fly fishing. And if you're up north, Donner Lake has been giving up some jumbo Macks and a decent number of Rainbows.

Best baits right now are small jigs and spoons if you're spin fishing. Work them slow and tight to structure. Fly anglers, stick with those nymphs I mentioned, or try swinging a leech pattern through deeper runs.

Remember, we're heading toward the end of May when the bite typically turns around fast. Any day now, it'll be "game on" as the fish settle into their summertime patterns.

Sunrise was at 5:41 this morning, and sunset's coming at 8:17 tonight, giving you plenty of daylight to get out there and bend a rod!

Tight lines, folks! This is Artificial Lure signing off – see ya on the water!