There's a 130-acre lake off Highway 89 past Markleeville that most anglers drive by without a second look. It doesn't have a marina. It doesn't have a store. It has a locked gate, a portable toilet, and some of the largest Lahontan cutthroat trout in California. It also has a lot of similarities to another great Lahontan cutthroat fishery we know well, Pyramid Lake
California Fish and Wildlife releases Lahontan Cutthroat Trout each year into Heenan Lake after they have done their work of spawning in the Hot Creek Hatchery. Their offspring are stocked into waters all across California and Nevada. To protect this important and unique fishery, Heenan was named one of the state's first Heritage Trout waters.
Which is why the season here is short, the rules are strict, and every fish goes back.
The Season at a Glance
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Open: Sept 1
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Closed: November 30
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Hours: Sunrise to sunset
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Limit: Zero. Catch and release, no exceptions.
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Gear: Artificial lures and flies only, barbless hooks only. No bait.
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Watercraft: Float tubes and small boats. Electric motors only — no gas.
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Parking: Outside the locked gate. Short walk in.
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License: Valid California license, worn visible above the waist.
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Tributaries: Closed to fishing year-round.
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No camping. No drones. No horses.
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No cell service. Tell someone where you're going.
Heenan sits above 7,000 feet. Mornings are cold enough to freeze rod guides in September. Afternoon wind is the default, not the exception. The weather turns fast and there is nowhere to hide from it.
CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife Information on Heenan Lake
NOAA 7 Day Forecast for Heenan Lake Area
How the Short Season Progresses
Opening stretch (Sept 1 to Sept. 30). Fish are still holding deep and the water is still carrying summer warmth. Work the deeper edges early and late — the cool hours are the productive ones. Holographic Micro Midges, callibaetis, and scuds. A slip indicator rig on a floating line, or get down with a fast sinking line.
Expect company. The opener draws a crowd, and on a good morning the lake is covered in float tubes. If solitude is what you want, the crowds fall of pretty quickly so a weekday or weekend later in the season will be your time on the water.
Middle stretch (Oct. 1 to Oct. 31). This is the window to pick if you have to be selective. Fish get aggressive as temps improve and they start committing to flies they ignored two weeks earlier. Slip indicator still produces, but strip a small streamer and you will find a different class of strike. Watch for surface activity in the morning and evening. Callibaetis (Gilled Nymph) matter more now versus other small patterns. Balanced Leech and Balanced Chub also begin to have greater success as the fish become more aggressive.
Late stretch (Nov. 1 to Nov. 30). Trout push shallow and eat freely on both stripped and suspended presentations. Midges, leeches, buggers. Late morning through early afternoon is your window — the fish move on the day's warmth, not against it. Access gets harder as weather sets in; the road is not plowed. It is not uncommon for Heenan to be inaccessible before the fishing season closes.
Rigging for Heenan Lake
The single most useful thing to understand about Heenan is that it is a weed bed and ledge fishery. Fish cruise just off of the ledges and will venture into the weeds to feed. Often they are cruising just beyond the knuckle of the ledge in deeper water to aid in stealth both for their feeding but also from predation. Most of the season that means 15 to 25 feet of water, near the bottom.
Fish the edge, not the middle.
Slip indicator is the highest-percentage approach — it lets you present at a precise depth over structure and hold it there, which is exactly what a cruising fish rewards. Set your depth deliberately, and when you aren't getting looks, change the depth before you change the fly.
The water is clear. That cuts both ways: later in the season you can sight-fish cruisers from a tube, but if you can see them they most likely can see you. Long light leaders and quiet approaches. Don't line the fish you're casting to.
These fish run large and fight hard, and it's a catch-and-release water — so tippet up rather than down. A long fight in warm water puts unnecessary stress on a fish that you have to release. Bring a proper net. Keep them wet.
What to bring:
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5- or 6-weight, 9 to 10 feet -- Orvis Clearwater 10' 5wt
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Floating line for indicator fishing, plus an intermediate or fast sinking line
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Slip indicator leader setup
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Fluorocarbon tippet — 2x-4x sized up, not down
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Float tube or pontoon, fins, and layers you'll shed by 10 a.m.
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Rubber net, forceps, and a pair of pliers to pinch every barb before you leave the truck
SHOP THE RENO FLY SHOP STILLWATER FLY SELECTION
The Fly Box
Midges and chironomids do the heavy lifting under an indicator. Scuds cover the weed beds. Leeches and buggers earn their keep when fish get aggressive later in the season, and on the strip.
Flies we suggest at Heenan Lake:
One Last Thing
Pyramid Lake opens just one month after Heenan Lake. This overlaps nicely so the Pyramid Lake gear you get now will work great all season at Pyramdi. A great opportunity for you to build gear for two unique and amazing fisheries.
The box you build for Heenan — midges under a slip indicator, leeches and buggers on an intermediate, fluorocarbon leader and patience — is very close to the toolbox you'll utilize at Pyramid on October 1. Treat Heenan as your tune-up. Same fish, same techniques.
Come see us before you go. We'll get your depth dialed and your box right.
