Guided Lake Tahoe Fishing Charters

Beautiful 20-pound mackinaw (lake trout) from Lake Tahoe while on a guided fishing trip with JD Richey Sportfishing. — A 20-pound mackinaw for one of our customers!

Mackinaw / Rainbow, CUTTHROAT & Brown Trout / KOkanee Salmon

Fishing on Lake Tahoe is superb, with excellent fish populations that produce exciting year-round angling opportunities. On our guided Lake Tahoe Fishing Trips, you’ll have a great time — and get to see the the crown jewel of the Sierras from a unique perspective.

Captain JD Richey been at this since 1998 and takes pride in providing the most comfortable and relaxing experience in the biz! He’s especially great with families and kids, so you know you’ll always have a great day on the water.

Beautiful lake trout from Lake Tahoe while on a guided fishing trip with JD Richey Sportfishing — One of our happy clients with a nice Mackinaw.

JD’s a US Coast Guard-licensed Captain and is a licensed guide in California, Nevada and Alaska. A light tackle specialist, JD uses top-notch gear that’s perfectly matched to the style of fishing, means you get maximum enjoyment out of your day.

What we Catch

Depending on prevailing conditions and time of year, we target Mackinaw (“lake trout”), Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout & Cutthroat Trout.

MACKINAW (LAKE TROUT)

Mackinaw, aka, “Lake Trout,” are the largest predators in the lake and can occasionally top 20 pounds (the lake record is over 30 pounds), though the bulk of them average 3 to 5 pounds.

They are delicious on the grill — their flesh is oily and pink like salmon. Not to get too geeky on you, but Lake Trout aren’t actually trout at all — they are members of the char family, which are cousins of salmon and trout. “Macks” are available year-round.

KOKANEE SALMON

Kokanee salmon are the best eating fish in Lake Tahoe. Pint-sized cousins of ocean going sockeye salmon, they have bright silver flanks on the outside — and beautiful orange meat on the inside. They don’t grow to massive sizes — Tahoe kokanee typically run 12-15 inches but what they lack in stature, they more than make up for in fighting ability and table fare. Best months to hunt salmon on Lake Tahoe are July-Oct.

RAINBOW TROUT

The rainbow trout in Lake Tahoe are beautiful and fight like crazy, often jumping a few feet out of the water when hooked. They average 3 to 5 pounds (but can top 12 pounds now and then). Rainbows are most commonly caught in the spring and fall months.

BROWN TROUT

Brown trout in Lake Tahoe can reach big sizes — potentially up to 15 pounds but the average fish runs 3 to 5 pounds. Gorgeous and aggressive, they are one of our favorite fish to target! Best fishing for them occurs in the spring and fall.

LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT

The native trout to Lake Tahoe, Lahontan Cutthroats used to sometimes top 30 pounds in the lake pre-1900. Overharvest and habitat degradation caused these once giant predators to go extinct around the turn of the century.

In recent years, biologists have been reintroducing cutthroat back into the lake and we’ve been seeing them from time to time. So far, they have yet to grow big like their ancestors used to but the jury is still out…

Departure Location

We depart daily from the Tahoe Keys Marina in South Lake Tahoe.

How We Fish

We specialize in Light Tackle to ensure you’ll have the most fun catching fish. No heavy ocean gear here! Jigging, Trolling & Live Bait are our main techniques and to further your enjoyment, we use high-end Douglas Outdoors graphite rods which are light and extremely sensitive.

What We Provide

All fishing gear
Fish cleaning
Restaurant suggestions where you can have you catch cooked

A platter of freshly caught mackinaw and kokanee salmon from Lake Tahoe caught with guide JD Richey. Meal prep by MacDuff's Pub. — MacDuff’s Pub in South Lake Tahoe will do an amazing job of cooking your catch!

The Boat

Charter fishing on Lake Tahoe with JD Richey Sportfishing

Our comfortable & stable 26’ River Wild Boat features:

• Fully enclosed, heated cabin

• Spacious rear fishing deck

• Top-notch safety and navigational equipment

Season

Year-Round

Your Day

Your full-day fishing trip, unless otherwise specified, will begin just before dawn (exact times depend on time of year, weather, etc). Once on the water, we will give a brief seminar on the day’s techniques and then fishing begins!