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The mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) is a salmonid native to western North America. Their native range extends across eastern California and northern Nevada.
In western Nevada, your best bet to catch one are the East Walker River at Rosaschi Ranch or the Truckee River at Verdi. In eastern Nevada, mountain whitefish can be found in the Bruneau River, South Fork of the Owyhee River, and East or West Forks of the Jarbidge River. Of these, I prefer the West Fork of the Jarbidge River as it also holds bull trout and Columbia River redband trout.
In California, your best bet to catch one is probably on the Truckee River, the East Walker River, or the West Walker River. I've caught them on tributaries of the West Fork of the Carson River as well. They can also be found in various lakes in the area, including Cascade Lake and Independence Lake.
Mountain whitefish
Mountain whitefish typically forage for food on the bottom of river beds, using their fins to kick up aquatic insect larvae and other macro invertebrates, especially in the evening hours. They will also consume food that drifts by while resting. They are rarely seen feeding on top but are known to eat emerging aquatic insects such as midges and mayflies. To specifically target mountain fish, I recommend using a dropper/dropper rig with two fast sinking flies, with the lead fly being the larger of the two. For most of the year, a #14 beadhead pheasant tail nymph trailed by a #18 beadhead zebra midge is a good combo. Then target gravel bottom runs in the evenings, presenting the flies on the bottom in a dead drift. Use additional weight if need be. Bobber optional.
Challenges
The mountain whitefish is included in the Nevada Native Fish Slam.
This article was authored by Kurt Zeilenga as part of our Western States Trout Species series.
Suggestions on how to improve this article may be sent to Kurt@TroutAdventures.org.
Additional Reading
Trout and Salmon of North America by Robert Behnke
Oregon Native Fish Status Report, Volumes I and II, by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
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