Nevada

Nevada's trout water is mostly desert water, and the best known of it is Pyramid Lake, northeast of Reno: the end of the Truckee River and the home of the largest Lahontan cutthroat anywhere. The lake lies within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, and the tribe runs the fishery, so a tribal permit, not a Nevada license, is what you need there.

The fishing is a cold-weather game. The trout season runs from October through June, and the big fish cruise the beaches from November into April, when anglers stand on ladders in the water and cast for hours for one very large cutthroat.