| Spooner Lake | |
|---|---|
| Spooner Reservoir | |
.jpg) Spooner Lake in April 2013 | |
  Spooner Lake | |
| Location | Carson Range of theSierra Nevada,Nevada,United States |
| Coordinates | 39°06′25″N119°54′31″W / 39.10694°N 119.90861°W /39.10694; -119.90861 |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Max. depth | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Surface elevation | 6,972 ft (2,125 m) |
| Settlements | Carson City, Nevada |
Spooner Lake is a man-made reservoir located just north of the intersection ofHighway 50 andHighway 28 near Spooner Summit, a pass in theCarson Range of theSierra Nevada, leading toCarson City, Nevada fromLake Tahoe.[1] It is located inLake Tahoe – Nevada State Park.
There are historical references to an "M. E. Spooner" and "Spooner & Co.'s House" in the area, but the first documented eponymous reference was "a strip of productive land extends back from the lake for a distance of 2 miles, where it is called Spooner's Meadow".[2] A dam constructed in 1927 to store irrigation water converted the eastern part of Spooner Meadow into a small lake. Spooner Lake has been used for recreational fishing since the 1930s.[3]
The Spooner Lake watershed is approximately 1 square mile (2.6 km2). Peak flows from the lake are limited by Spooner Dam.[4] The dam was re-built in 1982 due to leakage.[5]
Spooner Lake is positioned 6,972 feet (2,125 m) above sea level.[1] It is fed by numerous seeps and snowmelt, and its outflow below Spooner Dam is toNorth Canyon Creek in Spooner Meadow. North Canyon Creek then heads west, then northwest along Highway 28, before turning to the southwest and flowing down Slaughterhouse Canyon toGlenbook and Lake Tahoe. The creek flows through theToiyabe National Forest on its journey to Lake Tahoe. The reservoir covers approximately 100 acres (40 ha) and has a maximum depth of 22 feet (6.7 m).[5]
In 1973, theNevada Department of Wildlife began stocking Spooner Lake with trout.[6] Trout species include the nativeLahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi), as well as multiple non-native species and hybrids includingrainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss),brown trout (Salmo trutta), bowcutt trout (rainbow x cutthroat),brook trout (Salvenlinus fontinalis), and tiger trout (brown x brook). However, the lake's shallowness has made trout overwintering difficult and nativeLahontan tui chub (Gila bicolor) have come to dominate the lake's fish species.[3][6] Regulations changed from general (allowing harvest) to zero-harvest in 1982, then to a 5 fish limit in 2006.[6]
Spooner Lake is at the start of a 5 miles (8.0 km) hiking trail toMarlette Lake via North Canyon and theTahoe Rim Trail.
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