Tahoe Trout Farm
Tahoe Trout Farm
4.5
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- Heather D9 contributionsGreat family experience.Took my 8 year old son here and he caught his first fish!! We were on a road trip and had tried fishing at different lakes - Convict Lake, Silver Lake, … even with all his patience nothing. He was determined and all he could talk about was fishing. We made it up to Tahoe and decided to make a stop by here. Within 2 minutes, he caught his first fish of his entire life - a 16 inch golden trout!! Even though we are only mid way through our roadtrip, he wanted to keep it. The guys were so great they vacuum sealed it and put it on ice for us to keep in our cooler for us to take back home. My son was so excited and couldn’t think about anything other than his first fish. He didn’t even care to catch more (so it made it a quick and inexpensive but extremely memorable experience for us.)Visited June 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 3, 2024
- Alice1527 contributionsFUN Family Memory Maker Experience with little effort!What fun! We took our children in 1990 and now we took our grandchildren for a fabulous experience. Same kind family operates the Trout Farm. Our grandchildren caught 5 healthy trout. All of us enjoyed the experience. The staff gutted the fish and placed on a line. The staff took the entire family's picture with the American flag flying behind us. What a souvenir! BTW, we enjoyed an amazing fresh pan fried trout dinner that evening in our cabin. We highly recommend this Tahoe experience.Visited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 2, 2024
- Candice J4 contributionsGREAT PLACE TO COME WITH THE FAMILYTHIS PLACE IS A MUST!! Staff are amazing and friendly. Our son had a blast. To be able to keep the fish and take to a local restaurant and they prepare and cook it for you was great we enjoyed every moment of our time at the Farm!! Glad it still open and runningVisited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 20, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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Sydney
4 contributions
Jul 2022
I was debating between a fishing trip with a boat captain or the trout farm and ultimately chose this because of time flexibility. The ambiance is nice and children had a great time. They also learned hands on how to fish. They caught 3 large trouts which cost nearly $200, but it is still cheaper than going out with a captain on a boat.
Written July 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heather D
9 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
Took my 8 year old son here and he caught his first fish!! We were on a road trip and had tried fishing at different lakes - Convict Lake, Silver Lake, … even with all his patience nothing. He was determined and all he could talk about was fishing. We made it up to Tahoe and decided to make a stop by here. Within 2 minutes, he caught his first fish of his entire life - a 16 inch golden trout!! Even though we are only mid way through our roadtrip, he wanted to keep it. The guys were so great they vacuum sealed it and put it on ice for us to keep in our cooler for us to take back home. My son was so excited and couldn’t think about anything other than his first fish. He didn’t even care to catch more (so it made it a quick and inexpensive but extremely memorable experience for us.)
Written June 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MrsSkeeta
Goodyear, AZ7 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
We had so much fun! My husband debated bringing our fishing gear to Tahoe and I talked him out of it and convinced him to try this with the kids. The kids each caught a fish which just made their day- it was so exciting and didn’t take long. Everyone was very nice and they gave the kids a lesson when they cleaned the fish which was neat. Their is one local restaurant that you can drop your fish off at and then you can come back for dinner and they prepare it for you. The whole experience was very memorable for us and the kids. And we do fish regularly but still found this to be fantastic memorable experience.
Written June 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Candice J
4 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
THIS PLACE IS A MUST!!
Staff are amazing and friendly.
Our son had a blast.
To be able to keep the fish and take to a local restaurant and they prepare and cook it for you was great we enjoyed every moment of our time at the Farm!!
Glad it still open and running
Staff are amazing and friendly.
Our son had a blast.
To be able to keep the fish and take to a local restaurant and they prepare and cook it for you was great we enjoyed every moment of our time at the Farm!!
Glad it still open and running
Written August 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alice152
Gilroy7 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
What fun! We took our children in 1990 and now we took our grandchildren for a fabulous experience. Same kind family operates the Trout Farm. Our grandchildren caught 5 healthy trout. All of us enjoyed the experience. The staff gutted the fish and placed on a line. The staff took the entire family's picture with the American flag flying behind us. What a souvenir! BTW, we enjoyed an amazing fresh pan fried trout dinner that evening in our cabin. We highly recommend this Tahoe experience.
Written August 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PAC626
Sierra Madre, CA127 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
I used to long to fish here as kid while on vacation in the SLT area back in the '60s and '70s. When we weren't at one of the beaches or out sight seeing, I was blessed to be able to fish all day long in the adjoining meadow in Trout Creek and the memories and experience gained by that have served me well. (aka: the good old days)
This place is actually much better run and maintained than most others like it across the state that I have explored out of curiosity. .
I am an accomplished fisherman for far too many more years than I care to admit to. Despite that, here are a few of the reasons I believe this activity and this specific location is a great value for those who want to try fishing but have never done so, don't have the equipment, don't have the knowledge of not only where to go, but what to really do to have a successful and fun first experience once you get there:
1st - you are in an incredibly beautiful setting in Lake Tahoe (vs other locations)
2nd- they seem to do a lot of business which means, like a restaurant, the turnover of the fish they buy and that you will catch are 'fresher' - not old, lazy and worn out from just floating around eating fish food pellets all day. The coloring of the Rainbow Trout here are bright, vibrant and rich - not dull and faded like others.
3rd - the real value: If you are not a fisher person, don't own equipment and have young kids, this place is a dream. Budget accordingly for it and it won't be a surprise or shock.
- you don't need to purchase a CA License which for someone from in or out of state for a one single day permit is currently $ 15.12 per day (whether you catch a fish or not)
- you don't need to bring/purchase anything, let alone set it up, take it down, deal with tangled 'bird's nests' of fishing line, etc The Trout Farm provides it all (NOTE: a relatively inexpensive and very low quality rod/real outfit from a discount store will run you at least a bare bones minimum of $20 per person.)
- And then there is the additional tackle needed to actually fish - Line, Hooks, weights, Bait, etc. Even for a simple group, you would spend at least $20 conservatively and at a minimum for this - and again, that is just to 'go' fishing, no guarantee of catching, or even seeing any fish if you are not experienced.
- so, let's say you are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids), haven't ever fished before, don't really know what you are doing, however want the kids to get an idea and the successful experience of TROUT fishing, and a positive vacation memory.
- If you did all of it on your own and drove somewhere to fish, here is a basic initial expense tabulation for just 'the price of admission', going fishing on a stream or at a lake:
$30.24 for 1 Day CA Licenses for the 2 adults
$80.00 for 4 basic, not-likely-very good fishing rods and reels
$20.00 for the Hooks, Weights, Bait, etc - minimum
------------
$130.24 plus Tax MINIMUM to go fishing for one day, and not fully prepared or guaranteed to catch a fish.
Another post below says they paid about $120.00 for the fish they caught in less than an hour - but that everyone had a fun time. This also likely means that no one got hurt, someone else had the skill and experience and equipment to clean the fish for you, no one fell in the water, you didn't have to drive very far or too long to get to the Tahoe Trout Farm, and your ride back was just as fast........See what I mean about the value?
In comparison -
How much does a round of Golf cost for ONE person? How long does a round take to play? Club Rental$$? Golf Ball$?
How much to take a family of 4 to go see movie in a movie theater? (Go fishing that day and watch a couple of DVDs that night with Microwave Popcorn at home/hotel)
How much to rent a boat on Lake Tahoe? How many hour minimum? How much to replace the Gas you used?
If everyone had a fun time fishing, you can then add this to your activities list under the 'likes' column and take the next major steps to 'do it right' for the future - with everyone on board looking forward to go again!
(and no, I am not employed by or related to anyone at this business - just an experienced, fun loving,realistic outdoorsman, who is also a Father, Uncle,and Tahoe fan wanting to 'pay it forward' to the young families and future generations)
IMHO of course!
This place is actually much better run and maintained than most others like it across the state that I have explored out of curiosity. .
I am an accomplished fisherman for far too many more years than I care to admit to. Despite that, here are a few of the reasons I believe this activity and this specific location is a great value for those who want to try fishing but have never done so, don't have the equipment, don't have the knowledge of not only where to go, but what to really do to have a successful and fun first experience once you get there:
1st - you are in an incredibly beautiful setting in Lake Tahoe (vs other locations)
2nd- they seem to do a lot of business which means, like a restaurant, the turnover of the fish they buy and that you will catch are 'fresher' - not old, lazy and worn out from just floating around eating fish food pellets all day. The coloring of the Rainbow Trout here are bright, vibrant and rich - not dull and faded like others.
3rd - the real value: If you are not a fisher person, don't own equipment and have young kids, this place is a dream. Budget accordingly for it and it won't be a surprise or shock.
- you don't need to purchase a CA License which for someone from in or out of state for a one single day permit is currently $ 15.12 per day (whether you catch a fish or not)
- you don't need to bring/purchase anything, let alone set it up, take it down, deal with tangled 'bird's nests' of fishing line, etc The Trout Farm provides it all (NOTE: a relatively inexpensive and very low quality rod/real outfit from a discount store will run you at least a bare bones minimum of $20 per person.)
- And then there is the additional tackle needed to actually fish - Line, Hooks, weights, Bait, etc. Even for a simple group, you would spend at least $20 conservatively and at a minimum for this - and again, that is just to 'go' fishing, no guarantee of catching, or even seeing any fish if you are not experienced.
- so, let's say you are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids), haven't ever fished before, don't really know what you are doing, however want the kids to get an idea and the successful experience of TROUT fishing, and a positive vacation memory.
- If you did all of it on your own and drove somewhere to fish, here is a basic initial expense tabulation for just 'the price of admission', going fishing on a stream or at a lake:
$30.24 for 1 Day CA Licenses for the 2 adults
$80.00 for 4 basic, not-likely-very good fishing rods and reels
$20.00 for the Hooks, Weights, Bait, etc - minimum
------------
$130.24 plus Tax MINIMUM to go fishing for one day, and not fully prepared or guaranteed to catch a fish.
Another post below says they paid about $120.00 for the fish they caught in less than an hour - but that everyone had a fun time. This also likely means that no one got hurt, someone else had the skill and experience and equipment to clean the fish for you, no one fell in the water, you didn't have to drive very far or too long to get to the Tahoe Trout Farm, and your ride back was just as fast........See what I mean about the value?
In comparison -
How much does a round of Golf cost for ONE person? How long does a round take to play? Club Rental$$? Golf Ball$?
How much to take a family of 4 to go see movie in a movie theater? (Go fishing that day and watch a couple of DVDs that night with Microwave Popcorn at home/hotel)
How much to rent a boat on Lake Tahoe? How many hour minimum? How much to replace the Gas you used?
If everyone had a fun time fishing, you can then add this to your activities list under the 'likes' column and take the next major steps to 'do it right' for the future - with everyone on board looking forward to go again!
(and no, I am not employed by or related to anyone at this business - just an experienced, fun loving,realistic outdoorsman, who is also a Father, Uncle,and Tahoe fan wanting to 'pay it forward' to the young families and future generations)
IMHO of course!
Written September 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beth U
1,528 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
We were in Lake Tahoe and just happened to stumble upon this place while out driving around. The sign advertised free fishing, including all bait and tackle. We had some time to kill before heading off to horseback riding, so we decided to check it out. I am so glad we did!
We were lucky enough to meet the owner, Jim, as soon as we walked up. He asked if we'd been there before and when we said no, he explained to us all about the trout farm and how it works.
He said he'd been fishing in that pond since he was 10 years old. When he got word they were going to close it down, he and his wife bought it and decided to manage it. He explained how he enjoys seeing kids get their first experience with fishing, and they even work with several special needs children. They have a gate that they can open that allows a van to park right in between the two ponds so kids who have trouble getting around can also participate.
They provide everything for you; fishing rod, bait, bucket, net, etc. (no need for a fishing permit) All you do is pay for what you catch. They have a chart posted so you can see exactly what the prices will be based on the size of fish you catch. (Prices are also listed on their website) And, they have the fish divided into two ponds with the larger fish separate from the smaller so you can pick which pond you'd like to fish out of.
He explained that they clean the fish for you and then pack it in ice for you to take home for dinner. If you are staying in a hotel and do not have access to a stove/oven, he has a list of local restaurants that will cook the fish for you. Or, if like us, you just want the experience and not the actual fish, you can donate whatever you catch to places like the orphan bear foundation.
I am 42 years old and never fished in my life. We don't even eat fish, so I was a bit squeamish about it all, but, they were so helpful, we had to try it. My girls, both age 13, loved it! One of them even baited the worm on the hook. They each caught a fish, one 12 inches and the other 14 inches. One of the workers cleaned it for them, and then they got to take a photo with their catch. It was a great experience and now they say they want to go fishing again.
I would highly recommend this place for all ages. One tip, there isn't a lot of shade, so wear a hat and sunscreen on hot summer days.
We were lucky enough to meet the owner, Jim, as soon as we walked up. He asked if we'd been there before and when we said no, he explained to us all about the trout farm and how it works.
He said he'd been fishing in that pond since he was 10 years old. When he got word they were going to close it down, he and his wife bought it and decided to manage it. He explained how he enjoys seeing kids get their first experience with fishing, and they even work with several special needs children. They have a gate that they can open that allows a van to park right in between the two ponds so kids who have trouble getting around can also participate.
They provide everything for you; fishing rod, bait, bucket, net, etc. (no need for a fishing permit) All you do is pay for what you catch. They have a chart posted so you can see exactly what the prices will be based on the size of fish you catch. (Prices are also listed on their website) And, they have the fish divided into two ponds with the larger fish separate from the smaller so you can pick which pond you'd like to fish out of.
He explained that they clean the fish for you and then pack it in ice for you to take home for dinner. If you are staying in a hotel and do not have access to a stove/oven, he has a list of local restaurants that will cook the fish for you. Or, if like us, you just want the experience and not the actual fish, you can donate whatever you catch to places like the orphan bear foundation.
I am 42 years old and never fished in my life. We don't even eat fish, so I was a bit squeamish about it all, but, they were so helpful, we had to try it. My girls, both age 13, loved it! One of them even baited the worm on the hook. They each caught a fish, one 12 inches and the other 14 inches. One of the workers cleaned it for them, and then they got to take a photo with their catch. It was a great experience and now they say they want to go fishing again.
I would highly recommend this place for all ages. One tip, there isn't a lot of shade, so wear a hat and sunscreen on hot summer days.
Written July 8, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JAYTRAVEL1958
New York City, NY202 contributions
Let me first say that Jim (the owner) Jackie (the wife) and James (the manager) run this quaint fishing farm with a warm, friendly and helpful style. Granted, this ain't sport fishing, but it was enjoyable to try to hook the elusive, sly and cunning rainbow trout. No this was not like shooting fish in a barrel. These fish look like they knew what was up and were coy on taking the bait, leaving my crew to come up with different ways to lure them in and hook em. Entry, bait and tackle are free and you pay by the size of the fish you catch and there is no limit. They also sell refreshments. Go. Enjoy.
Written August 26, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
l2ider
San Francisco, CA100 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
My younger son is a natural fisherman! He enjoys and for someone so young, he catches a lot of fish.
We came here in the afternoon after a 13 mile hike but it didn't slow him down. We had our own rods but it was easier to use the poles they provided.
My son caught a half dozen trouts in no time! Definitely fish in the deeper lake. Couple of huge 14-16" Rainbows and a German Brown!
Kids will love it here and they clean and ice pack the fish so you can easily take back to your home or campsite.
We chartered a boat to fish Makinaws in Lake Tahoe before but I think my son enjoyed it here more.
We came here in the afternoon after a 13 mile hike but it didn't slow him down. We had our own rods but it was easier to use the poles they provided.
My son caught a half dozen trouts in no time! Definitely fish in the deeper lake. Couple of huge 14-16" Rainbows and a German Brown!
Kids will love it here and they clean and ice pack the fish so you can easily take back to your home or campsite.
We chartered a boat to fish Makinaws in Lake Tahoe before but I think my son enjoyed it here more.
Written September 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Docc
Island of Hawaii, HI930 contributions
Sep 2015 • Family
So, the kids loved it. They each quickly pulled out a fish with little effort! Still the farm had some issues. Ita not that clean and it costs lots of $$$ to catch fish! Our damage was $72 for catching 5 fish!
So, the experience was great but i hated paying for it.
So, the experience was great but i hated paying for it.
Written September 12, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are they open during COVID? Are the 10am-5pm hours daily still apply? Thanks
Written May 7, 2021
These are the posted hours: Mon-Sun:
10:00 am - 6:00 pm. But, I'd call to confirm. (530) 541-1491
Written July 5, 2016
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