Most Experienced Lake Tahoe Fishing Captain

We have operated Mile High Fishing Charters on Lake Tahoe for 29 consecutive years. Captain Joby Cefalu has fished this lake for over 45 years and has guided here full-time, year-round since founding the business. We were the first charter company to operate out of Tahoe Keys Marina and remain the longest-running Lake Tahoe fishing charter under the same ownership.

No ownership changes. No relocations. No seasonal gaps. Nearly three decades of continuous operation from South Lake Tahoe under the same captain.

Lake Tahoe is deep, clear, and weather-sensitive. Conditions shift quickly. Snowpack affects clarity and bait movement. Wind can reposition fish in a matter of hours. Boat pressure has increased steadily over time.

We have fished through all of it, across every season, in good conditions and poor ones.

Fishing Tahoe well is not about one strong season. It is about showing up every season — winter Mackinaw, spring transitions, summer depth adjustments, fall Browns. Being on this water twelve months a year keeps our approach grounded in current conditions, not last year’s patterns.

Mackinaw suspend in summer and hold tighter to bottom structure in winter. Kokanee school tightly during the spawn and disperse after. Brown and Rainbow Trout shift shallower in cooler months. Each species requires adjustment, and no single method carries across all four seasons. Knowing when and how to adjust is what 29 years on one lake looks like in practice.

Mile High Fishing Charters operates under U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain licensing and is authorized to guide in both California and Nevada waters.

We maintain:

Depending on season and conditions, we target:

Mackinaw are available year-round and remain our primary deep-water target. In summer they push deep, often well past 100 feet, following cooler water and baitfish. In winter they move onto structure and become more predictable. Kokanee are most productive from late spring through summer and require precise depth and speed control to stay in the zone.

Techniques shift with season and conditions. The standard we hold for execution does not.

We run KingFisher boats powered by Mercury motors, equipped with modern marine electronics including GPS, sonar, and imaging systems suited for Lake Tahoe’s depth and clarity. Our tackle and rigging are matched to the specific demands of each species and how this lake fishes.

We operate out of Tahoe Keys Marina in South Lake Tahoe and offer:

Full-day trips allow more water coverage and work well for guests targeting Mackinaw or wanting to fish multiple species in one outing. Half-day trips focus on productive morning windows. The Afternoon Family Fishing Adventure provides a shorter, manageable introduction to fishing Lake Tahoe.

All trips are booked directly through our website with no third-party booking fees.

There are other charters on Lake Tahoe. Very few have operated continuously under the same captain for 29 years.

Most operate seasonally. We are on this water in January and February when many guides are not. What we observe in late winter directly informs how we approach spring. That continuity compounds over time.

If you want to fish Lake Tahoe with a captain who has spent decades on this specific water — not just guiding in general, but guiding here — we are ready when you are.