In 2026, the Nevada Department of Wildlife has put 871 channel catfish into the Tule Springs ponds at Floyd Lamb Park over three summer and fall stockings. From early November 2025 through early March 2026, it put in 19,027 rainbow trout.
Those trout arrived while the park keeps its shortest hours. From October through March, the gates at 9200 Tule Springs Road open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. In summer they stay open until 8 p.m. So in Centennial Hills, the park's best fishing season fits into a nine-hour day, and anyone who wants a piece of it has to plan around the gatehouse clock.
How Last Winter's Trout Came In
NDOW's 2026 fishing regulations list rainbow trout for the Floyd Lamb/Tule pond in January through March and again in November and December. The regulations give months, not dates. The stocking log on NDOW's Floyd Lamb Park page shows how the last fall season actually played out:
| Date stocked | Rainbow trout | Average size | Days since previous drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 10, 2025 | 1,240 | 10.0 in | n/a |
| Nov. 20, 2025 | 1,264 | 9.2 in | 10 |
| Nov. 24, 2025 | 1,616 | 8.5 in | 4 |
| Dec. 2, 2025 | 1,360 | 9.0 in | 8 |
| Dec. 10, 2025 | 1,592 | 8.6 in | 8 |
| Dec. 16, 2025 | 1,388 | 9.0 in | 6 |
| Dec. 22, 2025 | 1,215 | 8.5 in | 6 |
That's seven drops in six weeks, 9,675 fish in all, with a new load arriving about once a week. After a holiday pause, stocking started again on Jan. 7, 2026 and ran through six more drops, ending with 1,890 fish on March 3. The 2026 log then moves on to bluegill, a few largemouth bass and catfish, and its most recent entry is 300 channel catfish on Sept. 27, 2026.
NDOW adds each new load to the log on the water page, so this season's dates will show up there as the fish go in.
Floyd Lamb has four ponds, and NDOW stocks only the largest one at the top. Some fish move into the middle ponds when the water is high. When the regulations say Floyd Lamb is getting trout, they mean that upper pond.
Nine Hours, $6 and a Card
The short winter day comes with a gate that takes cards only. Entry is $6 per vehicle, paid by debit or credit card at the gatehouse. If you only have cash, you can pay at a City of Las Vegas community center and bring the receipt to the gate.
If you'll be making weekly trips while the stocking runs, the City's park page lists two annual passes:
- Household Yearly Pass: $50, for ages through 49
- Senior Household Yearly Pass: $25, for ages 50 and up
- Both can be bought online or at the entrance gatehouse.
With a gate fee of $6, the $50 pass pays for itself on the ninth visit. Last fall's stocking alone covered six weeks, and the January-to-March run added about eight more.
Two of the City's free-entry days fall inside this year's trout months: Thursday, Nov. 26, which is Thanksgiving, and Friday, Dec. 25. Winter hours still apply on those days, so the free days run 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. like any other winter day.
What the Pond Asks of an Angler
The City's park page says fishing is allowed with a license from NDOW. NDOW's licensing page says anglers 12 and older need a fishing license. Its current price table lists a resident adult annual license at $40 and a nonresident annual license at $80, and it also sells one-day permits.
The 2026 regulations list Clark County's community ponds, including Floyd Lamb, as open all year during park hours. The daily limit is three game fish. That's three game fish of any species, not three trout. Park hours count too, so once winter closing time arrives at 5 p.m., the pond is closed for the day.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Licensing rules and fees can change, so check NDOW's current regulations for your own situation before you cast.
Where the Holiday Calendar Lands Inside the Stocking Window
The trout months overlap with the park's holiday dates. Here's the stretch from now to the end of the year, with last year's stocking pattern as a reference:
- Late November: Last year, NDOW stocked on Nov. 20 and Nov. 24, four days apart, the closest pair of drops all season.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: Free entry at Floyd Lamb Park for Thanksgiving.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The City's Ward 6 Cowboy Christmas & Classic Car Show comes to the park. The plan includes a classic car show, vendors, youth performances, arts and crafts, a walk-in snow globe, a photo booth and Santa. The City asks guests to wear cowboy hats and boots and to bring low-back chairs and blankets. The Eventbrite listing says the event is free and lets you reserve a spot.
- Mid-December: In 2025, drops came on Dec. 10, Dec. 16 and Dec. 22.
- Friday, Dec. 25: Free entry for Christmas Day.
The car show ends at 2 p.m., which still leaves three hours before the winter gate closes. Fishing the upper pond after the show fits within the same day's entry, though Dec. 5 isn't a free-entry day.
The Other Half of a Short Day: The Durango Loop
The ponds take up one part of the morning. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument covers the open desert nearby, and its trailhead on the Centennial Hills side stays open through the construction to the east.
The Durango/Moccasin kiosk sits at North Durango Drive and West Moccasin Road. A paved City parking lot at the end of those roads serves the kiosk and foot access into the monument. From the kiosk, the Durango Loop runs as a 1.7-mile short loop or a 2.25-mile long loop, and the National Park Service rates both easy to moderate.
That construction is building the monument's first permanent, accessible trails. The 3.3-mile Tufa Trail will have bilingual wayside exhibits, tactile models and wayfinding maps. The NPS expects to open it to the public in 2027. Home builder D.R. Horton is funding the design and construction entirely in-kind, as part of a 2018 land exchange between the NPS and the City of North Las Vegas.
While the work goes on, the NPS has closed the South Unit south of Grand Teton Drive, between Tule Springs Parkway and North Fifth Street in North Las Vegas. Its alerts page says the trailheads remain open. The NPS has said from the start that the closure would not affect the Durango and Aliante loops. Check that alerts page before you go, since conditions there can change while work continues.
Protectors of Tule Springs, the monument's official philanthropic partner, runs a public events calendar through the end of the year. Two of its upcoming late-November events are at Ice Age Fossils State Park:
- Sunday, Nov. 22: A ranger-guided hike on the Big Dig Trail. The listing says no registration is required.
- Friday, Nov. 27: The 3rd annual Teratorn Trot, the day after the Thanksgiving free-entry day at Floyd Lamb. No registration is required for this one either.
The calendar also lists Happy Birthday TUSK! on Saturday, Dec. 19, marking the legislation that created the monument. In 2025, that date fell between the Dec. 16 and Dec. 22 trout drops at Floyd Lamb.
A Saturday this winter could go like this: a loop from the Durango/Moccasin kiosk, then the upper pond at Floyd Lamb before the 5 p.m. gate.
Johnny's crew at The Richardson Group works Centennial Hills from the Durango Loop to the Floyd Lamb gatehouse. When you're ready to talk about the home that gets you to that 5 p.m. gate fastest, or about selling the one you're in now, book your free selling strategy call and we'll get moving.
