Airstrip Pond in Monterey County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Monterey County end of California holds Airstrip Pond. The bank gives way to pine and hardwood. For supplies, King City is 20 miles out. Salinas is the closest city, 54 miles away. Not far off: Laguna Lake 0.6 miles away, Mail Trail Pond at 2.4 miles, Hernandez Reservoir 5.3 miles away, Monroe Lake at 12 miles and Spanish Lake 12 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Airstrip Pond

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Monterey County include flathead grey mullet, Chinook salmon and Coho salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Treat Airstrip Pond as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 70°F in August and bottom out at 44°F in December. Long warm spells define the calendar more than any cold. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. The season on Airstrip Pond follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Laguna Lake at 0.6 miles is the sensible second choice. For Airstrip Pond, the notice at the access point is the final word.