Antelope Lake in Mono County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Antelope Lake belongs to Mono County, California. The bank gives way to dry rangeland. Surface area is around 140 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Few waters listed in Mono County are bigger. For supplies, Mammoth Lakes is 28 miles out. Clovis sits 96 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Antelope Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Mono County list brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Antelope Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 31°F in January and 69°F in July. Fishing continues through most of the calendar, with quiet spells rather than closures. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. It holds true on Antelope Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. If the gate is shut, Black Lake at 5.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing on Antelope Lake should be assumed from this page alone.