Big Bear Lake Fishing in Trinity County, California

• Overview

  California holds Big Bear Lake, in Trinity County. The bank gives way to rolling hill. With some 33 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Few waters listed in Trinity County are bigger. For supplies, Mount Shasta is 22 miles out. The big place round here is Chico, 111 miles distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Big Bear Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Trinity County cover rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, brook trout and klamath smallscale sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Big Bear Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 60°F; by December the average is down near 32°F. Spring and autumn are the strongest, but nothing is truly closed. Hard water here is never dependable, so check for yourself before stepping out. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. The season on Big Bear Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Little Bear Lake, 0.7 miles out. Rules at Big Bear Lake are worth checking on the day.