Fishing at Big McGee Lake, Mono County, California

• Overview

  Look for Big McGee Lake in Mono County, California. The surface lies 10,495 feet up. It measures about 33 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. It is high ground by California standards. Nearest town is Mammoth Lakes, 13 miles off. It is 66 miles to Clovis, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Big McGee Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Mono County, recorded fish include brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and owens sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Big McGee Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 21°F in February and 52°F in August. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Look for the thaw near early June; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages place the thaw at early June and the freeze at mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Anyone fishing Big McGee Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Crocker Lake is 0.6 miles off. Rules at Big McGee Lake are worth checking on the day.