Bigelow Lake, California: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Bigelow Lake is one of the Tuolumne County listings for California. The water sits 9,623 feet up. Around 51 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 1.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Head to Yosemite Valley, 29 miles away, for anything you forgot. Twain Harte is 33 miles away, with Cedar Ridge at 35 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Bigelow Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Tuolumne County include rainbow trout, brook trout, Sacramento sucker and bluegill. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Bigelow Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 55°F in August and bottoms out near 23°F in February. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in late May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Expect the water usable from around late May until roughly late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Bigelow Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Black Bear Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Rules at Bigelow Lake are worth checking on the day.