Bighorn Lake in Fresno County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Bighorn Lake lies in Fresno County, in California. This is lake country bush ground. The water measures roughly 15 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is high ground by California standards. 26 miles away sits West Bishop, the nearest town. Further out sit Big Pine (27 miles) and Bishop (28 miles). There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Bighorn Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Fresno County list brown trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Fish Bighorn Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 54°F, while February sits near 23°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. After late May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice clears near late May and comes back about late November in a typical year. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That shapes the year on Bighorn Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Eve Lake is 0.6 miles off. Signs at Bighorn Lake carry more weight than any list.