Bluff Lake, California: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Inyo County in California is where Bluff Lake sits. It stands 10,528 feet above sea level. It is pond-in-a-field scale, with the far bank a short lob away. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Inyo County. The closest town, West Bishop, is 14 miles away. The nearest city of size is Clovis, 68 miles away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Bluff Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name california golden trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Bluff Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 54°F, the coldest about 22°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late May. Break-up near late May, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Bluff Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. There are picnic tables half a mile away. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Brown Lake, 0.6 miles out. Ask locally about Bluff Lake if anything is unclear.