Fishing Branham Reservoir in Lassen County, California

• Overview

  Within Lassen County, California, you have Branham Reservoir. It sits in rolling hill country. With some 80 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 1.4 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. For supplies, Susanville is 23 miles out. Johnstonville is 24 miles and Janesville 30 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Branham Reservoir

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Open biodiversity records for Lassen County list rainbow trout, tahoe sucker and Sacramento sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Branham Reservoir gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 64°F and January about 28°F. Some winters cap it and some do not. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Expect Branham Reservoir to follow that timing. Water temperature lags the air by a week or so.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Steel Post Reservoir, 2.2 miles out. None of that is settled for Branham Reservoir in what we hold.