Fishing Cliff Lake in Siskiyou County, California

• Overview

  Look for Cliff Lake in the Siskiyou County part of California. The bank is 6,122 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 56 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The whole outline is near 1.1 miles, and most of it is walkable. Size puts it in the front rank of our Siskiyou County list. Some 23 miles away sits Happy Camp, the nearest settlement. Beyond it, Yreka at 29 miles and Montague at 33 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Cliff Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Siskiyou County cover rainbow trout, brook trout, Chinook salmon and klamath smallscale sucker. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Cliff Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 57°F; the cold one sits at 32°F. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Expect Cliff Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Overnight stays are possible about half a mile out, where camping is mapped. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Kidder Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm access to Cliff Lake locally before you travel.