Coit Lake Fishing near San Martin, California

• Overview

  Look for Coit Lake in Santa Clara County, California. What surrounds it is pine and hardwood. At roughly 12 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. On size it sits at the modest end of our Santa Clara County list. Head to San Martin, 11 miles away, for anything you forgot. San Jose is the closest city, 29 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Coit Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Records held for Santa Clara County cover flathead grey mullet, rainbow trout, common carp, bluegill and Sacramento sucker. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. The near bank of Coit Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 46°F in January and 72°F in August. The hard part of the year is the heat, not the cold. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. It sets the rhythm of the year at Coit Lake. Water colour tells you more than the air temperature does.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. There is a campsite 150 yards from the water. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Hoover Lake is 1.8 miles off. For Coit Lake in particular, ask before you travel.