Davis Lake in Mono County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Davis Lake belongs to Mono County, California. What surrounds it is mixed forest. Around 63 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. About 1.8 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Few waters listed in Mono County are bigger. Supplies mean a trip to Mammoth Lakes, 15 miles off. Clovis sits 70 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Davis Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Mono County names brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Davis Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 56°F, with January the cold end at about 23°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid May. From about mid May to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Davis Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Stanford Lake is 1.5 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Davis Lake.