Fishing Deer Lick Lake in Humboldt County, California

• Overview

  Deer Lick Lake is set in Humboldt County, California. Salt water lies 19 miles off. Surface area runs to about 4 acres — small enough to read in one session. The nearest town is Happy Camp, 32 miles away. Further out sit Willow Creek (32 miles) and Westhaven-Moonstone (32 miles). Round about: Mosquito Lake about 2.1 miles, 3.2 miles out stands Onion Lake, Twin Lakes about 5.7 miles, 8.1 miles out stands Bee Lake and Fish Lake about 9.6 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Deer Lick 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. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Humboldt County, recorded fish include green sturgeon, flathead grey mullet, rainbow trout and Coho salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Deer Lick Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 63°F for August and 39°F for December. No part of the year shuts this water. Shade and hour of day matter more than month. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. At Deer Lick Lake the season follows that pattern closely. The first warm week of the year changes everything here.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Public mapping marks it as seasonal water rather than permanent. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Failing this one, try Mosquito Lake, 2.1 miles away. The position on Deer Lick Lake is worth confirming on the day.