Devils Bathtub Fishing near Mammoth Lakes, California

• Overview

  Devils Bathtub lies in Fresno County, in California. It lies 9,193 feet above sea level. The water covers some 82 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 1.5 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Size puts it in the front rank of our Fresno County list. Some 15 miles away sits Mammoth Lakes, the nearest settlement. Clovis sits 57 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Devils Bathtub

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Fresno County cover brown trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Take Devils Bathtub a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 53°F and February reads 23°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late May. Break-up near late May, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Time your trip to Devils Bathtub by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Anne Lake, 2 miles out. Confirm access to Devils Bathtub locally before you travel.