Fishing Devils Lake in Trinity County, California

• Overview

  In California, Devils Lake falls inside Trinity County. The surface lies 6,138 feet up. At roughly 3 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. The nearest town is Dunsmuir, 18 miles away. Beyond it, Mount Shasta at 22 miles and McCloud at 26 miles. Nearby alternatives: Grouse Lake 0.8 miles, 2.1 miles out stands Pond Lily Lake, Highland Lakes 3.4 miles, 5.5 miles out stands Twin Lakes and Tamarack Lake 5.8 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Devils Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Trinity County cover rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, brook trout and klamath smallscale sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Anyone new to Devils Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 63°F at the top of summer and 35°F at the bottom of winter. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. Devils Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Grouse Lake is 0.8 miles distant. For Devils Lake in particular, ask before you travel.