Doe Lake, California: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Doe Lake in Mono County, California. It sits in mixed forest country. It covers about 15 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Nearest town is Yosemite Valley, 21 miles off. The big place round here is Clovis, 85 miles distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Doe Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Mono County: brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, owens sucker and california golden trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Doe Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put August at about 53°F and February near 22°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in early June, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about early June and the closing near late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It sets the rhythm of the year at Doe Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. 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 the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Tallulah Lake is 1 mile distant. Nothing here settles the position at Doe Lake for certain.