Dolores Lake Fishing Guide, San Bernardino County, California

• Overview

  Dolores Lake is one of the San Bernardino County waters in California. The bank gives way to open dry country. Small at around 19 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Supplies mean a trip to Barstow, 19 miles off. Barstow Heights is 21 miles and Fort Irwin 22 miles. Within easy reach: Lake Tami 1.7 miles away, Lake Jodie at 3.3 miles and Galway Lake 30 miles away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Dolores Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Open biodiversity records for San Bernardino County list green sunfish, black bullhead and rainbow trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Dolores Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 89°F on average, December about 48°F. Cooler months are the productive ones on most of this water. Late winter and spring fish steadiest here. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. That is the shape of the year on Dolores Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records show it does not hold water year-round. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Lake Tami, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Dolores Lake are worth checking on the day.