Fishing at Double Head Lake, Modoc County, California

• Overview

  Double Head Lake falls in Modoc County, part of California. It stands 4,544 feet above sea level. With some 80 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 1.5 miles keeps the choices simple. The closest town, Alturas, is 36 miles away. Chico is the closest city, 145 miles away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Double Head Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Modoc County list Sacramento sucker, modoc sucker, rainbow trout and green sunfish. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Double Head Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 30°F at the bottom of winter. Conditions shift steadily rather than sharply. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. The season on Double Head Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Lone Pine Lake at 1.8 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for Double Head Lake.