Fishing Duck Pond in Modoc County, California

• Overview

  Duck Pond sits within Modoc County in California. The surface lies 4,357 feet up. Around 43 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 1.4 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Alturas at 1.5 miles is the nearest place to stop. Chico sits 139 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Duck Pond

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Modoc County, recorded fish include Sacramento sucker, modoc sucker, rainbow trout, green sunfish and brook trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The shape of Duck Pond rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 66°F; by December the average is down near 30°F. A lid forms in a hard winter only. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Anyone fishing Duck Pond regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Modoc National Wildlife Refuge covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Goose Pond, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Duck Pond as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.