Echo Lake near Chester: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Echo Lake sits in Plumas County, out in California. It lies 6,870 feet above sea level. At 11 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The nearest place of any size is Chester, 16 miles away. For a city, Chico is 58 miles off. Close neighbours run: 0.9 miles out stands Deer Lake, Upper Twin Lake sits 1.2 miles out, 1.6 miles out stands Swan Lake, Summit Lake sits 1.6 miles out and 1.7 miles out stands Lower Twin Lake. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Echo Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Plumas County include rainbow trout, brook trout, Sacramento sucker and brown trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Work Echo Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 59°F, with January the cold end at about 29°F. Seasons here are moderate, and the fishing runs most of the year. 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. Echo Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Deer Lake, 0.9 miles away. The position on Echo Lake is worth confirming on the day.