Ellis Lake Fishing Guide, Placer County, California

• Overview

  Out in Placer County, California, sits Ellis Lake. It sits at 8,186 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 2 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Placer County list. For supplies, Tahoma is 4 miles out. Reno sits 38 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Ellis Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Placer County, recorded fish include sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, tahoe sucker and brook trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Ellis Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 59°F, the coldest about 27°F. Seasons here are moderate, and the fishing runs most of the year. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing Ellis Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. You will be walking about 0.9 miles from the nearest car park. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Lake Louise, 0.9 miles away. Check the position on Ellis Lake before loading the car.