Fishing at Fern Lake, Fresno County, California

• Overview

  You will find Fern Lake in Fresno County, California. The country here is mixed forest. At roughly 2 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. It is a small entry by Fresno County standards. Mammoth Lakes sits 14 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The big place round here is Clovis, 57 miles distant. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Fern Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Fresno County cover brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, green sunfish and Sacramento sucker. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Fern Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 25°F in February and 54°F in August. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late May. Ice clears near late May and comes back about early December in a typical year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Plan any trip to Fern Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Big Margaret Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Fern Lake in what we hold.