Flat Lake near Yosemite Valley: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  The Madera County entry here is Flat Lake, in California. Elevation runs to 9,003 feet. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Some 16 miles away sits Yosemite Valley, the nearest settlement. Clovis sits 55 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Flat Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Madera County, recorded fish include brown trout, rainbow trout and smallmouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. At Flat Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 27°F to 58°F. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Flat Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Monument Lake is 0.3 miles off. Rules at Flat Lake are worth checking on the day.