Forni Lake Fishing in El Dorado County, California

• Overview

  Forni Lake is an El Dorado County water, California side. The country here is farm and woodlot. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. South Lake Tahoe sits 13 miles from the bank. Further out sit Tahoma (18 miles) and Kingsbury (18 miles). Nearby, in order: Lake Sylvia at 2.1 miles, Osma Lake roughly 2.3 miles, Gefo Lake at 2.3 miles, Toem Lake roughly 2.4 miles and Ropi Lake at 2.5 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Forni Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for El Dorado County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, brook trout, bluegill and great basin cutthroat trout. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Forni Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 29°F in December up to 59°F in August. Some winters cap it and some do not. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. Time your trip to Forni Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. 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. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lake Sylvia, 2.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Forni Lake should be assumed from this page alone.