Gilmore Lake Fishing Guide, El Dorado County, California

• Overview

  El Dorado County, California, is where Gilmore Lake sits. It sits at 8,323 feet above sea level. With some 78 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 1.1 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Few waters listed in El Dorado County are bigger. You are 7.5 miles from South Lake Tahoe. After that come Tahoma at 12 miles and Kingsbury at 13 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Gilmore Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for El Dorado County cover rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, brook trout and bluegill. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Gilmore Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 58°F and January about 26°F. Mild ends to the year keep the season long. 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. Gilmore Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Tallac Lake is 1.1 miles off. The position on Gilmore Lake is worth confirming on the day.