Hidden Lake Fishing near Tahoma, California

• Overview

  Hidden Lake lies in El Dorado County, in California. What surrounds it is rolling hill. At 6 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The town to know is Tahoma, 5.7 miles out. South Lake Tahoe is 9.8 miles and Sunnyside-Tahoe City 11 miles. Also on the doorstep: Shadow Lake some 0.3 miles off, Crag Lake 0.4 miles, Cliff Lake some 0.7 miles off, Lake Genevieve 0.9 miles and Stony Ridge Lake some 0.9 miles off. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Hidden Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. El Dorado County records list rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, brook trout, bluegill and great basin cutthroat trout among the fish reported. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Hidden Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 59°F in August and bottom out at 28°F in January. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. The season on Hidden Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Shadow Lake at 0.3 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Hidden Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.