Highland Lakes in Alpine County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Highland Lakes is listed under Alpine County, California. It sits at 8,602 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 34 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. For a base, Topaz Ranch Estates sits 23 miles out. It is 71 miles to Reno, the nearest city. Close by you also have: Half Moon Lake (1.3 miles), Asa Lake just 1.8 miles, Noble Lake (2.7 miles), Bull Lake just 3.1 miles and Kinney Reservoir (4.2 miles). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Highland Lakes

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Alpine County include brook trout, rainbow trout, great basin cutthroat trout and cutthroat trout. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Read Highland Lakes before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 26°F to 57°F. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. The season on Highland Lakes follows the weather closely. Cloud cover is worth more than temperature on a bright week.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is recorded parking some half a mile off. Overnight stays are possible about half a mile out, where camping is mapped. There are toilets half a mile off. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Half Moon Lake sits 1.3 miles off and takes the overflow. For Highland Lakes in particular, ask before you travel.