Fishing Hughes Lake in Los Angeles County, California

• Overview

  Hughes Lake belongs to Los Angeles County, California. Dry hill runs right down to the water. Surface area runs to about 22 acres — small enough to read in one session. Roughly 0.9 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. The town to know is Green Valley, 4.2 miles out. Leona Valley is 9.8 miles and Quartz Hill 13 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Hughes Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Los Angeles County include flathead grey mullet, common carp, rainbow trout and bluegill. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Hughes Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 44°F in January and 76°F in August. It fishes twelve months of the year. Heat pushes fish deep from June onwards, so start early. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. The season on Hughes Lake rarely departs from it. Water colour tells you more than the air temperature does.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Expect 0.9 miles away in from where the car goes. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. The nearest alternative is Munz Lakes, 0.8 miles out. For Hughes Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.