Kerr Lake in San Luis Obispo County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Kerr Lake belongs to San Luis Obispo County, California. The water sits 1,745 feet up. About 6 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. On size it sits at the modest end of our San Luis Obispo County list. You are 8.3 miles from Shandon. Santa Maria sits 57 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Kerr Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. San Luis Obispo County records list flathead grey mullet, rainbow trout, Sacramento sucker and cabezon among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Kerr Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between December at about 45°F and July at about 75°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Warm months push fish deep; cool months bring them back. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing Kerr Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Covington Lake, 6.2 miles away. For Kerr Lake in particular, ask before you travel.