Lily Lake in Modoc County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lily Lake belongs to Modoc County, California. It sits at 6,722 feet above sea level. At 6 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for Modoc County are larger. Nearest town is Lakeview, 16 miles off. The nearest city of size is Reno, 170 miles away. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Lily Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Modoc County include Sacramento sucker, modoc sucker and rainbow trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Lily Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 28°F in December and 59°F in August. Whether it freezes depends on the year. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Lily Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. Mapping shows a picnic spot within 110 yards. Public toilets are recorded roughly 130 yards off. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Cave Lake is 0.2 miles off. What applies at Lily Lake may have changed since it was mapped.