Little Lake in Fresno County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Fresno County, Little Lake is a California water. Elevation runs to 9,236 feet. At roughly 11 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Auberry lies 25 miles from the water. For a city, Clovis is 43 miles off. Within easy reach: Rock Lake at about 0.6 miles, Second Dinkey Lake some 0.7 miles off, Bullfrog Lake at about 0.8 miles, Island Lake some 1.1 miles off and Cliff Lake at about 1.2 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Little Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and green sunfish. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Little Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 56°F in August and bottoms out near 26°F in February. Some winters cap it and some do not. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. That shapes the year on Little Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Rock Lake, 0.6 miles away. Ask locally about Little Lake if anything is unclear.