Lonesome Lake Fishing near Happy Camp, California

• Overview

  Out in Siskiyou County, California, sits Lonesome Lake. The country round it is open valley from end to end. It covers about 2 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Siskiyou County are larger. Happy Camp lies 12 miles from the water. For a city, Eugene is 145 miles off. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Lonesome Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Siskiyou County names rainbow trout, brook trout and Chinook salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Lonesome Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year August sits at 61°F and December at 35°F. Conditions shift steadily rather than sharply. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lonesome Lake. Water temperature lags behind air temperature by days, not hours.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Azalea Lake is 1.4 miles off. Check the position on Lonesome Lake before loading the car.