Fishing at Maddox Lake, Trinity County, California

• Overview

  Maddox Lake is listed under Trinity County, California. It sits at 2,805 feet above sea level. At 10 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Hayfork sits 12 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Weaverville follows at 28 miles, then Willow Creek at 29 miles. Round about: Friend Lake at 5.5 miles, Ruth Lake lies 15 miles on, Dry Lake at 16 miles, Turtle Lake lies 16 miles on and Big Lake at 18 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Maddox Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Trinity County include rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, brook trout and klamath smallscale sucker. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Maddox Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 66°F for August and 39°F for December. Fishing runs all year, with summer the awkward season. October and November give a second good stretch as it cools. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. At Maddox Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Friend Lake sits 5.5 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Maddox Lake may have changed since it was mapped.