Fishing Mattie Lake in Mono County, California

• Overview

  Mattie Lake lies within the bounds of Mono County, California. The bank is 9,236 feet above sea level. About 20 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Supplies mean a trip to Yosemite Valley, 15 miles off. After that come Mammoth Lakes at 32 miles and Midpines at 38 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Mattie Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Mono County include brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, owens sucker and california golden trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Treat Mattie Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 56°F; by February the average is down near 26°F. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Mattie Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Virginia Lake at 2.1 miles is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Mattie Lake in what we hold.