McCash Lake, California: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  McCash Lake stands in Siskiyou County, California. The bank is 5,436 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 4 acres — small enough to read in one session. Nearest place of any size is Happy Camp, 19 miles away. Yreka is 41 miles away, with Willow Creek at 42 miles. Nearby, in order: Monument Lake just 1.2 miles, Meteor Lake out at 1.6 miles, Secret Lake just 1.9 miles, Onemile Lake out at 2.3 miles and Pleasant Lake just 2.9 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on McCash Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. 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. Records held for Siskiyou County cover rainbow trout, brook trout, Chinook salmon, klamath smallscale sucker and brown trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At McCash Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August near 59°F and December near 35°F on the long-run figures. Seasons here are moderate, and the fishing runs most of the year. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Plan any trip to McCash Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records show it does not hold water year-round. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Monument Lake, 1.2 miles out. Ask locally about McCash Lake if anything is unclear.