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

• Overview

  The Fresno County end of California holds Mirror Lake. It lies 8,717 feet above sea level. It covers about 6 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Head to Auberry, 22 miles away, for anything you forgot. Oakhurst follows at 30 miles, then Mammoth Lakes at 31 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Mirror Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Fresno County include brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, green sunfish and Sacramento sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Read Mirror Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August runs about 58°F on average, February about 29°F. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing Mirror Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, West Lake is 1.1 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Mirror Lake for certain.