Mono Lake Fishing in Mono County, California

• Overview

  Mono Lake lies in Mono County, California. This is dry rangeland country. Around 70.5 sq miles of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. The shoreline turns in and out enough to give you a choice of aspect. Of the waters listed here in Mono County, this is the largest. Mammoth Lakes is the closest town at 25 miles. The big place round here is Clovis, 90 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Mono Lake

  This water is saline; the fishing interest, where it exists, sits in the feeder streams rather than the basin itself. If you are set on fishing this area, look to the rivers and fresh waters nearby instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On Mono Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 66°F in July and bottoms out near 32°F in January. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. Plan around that when you fish Mono Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Gibbs Lake at 12 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Mono Lake for certain.