Olive Lake Fishing near Mammoth Lakes, California

• Overview

  Olive Lake is set in Mono County, California. Rolling bush runs right down to the water. Surface area is around 40 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Size puts it in the front rank of our Mono County list. Mammoth Lakes lies 12 miles from the water. Further out sit West Bishop (30 miles) and Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek (32 miles). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Olive Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Mono County records list brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and owens sucker among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Olive Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August near 53°F and February near 23°F on the long-run figures. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late May. Climate averages put the opening at about late May and the closing near late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That shapes the year on Olive Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Peter Pande Lake is 0.5 miles distant. The position on Olive Lake is worth confirming on the day.