Peter Pande Lake near Mammoth Lakes: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Look for Peter Pande Lake in Mono County, California. It sits at 9,961 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 74 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. About 1.2 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. On our Mono County list it sits near the top for size. The town to know is Mammoth Lakes, 12 miles out. The big place round here is Clovis, 60 miles distant. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Peter Pande Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Mono County names brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Peter Pande Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 23°F in February to roughly 53°F in August. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late May. The water is typically free of ice between late May and late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Peter Pande Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Minnie Lake, 0.4 miles out. Ask locally about Peter Pande Lake if anything is unclear.