Phipps Lake in El Dorado County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  El Dorado County, California, is where Phipps Lake sits. It sits at 8,517 feet above sea level. About 11 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Tahoma lies 7.4 miles from the water. The nearest city of size is Reno, 43 miles away. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive. There is room enough here for more than one party without crowding.

• Where to Fish on Phipps Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for El Dorado County list rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, brook trout, bluegill and great basin cutthroat trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Phipps Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August near 59°F and January near 28°F on the long-run figures. A lid forms in a hard winter only. 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. On Phipps Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Grouse Lakes, 0.6 miles away. For Phipps Lake in particular, ask before you travel.