Fishing Pilarcitos Lake in San Mateo County, California

• Overview

  Pilarcitos Lake is a San Mateo County water, California side. The ground round it is dry hill. The water covers some 89 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs in an even curve, so features come from what lies under the surface. It lies lower than most water we list in California. The closest town, Hillsborough, is 3 miles distant. Then Millbrae, 3.9 miles, and Burlingame, 4 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Pilarcitos Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Species logged across San Mateo County include rainbow trout, bluegill, redear sunfish and striped bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Pilarcitos Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 61°F; the cold one sits at 50°F. The year never really closes; it just gets uncomfortable in summer. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Anyone fishing Pilarcitos Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, San Andreas Lake is 3 miles distant. Where Pilarcitos Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.