Fishing Piute Lake in Inyo County, California

• Overview

  You will find Piute Lake in Inyo County, California. It lies 10,965 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 20 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Compared with other California water on our list, it sits high. The town to know is West Bishop, 15 miles out. Beyond it, Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek at 18 miles and Bishop at 18 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Piute Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Inyo County include california golden trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Piute Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 49°F, with January the cold end at about 18°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid June. The open-water window runs from around mid June to about mid November in an average year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. That is the shape of the year on Piute Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Emerson Lake is 0.4 miles off. Confirm before you fish Piute Lake.