Pond Lily Lake in Shasta County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Pond Lily Lake lies within the bounds of Shasta County, California. The bank is 5,856 feet above sea level. It covers about 3 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Shasta County list. The nearest town is Dunsmuir, 16 miles away. Then Mount Shasta, 20 miles, and McCloud, 24 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Pond Lily Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Shasta County records list Chinook salmon, green sturgeon, rainbow trout and brook trout among the fish reported. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Pond Lily Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 35°F in December to roughly 63°F in July. Spring and autumn are the strongest, but nothing is truly closed. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. Pond Lily Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Grouse Lake at 1.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Pond Lily Lake.