Salton Sea in Imperial County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Salton Sea in Imperial County, California. This is sage and rock country. It covers about 364.2 sq miles, which means weather matters as much as tactics. Nothing else we list in Imperial County covers more water. Salton City is the closest town at 8.1 miles. Desert Shores is 14 miles away, with Niland at 18 miles. Also on the doorstep: Wiest Lake a shade over 27 miles and Lake Cahuilla a touch under 34 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Salton Sea

  This water is saline; the fishing interest, where it exists, sits in the feeder streams rather than the basin itself. If you are set on fishing this area, look to the rivers and fresh waters nearby instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Work Salton Sea in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 87°F at the top of summer and 56°F at the bottom of winter. The season is continuous, with heat as the only real check. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. Salton Sea fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Wiest Lake is 27 miles distant. Where Salton Sea is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.