Ship Mountain Lake Fishing Guide, Del Norte County, California

• Overview

  Ship Mountain Lake sits in Del Norte County, out in California. Elevation runs to 4,419 feet. This is a tiny water, and one quiet approach covers all of it. Most waters listed here for Del Norte County are larger. Bertsch-Oceanview sits 19 miles from the bank. Eugene is the closest city, 163 miles away. What else is close: Dry Lake 4.3 miles away, Island Lake at 5 miles, Muslatt Lake 5.9 miles away, Prescott Lake at 6 miles and Buck Lake 7 miles away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Ship Mountain Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Del Norte County include cutthroat trout, flathead grey mullet, rainbow trout and tidepool sculpin. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Ship Mountain Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 62°F, with December the cold end at about 41°F. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. It sets the rhythm of the year at Ship Mountain Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Dry Lake is 4.3 miles distant. The position on Ship Mountain Lake is worth confirming on the day.