Fishing Snake Lake in Plumas County, California

• Overview

  Snake Lake is set in Plumas County, California. Height above sea level is 6,752 feet. It covers about 6 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The nearest town is Portola, 15 miles away. Then East Quincy, 21 miles, and Quincy, 22 miles. Close by you have: Little Deer Lake (0.5 miles), Round Lake out at 0.9 miles, Hawley Lake (1.1 miles), Silver Lake out at 1.1 miles and Cub Lake (1.3 miles). The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Snake Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Plumas County include rainbow trout, brook trout, Sacramento sucker and brown trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Fish Snake Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 61°F, while January sits near 30°F. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. On Snake Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Little Deer Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Snake Lake are worth checking on the day.