Fishing at Spooner Reservoir, Lassen County, California

• Overview

  Spooner Reservoir lies within the bounds of Lassen County, California. Height above sea level is 5,515 feet. Surface area is around 77 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The bank runs about 2.1 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. You are 33 miles from Alturas. Further out sit Susanville (41 miles) and Johnstonville (44 miles). It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Spooner Reservoir

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. County-wide records name rainbow trout, tahoe sucker, Sacramento sucker and brown trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Spooner Reservoir responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 28°F in January up to 64°F in July. The year gives four workable seasons without severe ends. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. The season on Spooner Reservoir follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. 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 locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Holbrook Reservoir is 4.4 miles distant. Signs at Spooner Reservoir carry more weight than any list.