Tomahawk Lake Fishing in Inyo County, California

• Overview

  Inyo County, California, is where Tomahawk Lake sits. It sits in mixed forest country. Surface area runs to about 23 acres — small enough to read in one session. By elevation it is in the upper part of our California listings. Head to West Bishop, 17 miles away, for anything you forgot. Clovis sits 62 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Tomahawk Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Inyo County, recorded fish include california golden trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and owens sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The shape of Tomahawk Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 50°F and January about 18°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Once it clears, about mid June, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near mid June, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Time your trip to Tomahawk Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Square Lake, 0.6 miles out. What applies at Tomahawk Lake may have changed since it was mapped.