Tooth Lake Fishing in Inyo County, California

• Overview

  In California, Tooth Lake belongs to Inyo County. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. This is a pocket water of some 3 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Most waters listed here for Inyo County are larger. For a base, West Bishop sits 19 miles out. Then Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, 22 miles, and Bishop, 22 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Tooth Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Inyo County, recorded fish include california golden trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and owens sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Tooth Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put August at about 50°F and January near 19°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid June. Break-up near mid June, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Expect Tooth Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Claw Lake, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Tooth Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.