Upper Gaylor Lake, California: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Mono County entry here is Upper Gaylor Lake, in California. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. The water measures roughly 11 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is high ground by California standards. You are 21 miles from Yosemite Valley. Further out sit Mammoth Lakes (25 miles) and Midpines (44 miles). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Upper Gaylor Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Mono County: brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, owens sucker and california golden trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Take Upper Gaylor Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 20°F in February up to 51°F in August. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter locks it down, and mid June brings it back. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid June until roughly mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Anyone fishing Upper Gaylor Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Somewhere to sit and eat is half a mile out. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Granite Lakes sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Upper Gaylor Lake is worth confirming on the day.