Upper Ottoway Lake Fishing in Mariposa County, California

• Overview

  Upper Ottoway Lake belongs to Mariposa County, California. Elevation runs to 10,433 feet. This is a pocket water of some 17 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. The closest town, Yosemite Valley, is 12 miles distant. Clovis is the closest city, 58 miles away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Upper Ottoway Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. County-wide records name rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, Sacramento sucker and black crappie. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Treat Upper Ottoway Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between February at about 23°F and August at about 54°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. After early June the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near early June, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It holds true on Upper Ottoway Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Ottoway Lakes is 0.8 miles distant. Treat Upper Ottoway Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.