Ursa Lake near West Bishop: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Ursa Lake is set in Inyo County, California. It sits at 11,460 feet above sea level. Small at around 7 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Compared with other California water on our list, it sits high. West Bishop sits 19 miles from the bank. Clovis sits 61 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Ursa Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Inyo County cover california golden trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Ursa Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 50°F at the top of summer and 19°F at the bottom of winter. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid June. The water is typically free of ice between mid June and mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Ursa Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Bear Paw Lake, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Ursa Lake in particular, ask before you travel.