Way Lake Fishing Guide, Mono County, California

• Overview

  The Mono County entry here is Way Lake, in California. It lies 9,810 feet above sea level. You can fish the entire water from one spot if you pick it well. It is a small entry by Mono County standards. Nearest place of any size is Mammoth Lakes, 4.7 miles away. Clovis sits 65 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Way Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and owens sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Way Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 59°F and January reads 26°F. In milder years the surface never sets. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. The season on Way Lake rarely departs from it. After heavy rain, give the water a day to settle.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. There is a campsite 0.9 miles from the water. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. The nearest alternative is Hammil Lake, 0.4 miles out. Check the position at Way Lake before loading the car.