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Best brown trout lakes in California

23 California waters hold brown trout, 2 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.

1. Lake Tahoe — 1634 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
2. Lake Almanor — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout
3. Whiskeytown Lake — 232 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
4. Butt Valley Reservoir — 70 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Common Carp, Brown Trout
5. Fordyce Lake — 133 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
6. Kern River — 12 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
7. Antelope Lake — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow Trout
8. Topaz Lake — 92 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
9. Sly Creek Reservoir — 260 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Spotted Bass
10. Trinity River — 10 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Brown Trout
11. Bucks Lake, Lower — 96 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
12. Faucherie Lake — 57 ft max · Brown Trout, Brook Trout
13. Mary Lake — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
14. Sawmill Lake — 45 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
15. Buck Island Lake — 20 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
16. Weaver Lake — 18 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
17. Grizzly Forebay — 82 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
18. Three Lakes — 27 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
19. Campbell Lake — 15 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
20. Lindsey Lakes — 13 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brown Bullhead
21. Grass Lake — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
22. Mamie Lake — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
23. Rock Lake — 15 ft max · Brown Trout, Brook Trout

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When to fish brown trout in California

• Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
• Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
• Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.

Also in California: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best striped bass lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best brook trout lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

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