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Fishing Sawmill Lake: what the data says
107-acre lake near Nevada County. The lake tops out around 45 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Brown Trout fishing at Sawmill Lake
Start shallow in spring: brown trout sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 14 to 45 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 14 to 45 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Sawmill Lake
In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 40 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for winter rainbow trout. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 38 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 20 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 11 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 11 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
Common questions
How deep is Sawmill Lake?
Sawmill Lake is about 45 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Sawmill Lake?
Anglers target rainbow trout, brown trout on Sawmill Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Sawmill Lake?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Sawmill Lake?
For brown trout, the summer bite is best in after dark and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Lower Rock Lake · Faucherie Lake · Culbertson Lake · Lindsey Lakes · Feely Lake · Carr Lake
See how Sawmill Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in California · best brown trout lakes in California
Browse all California fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.