Beal Lake

Beal Lake is a lake in Siskiyou County, California and covers about 2.6 acres, reaches about 11.7 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 12.3 acre-feet.

Beal Lake is small water, so a careful lap around the bank can show most of the useful cover. With little deep water in Beal Lake, weeds, wind, and water color can matter more than depth alone.

Fish and Baits

Fish listed for Beal Lake include Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Speckled Dace, and Tui Chub.

The first bluegill pass on Beal Lake should use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.

A useful largemouth bass plan on Beal Lake is to work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover.

To begin with channel catfish on Beal Lake, fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat.

The first common carp pass on Beal Lake should place corn or a dough bait on the bottom along a shallow flat.

How to Read the Water

Use wind as a clue; a light push can carry food toward a bank, but hard wind may muddy it, so look for a clean edge near a point or protected pocket; follow bait before changing areas.

Season by Season

Spring runoff can add color and pull fish toward fresh water; green weeds and the first drop become stronger summer targets; in fall, follow bait toward points and shallow flats, while winter rewards a slower search; make short moves after each pass.

A Simple Tackle Plan

A medium spinning rod, 8-pound line, a small box of jigs, a few crankbaits, and a simple bottom rig cover most situations; change depth or speed before changing every piece of tackle; let wind choose the first bank, then slow down after the first bite.

Record the wind, water color, depth of the first bite, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce; slow down after the first bite.