Dinosaur Lake is a reservoir in California, near Merced County.
Dinosaur Lake is a reservoir in Merced County, California and covers about 2.1 acres, reaches about 14.8 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 13.1 acre-feet.
Dinosaur Lake is small water, so a careful lap around the bank can show most of the useful cover.
Fish listed for Dinosaur Lake include Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Prickly Sculpin, Sacramento Sucker, and Rainbow Trout.
To begin with bluegill on Dinosaur Lake, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.
A useful largemouth bass plan on Dinosaur Lake is to work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover.
Start the channel catfish search on Dinosaur Lake by trying to fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat.
The first rainbow trout pass on Dinosaur Lake should cast a small spoon, inline spinner, light jig, or fly through cool water.
Other targets listed here include Common Carp; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig; check a protected pocket, then return to productive water when light changes.
Start where two things meet: weeds and open water, rock and mud, a point and a drop, or clear water and dirty water; fish that edge at more than one depth before leaving it; fish a small bottom change, then match the hook and line to the named target.
Early in the year, protected water and the first warm afternoon can be the best clues; as the water heats up, check deeper edges without assuming every fish is on the bottom; cooling fall water often makes points and firm banks useful again; fish the first useful drop, then note the exact cover that gives a bite.
A light spinning rod, thin line, a few small spoons, inline spinners, and jigs cover the listed trout; carry one slightly heavier setup when other fish or windy water call for more control; note the exact cover that gives a bite; keep the lure near the depth that produced, then keep one slow bait ready.
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; make short moves after each pass.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.