Elks Lake is a reservoir in California, near Shasta County.
Elks Lake is a reservoir in Shasta County, California and covers about 3.9 acres, reaches about 17.5 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 29.1 acre-feet.
Elks Lake is small water, so a careful lap around the bank can show most of the useful cover.
Fish listed for Elks Lake include Hardhead, Sacramento Blackfish, Sacramento Pikeminnow, Sacramento Sucker, and Rainbow Trout.
For rainbow trout on Elks Lake, cast a small spoon, inline spinner, light jig, or fly through cool 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; try firm bottom before soft silt, then test a point before fishing a featureless bank.
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; work a creek turn before a flat bank, then match lure size to the fish.
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; keep the presentation close to useful cover; use wind to narrow the search.
Record the wind, water color, depth that gave up a fish, 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; test the drop before leaving.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.