Messick Lake is a lake in California, near Yuba County.
Messick Lake is a lake in Yuba County, California and covers about 5.1 acres, reaches about 14 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 28.5 acre-feet.
One weed edge or deeper pocket can hold much of the day’s activity; check the downwind corner for food, then slow down after the first bite.
Fish listed for Messick Lake include Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Hardhead, Hitch, Largemouth Bass, Prickly Sculpin, Sacramento Blackfish, Sacramento Pikeminnow, Sacramento Sucker, Rainbow Trout, and Threespine Stickleback.
When bluegill are the target on Messick Lake, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.
When largemouth bass are the target on Messick Lake, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover.
The first channel catfish pass on Messick Lake should fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat.
One direct rainbow trout tactic on Messick Lake is to 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; start where bait gathers, then check the first shelf outside shallow cover.
Make one shallow pass and one deeper pass on the same shoreline; that shows whether fish are tight to cover or using the first break; fish a small bottom change, then write down the depth that works.
In spring, start with warming banks, creek mouths, and shallow cover; summer usually pushes the better bite toward the outside weed edge or a nearby drop; fall can bring bait back to windblown points, while winter calls for smaller moves and a slower pace; begin near moving water, then use one moving lure and one slow bait.
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 line light around small clear-water fish; use stronger line beside wood and sharp rock.
Record the wind, water color, lure depth that worked, 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; look for a clean edge beside cover, then change retrieve speed before changing lures.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.