Shaver Lake
Shaver Lake village (Fresno Co.) · near Shaver Lake · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Open year-round; kokanee the marquee, best May–Sept by trolling; trout strong spring & fall. ~5,370 ft
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+). Hwy 168 from Fresno is paved and plowed year-round; the lake stays reachable.
What is here
- Features
- Premier southern-Sierra kokanee fishery · Reliable trout stocking · Good ramps & marina · Family-friendly
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Fishing detail
- Water type
- lake
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Trolling · Bait · Spin
- Boat
- both
- Target species
- Kokanee · Rainbow trout · Brown trout
- Intl tip
- This is a trolling lake first — without a boat and downrigger you're limited to shore-planted rainbows near the marina. Run a dodger/hoochie at 30–60 ft and watch sonar for kokanee schools.
The guide
Shaver is the southern Sierra's kokanee headquarters — a well-stocked, easily reached lake above Fresno where trollers work dod…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Shaver Lake — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.108, -119.317