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Chimney Lake is a public lake in Fresno County, California, managed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is public water managed for fishing by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Public access confirmed via CDFW water.
A California high-country lake — one of the 1,200-plus catalogued Sierra Nevada alpine lakes, most holding brook, rainbow or golden trout (California's state fish, native to the Kern Plateau), stocked historically by pack train and aircraft; reached on foot in the John Muir, Ansel Adams, Emigrant and Trinity Alps wilderness areas.
Chimney Lake covers about 7 acres in the Sierra Nevada region. Anglers here mostly fish for rainbow trout. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Woodchuck Lake and Old Pipe Lake.
Species from CDFW's fish-planting schedule, the CDFW High Mountain Lakes survey (Sierra alpine lakes) and, for the marquee reservoirs and rivers, hand research and PiscaMaps profiles.
Night fishing: California has no blanket night-fishing closure — catfish, bass and striper anglers fish through the night on many lakes and the Delta. Trout streams and a number of specific waters restrict fishing to the period one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset; check the district rules in the California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations.
Boats: The foothill reservoirs and Delta take trailered boats via a state-park, county or water-district ramp; the alpine lakes are hike-in and car-top. California has widespread quagga and zebra mussel infestations — many reservoirs (especially the Southern California water-district lakes) require a mussel inspection, a quarantine, or a resident-vessel program, and all boaters must clean, drain and dry.
Bank & bivvy camping: Nearly half of California is federal land — dispersed camping is allowed on most Sierra, Shasta-Trinity, Los Padres, San Bernardino, Sequoia and Inyo National Forest ground along these waters (a California Campfire Permit is required), plus developed Forest Service and state-park campgrounds on nearly every reservoir. Wilderness permits are needed for overnight trips to the high-country lakes.
Tackle: The general trout limit is 5 in most of the Sierra, dropping to 2 or catch-and-release on Wild Trout, Heritage Trout and many Eastern Sierra waters, with a last-Sat-in-April to 15 November season on many streams (year-round on others). Central Valley and Klamath King salmon seasons are set annually and have closed entirely in recent years. Check the California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations for the district.
Camping: 1 site mapped nearby — Campsite.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Anyone 16 or older needs a California sport fishing licence — the resident annual is about $62 (one of the most expensive in the country), the non-resident annual about $167, with 1-day (~$20) and 2-day (~$31) options; the annual licence now runs 12 months from the date of purchase. Add-ons: a Bay-Delta Enhancement Stamp (~$7) to fish the Delta and Suisun/San Pablo bays, a Steelhead Report Card (~$10) to fish for steelhead, a Second-Rod Validation (~$19) where two rods are allowed, and a free sturgeon report card. Youth under 16 fish free. Buy from CDFW at wildlife.ca.gov. A California sport fishing licence covers this alpine lake — it is in CDFW's high-mountain-lake survey catalogue. A wilderness permit is usually needed for an overnight trip.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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