I am desperate. I have a fishing trip planned for the 25 - 29 of july (2 weeks from now) with my two nine year old boys. After much deliberation we decided on Fish Lake, even though it is a 5 hour drive from Vegas. It is a beautiful lake with big fish. But I found out today that you must camp in designated campsites only.
My boys really wanted to take the boat, find a secluded spot and set up camp along the lake. And most important of all cook fish on the campfire. Not only is this not possible at fish lake, I cannot find a spot where we can. I dont mind hiking, taking the boat is optional, and I dont need a huge lake. can any of you help me
p.s. it does not have to be in utah, preferably within 4 hours of las vegas.
Thats the bad thing about fish lake there isnt much of a shoreline for camping. We usually park the boat by the marina and camp up the mountain. There are plenty of place to camp up there. There are other lakes in that area that you can camp by the shore .Otter creek is one of them there are others but i cant remember their names right now i am pretty sure others will chime in.Those lake wont have the big macs in them but there will be enough fish to keep the boys busy.Hope this helps.
I personally don’t see your dilemma as a problem. Sure, it is a little drive to and from the lake to reach the camping spots but it is not too bad. There are great campgrounds there with fire pits, benches, and grills. The U.S. Forest Service websites give great info for the area.
Now I don’t mean to pick on you because you are from out of state but if you decide to take a boat or other watercraft as well as fishing equipment please make sure they have not been to Lake Mead or Havasu in the last month. Actually, regardless of where it has been make sure you dry it out and decontaminate if necessary. Lets keep the dang Quagga and Zebra mussels out. I am truly sorry if this sounds repetative or arrogant but it is amazing how fast these nussance/devastating creatures are spreading.
If you are not up to date or familiar with this issue these websites are a great resource. You should read through them:
Yuba lake is roughly 5 hours away from Vegas too, and according to Google Earth, it’s a shorter drive than to Fish Lake. Probably because it’s all highway driving. Yuba has camping places that are only accessible by boat. It is supposed to be doing well for Walleye/Pike/Perch, if you know how to fish for those species. Considering that it’s important to you to camp by the lake, I’d suggest it for you. I’m sure there are other places that I don’t know about.
Another option you might consider is Mill Meadow Res. It’s just down the hill from Fish Lake. I’ve seen people camped on the beach on the north end of the lake, lots of people with boats, rv’s, four wheelers etc. I don’t think it’s a fee area either. There are lots of trout and perch, and it’s only about 15-20 minutes up the hill to Fish Lake. Somebody please correct me if I’m wrong here.
hey who said fish lake is designated campsites only???
i fish, fish lake all the time.. just load your gear in the boat go to the east side find a flat area pitch the tent.. i do all the time never had anyone say anything to me..
ya just can’t have a fire.. take a colmen stove and your set..
Another option you might consider is Mill Meadow Res… and it’s only about 15-20 minutes up the hill to Fish Lake. Somebody please correct me if I’m wrong here.
We use to camp & fish at Fish Lake all time your boat safe parked at the marina and your stuff is safe at the campsite I don’t think ever had anything stolen from us. But just in case don’t leave anything valuable[;)]. We would drive back and forth from the campsite to Marina with our coolers and poles spend the day on the water and come back and camp.
If you want to camp on the beach why not hit Lake Powell isent that closer to Vegas ?
here is another idea for ya to kick around.. lake powell is only what 3 hours from ya? some good fishing and camping there.. then there is allways lake mead?
I appreciate all of the help. I wouldn’t consider my situation a “dilemma” so to speak. I mean, if where to camp is my biggest problem I’m doing good right. It is just that I do not get to go camping near as much as I would like, and I enjoy waking up in the morning, putting a pot of coffee on the coals, and casting out a pole. No prep, no travel, just a walk to the lakeshore in my long johns. And I want to go somewhere that does not look like desert. That is why I don’t go to powell or mead. I fish at these places a lot and I would like somewhere that is different. Again thank you for all of the help. I think I am just going to go to Fishlake and try to camp somewhere out of the way a bit.
ok i hear ya there.. ok well most any place you go in the west right now will have a fire restriction… just the way it is.. we don’t need any more fires going on.. the one’s Ca are choking us out now as it is… a little farther down the road is the faiview canyon. here where i live.. it’s all high mountan lakes with tiger trout cutthrout trout rainbows some lakes with splake and streams with browns in them.. there are no pay camp grownds. you can stay anywhere ya like most the time i stay right neer the water. only 2 of the lakes have boat ramp’s 1 of withs ya can only have a 5 horse motor on.. the other no limit.. addvrage tep is low 80’s in the day time can drop down in the 30’s at night.. rain is posable on any given day but clears out at night..
sound like a ok place?
let me know i’ll set ya up!
[fishin]