TR - Bass fishing / backpacking in Henry Coe, Coit Lake
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:16 am
This trip report is not about trout fishing in the Sierra, but I thought some fishermen on the board would be interested. Henry Coe State park near San Jose has several small lakes that are loaded with largemouth bass (plus some crappie and sunfish). The park is large enough to backpack for several days, but gets very hot in the summer. That said, it's a great place to go and have a ball catching 50+ bass from a float tube in a day. Spring is my favorite time to go because everything is green, wildflowers are blooming, and all the water sources are full.
In August, some friends and I hiked 8 miles out to Coit Lake and spent two nights there. On the second day of the trip we fished for about 6 hours using the float tubes and rafts we carried in.
Overall the fishing was good and we caught plenty of bass. The average size was small (~10 inches) but I caught 3 decent sized bass around 15-16 inches in length. We also caught a fair number of sunfish and some crappie. For anyone interested in backpacing/fishing, Henry Coe is a great place to go. It's not too busy and the lakes are the perfect size for float tube fishing. Here is my report for the trip with more details on the hike: https://backpackers-review.com/trip-rep ... coit-lake/
I have also been out to Mississippi Lake in Henry Coe a few times, and the fishing there is even better because the average size bass is larger. The only downside is Mississippi Lake requires a ~13 mile hike instead of a 8 mile hike. Here is an old trip report for my first trip to Mississippi Lake (before I got a float tube): https://backpackers-review.com/trip-rep ... ippi-lake/
In August, some friends and I hiked 8 miles out to Coit Lake and spent two nights there. On the second day of the trip we fished for about 6 hours using the float tubes and rafts we carried in.
Overall the fishing was good and we caught plenty of bass. The average size was small (~10 inches) but I caught 3 decent sized bass around 15-16 inches in length. We also caught a fair number of sunfish and some crappie. For anyone interested in backpacing/fishing, Henry Coe is a great place to go. It's not too busy and the lakes are the perfect size for float tube fishing. Here is my report for the trip with more details on the hike: https://backpackers-review.com/trip-rep ... coit-lake/
I have also been out to Mississippi Lake in Henry Coe a few times, and the fishing there is even better because the average size bass is larger. The only downside is Mississippi Lake requires a ~13 mile hike instead of a 8 mile hike. Here is an old trip report for my first trip to Mississippi Lake (before I got a float tube): https://backpackers-review.com/trip-rep ... ippi-lake/