Martis Lake is a small stillwater up near Truckee that earned its reputation the hard way — as one of California's pioneering wild-trout, catch-and-release, barbless waters. It is weedy, it is technical, and it does not give fish to anyone in a hurry. The rainbows, browns and cutthroat here have seen flies before and made up their minds about most of them. What it offers in return is the kind of fishing that makes you a better angler whether you want to be or not: cruising fish in clear water, real hatches to read, and the quiet satisfaction of fooling something that knew better. On a still evening with midges coming off and trout dimpling along the weed lines, Martis is as good as small-water fishing gets in the Sierra.
- Lake
- Mixed