Our first suggestion for a substantial trout outing with several ways to reach the water. Fish a selected shoreline, bring a small boat, or plan a fly-fishing session on the shallows. A picnic gives everyone a reason to linger.

Access: Choose a designated access point before leaving. Camp Five has an accessible fishing levee; ask the Forest Service about current conditions and the route from parking. Launches and developed facilities are seasonal.

Fishing approach: Try a small spinner, spoon, or fly and vary depth as conditions change. Fish cooler hours; use bait only where permitted.

Host tip: Fish first, then make Portola your lunch stop. Put open-water boating early in the plan before afternoon wind.

Before you go: A mapped access point does not guarantee an operating ramp, dock, or restroom.

Match the access to your fishing plan

Lake Davis has several very different starting points. Choose a shore-fishing site for casting space, a developed ramp for a boat, or a campground for an overnight outdoor stay. Those functions are not interchangeable.

• Camp 5: compare this west-side day-use facility for its separate accessible fishing route, concrete launch, seasonal dock, parking, and vault toilets. Fishing is prohibited at the ramp and loading dock; use the designated fishing access and confirm its condition.

• Honker Cove: a developed east-side concrete boat launch beside Grasshopper Flat Campground, with a seasonal dock and toilet facilities. Use it to launch, then move away from launch traffic to fish.

• Lightning Tree: an east-side ramp with seasonal dock, parking, and a vault toilet. The neighboring campground is a separate camping option; check operations and services for both.

• Mallard Cove: a smaller-watercraft launch with a single-lane concrete ramp and no loading dock in the current Forest Service description. It has unpaved parking, a vault toilet, and picnic tables. Check suitability for your boat and current water levels.

• Grasshopper Flat and Grizzly: camping bases with fishing and boat access nearby, rather than extra named boat ramps. Lodge day-trippers should use a public access facility, rather than a campsite.

Looking for bank-fishing room?

The Forest Service brochure identifies nine additional shoreline fishing access points, including Coot Bay, Cow Creek, Jenkins Point, and Mosquito Cove. Amenities differ. Choose firm footing and casting room, and check the actual approach: low water can leave a longer walk, vegetation, or mud. A viewpoint trail such as Catfish Cove is not automatically an accessible fishing platform.

Compare all Lake Davis access points, facilities, and camping options →

Before you commit to a launch

Confirm gates, water level, ramp condition, dock installation, wind, and the return plan. Services can be withdrawn outside the main season even when a ramp remains physically present. Bring drinking water and a backup shore option. Consult current Forest Service notices and California's current fishing regulations and licensing information; the lake and tributaries may have different rules.

Details for your plan

Type of outing

Reservoir

From the Lodge

20–25 min

Access

Roadside shore & boat launches

Fish to look for

Rainbow trout

The idea

A proper trout day, without a mountain hike.

Make a day of it

Portola lunch & the railroad museum