Wiest Lake, CA

This place can seem almost like an oasis. The water comes from a canal and is emptied into the Alamo River, where this lake is formed. It covers just 50 acres, is at 110 feet below sea level, and provides fishing for trout and catfish. The Department of Fish and Game plunks in trout here, and they aren't dinkers. They average in the 11-inch class, with a few bigger and smaller. The trout fishing is in the winter, of course, when temperatures are habitable. In the spring and summer, this place really heats up, and the trout fishing goes kaput. That is when catfish are stocked. There are also fair prospects for bass, with a sprinkling of bluegill. The Imperial Valley is something of a wasteland, but little Wiest Lake provides a welcome respite that only locals know about. The Salton Sea is about a 20-minute drive to the northwest. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted.