Getting There

To reach Carr Lake in Nevada County, drive to the Carr Lake trailhead by taking Highway 20 from Highway 80 at Yuba Pass. Take Highway 20 west until you can turn right on Bowman Lake Road. From Bowman Lake Road, follow the signs to the turnoff for Carr Lake Road. Carr Lake Road is an unimproved dirt road that is very rough but still manageable in a 2-wheel drive vehicle with modest clearance. The parking can be sparse due to the trailhead being very popular.

The Hike

Technically Carr Lake is a roadside water but you will have to walk from the parking area to the lake which is only a few hundred feet. The parking lot is close to the Carr Lake Trailhead which gives you access to better fishing destinations such as Feely Lake, Island Lake, Long Lake, Round Lake, and Penner Lake. You could park closer to the dam and walk around the east side if you are looking for better casting access. We walked over the hill between the trailhead parking area and the lake to fish the west side of lake.

The Fishing

We found the trout fishing to very poor but we did catch three small catfish within one hour. According to Fish and Wildlife records, Carr Lake has been planted with hatchery trout but we did not see any trout on our visit. The appearance of the lake suggests that it could be a good place to plant and catch trout and perhaps there are some trout in there, we just didn't have any luck finding them. If you enjoy catching catfish then this would be a good place to get a stringer full very quickly. I would recommend it as a place to take the kids if they enjoy catching fish and do not care what kind of fish they are hooking into.

The camping sites are not ideal at Carr Lake due to heavy brush blocking water access in most areas, save a few sites. Many of the established camp sites are many yards from the water and can be a bit too close to neighboring campers.