Bass Lake is a reservoir situated on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in Madera County, California, at an elevation of 3,370 feet. Formed by the construction of Crane Valley Dam on North Fork Willow Creek in 1910, the lake is nestled within the Sierra National Forest, approximately 14 miles south of Yosemite National Park's entrance and about 1.5 hours north of Fresno. The reservoir receives additional inflows from South Fork Willow Creek, Slide, Pines, and Salter Creeks, with Willow Creek serving as the outflow to the San Joaquin River. Bounded by Malum Ridge to the south and Graham Mountain, Bass Lake offers diverse fishing opportunities throughout the year in a scenic mountain setting surrounded by dense forests of oak, cedar, and pine trees.