Fishing at Rock Creek Lake, Inyo County, California

• Overview

  Rock Creek Lake sits in Inyo County, out in California. It stands 9,715 feet above sea level. It measures about 57 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 1.2 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Few waters listed in Inyo County are bigger. Nearest place of any size is West Bishop, 17 miles away. Clovis is the closest city, 68 miles away. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Rock Creek Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name california golden trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and owens sucker. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Rock Creek Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 53°F; the cold one sits at 22°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early June. On average, early June opens the water and late November closes it again. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. On Rock Creek Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. You can park half a mile away and walk in from there. Fishing from a pier is possible half a mile away. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Should this one be busy, Patricia Lake is 1 mile off. Confirm access to Rock Creek Lake locally before you travel.