Rocky Basin Lakes in Inyo County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Inyo County, Rocky Basin Lakes is a California water. What surrounds it is rolling bush. Roughly 27 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. By elevation it is in the upper part of our California listings. Lone Pine sits 18 miles from the bank. Then Three Rivers, 33 miles, and Woodlake, 43 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Rocky Basin Lakes

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Inyo County, recorded fish include california golden trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Rocky Basin Lakes rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 53°F in August and bottom out at 20°F in January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early June. In an average year the thaw lands around early June and the freeze near late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. At Rocky Basin Lakes the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Johnson Lake, 1.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Rocky Basin Lakes may have changed since it was mapped.