Getting There
To reach Piute Lake, park at the
North Lake Trailhead.
North Lake is located outside of
Bishop in the Lake Sabrina area.
The trail leads to Piute Pass and the
Humphreys Basin Backcountry.
The Hike
The trail to Piute Lake starts in a forested area and works it's way westward
and uphill for the first 1.4 miles. When you reach the first switchbacks you will be exposed to the
sun for much of the rest of the way. After passing Loch Leven Lake on the left, the trail climbs
gradually to Piute Lake. This is a good place to rest and find some shade if you
plan on hiking over Piute Pass. From Piute Lake, the hike up to Piute Pass is easy and the rest is
downhill into the Humphreys Basin.
The Fishing
REPORT - July 2nd, 2015
The fishing was excellent for small Brook Trout at Piute Lake this
year. All areas of the lake produce fish. From the area near our campsite on the north
shore, we landed and released twenty or more fish using and assortment of wet and dry
flies and spinners. Alex landed a few 11 inch fish using a black Panther Martin on the north
shore. Although we only fished the north shore of Piute Lake, we could see
numerous rises across the lake at the outlet as well as the south shore where the wind blows
less.
The first time I dipped into my fly box I pulled out a Grasshopper and proved once again
that it's too early in the season to fish these patterns. I could hear Grasshoppers
flying and chirping on our hike out so I believe they will start working soon. I did have
luck using flashback Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Hare's Ears, and Humpy's. They showed
no interest in Copper Johns (Green and Brass).
The largest fish we landed measured at somewhere around 11 inches. I am confident that
there are some bigger ones but I wouldn't expect them to get too large.
REPORT - Pre-2010
Much like it's neighbor, Loch Leven Lake, the fishing at Piute Lake yields Brook
Trout in the 9-11 inch class.
During our trip, we made Piute Lake our base camp while we trekked over Piute Pass and into the Humphreys Basin to fish lakes like
Summit Lake and
Lower Golden Trout Lake.
Gold Mepps spinners worked well at Piute Lake, especially during the evening when we returned
from fishing the Humphreys Basin. In the morning we had no problems hooking up at Piute Lake
using Green Humpys, Grasshoppers, and Copper Johns.