Getting There

To reach Rock Creek Lake in Inyo County, follow the turn off from highway 395 to Tom's Place just north of Bishop, California. Follow Rock Creek road west and up the hill and watch as the Jagged Peaks begin to emerge in the distance. Rock Creek Road follows Rock Creek as it tumbles down from the 11,000 and 12,000 foot peaks of the Sierra Crest. You will pass Rock Creek Lake Resort on the right which offers cabin rentals and has a small store stocked with items that will make your stay at the Rock Creek campgrounds complete. We found a spot at the campgrounds on the south side of Rock Lake that was secluded and had great amenities like a bear locker, picninc table, firepit and nice flat spot to pitch our tents. The sites can be found by taking a left onto Rock Creek Campground Road from Rock Creek Road and following it to the end. There are many parking spots but they can fill up fast on a holiday weekend. From the end parking lot, follow the trail west across the footbridge that crosses over the Rock Creek inlet. As soon as you cross the bridge the campsites can be found in several areas among the trees. Some can be secluded, hidden, so take a walk around and follow some foot trails and you will find a site.

The Hike

Rock Creek Lake is a drive-to lake with ample shore access all along the east and south sides. Many people like to stop along Rock Creek Campground Road and fish next to the road. If you go to the end of the road there is wide open space along the shore and from there, crossing the foorbridge leads you along a fisherman's trail where you can find pockets of shoreline to set up and fish. I had no problems finding a spot just west of the inlet among the trees. We stayed at Rock Creek Lake Campground for one night before a planned trip into Little Lakes Valley. It was the perfect spot to acclimate to the altitude before heading into the high country.

The Fishing

The fishing at Rock Creek Lake was outstanding for hatchery Rainbows ranging from 12-20 inches with some very large fish reported from time to time. Rock Creek Lake is planted almost every week during the summer so there is no shortage of fish. I witnessed several anglers walking away from the shore with stringers full of fish, numerous limits. Most of the fish were 12-14 inch hatchery trout. Is set up a couple of poles with inflated crawlers in the late afternoon hours and received a couple of takes but I was unable to hook a fish. After fishing for an hour or so, I packed it up and went back up to our campsite to enjoy dinner with my hiking partners.

The next morning I set out to the same spot I fished the evening before and this time I was able to hook into two 12 inch Rainbows, one looked to be wild, the other a hatchery bow. It took about a half an hour but when the first one hit the second one hit at the same time and I had a double hook up. It seems a school came cruising by and found my presentation to appetizing. When we packed up and headed back to the parking lot I saw another angler walking with a stringer full of 12 inch trout. It appears as if the fish were jumping out of the lake and right onto people's stringers.

The impression I got from Rock Creek Lake is that it is a fantastic fishing destination with easy shore access and plenty of fish. It's a perfect place to take the kids and your odds of catching some trout is very high.