Twin Lakes
(El Dorado County)
Desolation Wilderness
May 27, 2015
Getting There
The Twin Lakes are located just inside the Desolation Wilderness boundary in El
Dorado County. They can be reached by taking Wrights Lake Road off of Highway 50.
Follow Wrights Lake Road until you reach Wrights Lake. At the junction by the stop
sign, turn right and follow it to the end where you will find a parking lot. Remember
to
go here to get your Desolation Wilderness permit if you plan on staying at the Twin Lakes.
Lower Twin Lake
The Hike
Easy hike to Twin Lakes. At 2.5 miles to Lower Twin Lake it makes for an easy
day trip. I packed into Twin Lakes and it was a very easy hike. It is uphill most of the way. One
important note: you will reach a section that travels up gentle granite slopes which
other hikers have kindly placed rock cairns
to guide you. Some of these are a little sketchy. Keep a little to the right and head
for the saddle and you will, I'm sure, find the trail again to Twin Lakes.
Upper Twin Lake
Report - May 27, 2015
I stopped to do some fishing at Lower Twin Lake for a while and did not see any signs of life at first.
I began to worry so I took the quick walk over to Upper Twin Lake to see what was happening there.
Again, I failed to detect any fish life at Upper Twin Lake and this made me suspect that the MYLF
people had come to degrade the watershed like they have elsewhere in Desolation Wilderness. After receiving no bites
on bait or flies at Upper Twin Lake, I went back to Lower Twin Lake and sat down for a while.
Small, stunted Brookie
Eventually, as the sun went down on Lower Twin Lake, the fish began to rise as the evening hatch took off. I pulled
out my fly rod and began casting a small Pheasant Tail nymph and hooked up with a few stunted Brookies feeding close to shore. While
the fish were not large, I was still relieved that the fishery is still alive!
Upper Twin Lake
Upper Twin Lake
The fish were biting at Lower Twin Lake! While fishing Lower Twin Lake
I found action casting from the east shore to
around the small island. There is a drop off there on the south side of the small island
where the trout were hitting right away. I used chartreuse and red Powerbait with glitter while fishing Lower Twin Lake
and had plenty of takes but difficulty keeping anything on the hook long enough to bring it in. There is
abundant Hydrilla growing on the bottom of Lower Twin Lake. There were other fisherman on the west shore of
Lower Twin Lake that seemed to be getting hits but I didn't see any fish landed. I casted some dry flies with nymphs on
droppers but raised nothing so I stopped fishing Lower Twin Lake and headed a couple hundred
yards east to Upper Twin Lake.
Lower Twin Lake
Lower Twin Lake
Upper Twin Lake
Upper Twin Lake
The trail after veering from Wrights Lake trail