Rock Creek Lake 8/24-8/26 *PICS*
Our journey started right after work on Friday. Made good time up the 395 to Rock Creek lake. This was my first time there.
Our group quickly set up camp at the Pine Grove campgrounds.
It was getting too late to fish so we drove into Mammoth instead to do some bar hopping. That's a whole different story though...
Woke up the next morning and got everything ready to tube the lake. Weather was mostly clear, low 80's and occasionally windy. The shores were moderately crowded and there were only about five boats in the water. I launched on the southeast side across from the cliffs.
My weapon of choice was a gold Panther Martin spinner. About ten minutes into my voyage, I had a hard hit. I hooked it effortlessly and brought in a nice stocker.
It ended up weighing only 1lb 11oz but I still strung it up for lunch later. I wandered around some more on the South end but never had any more bites. Many people on the shore were bringing them in every ten minutes or so. I heard one group say they were just using salmon eggs.
After turning in for lunch and cooking up that trout, I re-geared to fish the creek only 50 yards from our campsite. I carefully waded upstream casting into as many little pools or calmed areas as I could. Average depth was only about a foot in the flowing areas with the pools being only slightly deeper. My method was to flip the spinner out about 25' or so then just slowly retrieve it, letting the current take care of the spinning action while I was navigating it through the rocks. There's nothing like concentrating on navigating the rocks when all the sudden you see a shadow dart out from nowhere and nail your lure! I ended up catching 4 and farming 3 (since I forgot my net in the truck). I forgot the camera as well so no pics from the creek that day.
After a quick break at camp, we decided to finish up the day at the lake. This time I launched by the marina and made my way down the west shore to the group campgrounds and back. I didn't get a single bite. I was getting kinda windy and the sun was setting so the warmth was quickly blowing out of me so I came in around sunset.
Well, after a full day of fishing behind us we sparked up the fire and cooked up some good old 1.5lb hobo meals.
The next morning we decided to explore the creek again since we had the most luck there. I suited up, net and camera too, and headed out.
Less than five minutes into wading in the creek, I had my first one for the day.
An obvious stocker but still a fun little fighter. He was quickly released.
I continued to wade upstream until I hit the bridge crossing over at Pine Grove. There was a nice calmer shady spot under low the bridge that I knew had to hold something. So I flipped under there a couple times and BAM, another one!
This one was released too.
I tracked along further upstream and spotted a shadow holding up in a little calm pocket. I casted into the pocket and he immediately bumped it then went back to his spot. I casted out a couple more times pulling it right over him but he never gave a second look. I figured he was lazy and the presentation was bad since the current kept taking my lure in the wrong direction. So I quietly crossed the creek and got right above him. I dropped it into the pocket and let it spin in his spot. WHAM, he hits it and I bring him in.
He was released as well.
Continuing on, I kept on with my usual method of flipping pretty much anywhere that looked good. I eventually caught this guy too who was hiding out under a downed tree.
Released.
I kept on wading and rounded a bend where, surprisingly into a meadow where the creek was almost still. The depth changed a lot. Sometimes less than 6", other spots were chest deep.
Fry and dinks were swimming around everywhere and hugging the banks. None were worth catching. Every once in a while I would see a nice one but they would quickly disappear under the bank lips. The creek narrowed here but that water was surprisingly deep.
I continued on and only saw a bunch of dinks so I turned back to make my way downstream. I took the trail all the way back to the spot I first entered the creek and worked my way down. I was immediately greeted with steep landscape, huge boulders, and small waterfalls. Definitely more of a challenge than my previous walk. So I carefully made my way down the numerous falls casting into all the pockets I could see. I toppled into the drink a couple times and was lucky I didn't break anything.
The hike down. The pic doesn't make it look steep at all, but there had to be about a 40' climb down from the top.
I had a few bites and eventually hooked one up under a fallen tree. I was too high up on a boulder to get him with the net so I just tried to lift him out on the line. I got him out of the water long enough to get a glimpse of my first brook trout, but he then flipped right off the hook. Oh well, less work for me to release him.
With a sore wrist, shin, and right butt cheek from the falls during my walk down there, I decided to call it and head back home.
Overall, Rock Creek Lake was awesome! The lake was nice, the creek was moderately easy to fish, and the campgrounds were deeply wooded and nice too. I would definitely come back again.
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Originally Posted by Mase
