Big Pine Creek Lakes
North Fork Big Pine Creek, John Muir Wilderness above Big Pine · near Big Pine · Eastern Sierra
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- July–September/October (snow-free)
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+). General trout regulations; access limited by snow. Wilderness permit required for overnight (day hiking no permit). Confirm current CDFW rules.
What is here
- Features
- Turquoise glacial lakes below the Palisades · Golden trout in the highest lake · Trophy fish reported in the lower lakes · Strenuous backcountry hike-in
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Fishing detail
- Water type
- high-sierra
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Fly · Spin · Bait
- Boat
- shore
- Target species
- Rainbow, brook & brown (lower lakes) · Golden trout (highest lake)
- Intl tip
- A strenuous hike to turquoise glacial lakes — rainbow, brook, and brown low, pure goldens in the highest lake. Best July–Sept; wilderness permit for overnight. Bishop shops for backcountry flies; Glacier Pack Train for stock support.
The guide
The Big Pine Lakes are a backcountry fishing pilgrimage into some of the most spectacular alpine scenery in California — a chai…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Big Pine Creek Lakes — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.1236, -118.5086