Bishop Creek Canyon

Little Known Treasure of The Sierras

By Shawn Arnold

 It only took me two casts into Bishop Creek to with the current past the fish, wham, I was on.

A couple of minutes later I brought to the shore a 22", 3-1/2 pound rainbow It was a beauty. I gave it to a couple of guys who were fishing a little ways down from me. They were camping and wanted it for dinner. It was the least I could do since they took a picture of me with the fish that just my luck was too dark to print. 

The Bishop Creek Canyon is 18 miles west of Bishop. It is a gradual climb to the 9,200 feet elevation that is the peak of the canyon.

Besides the excellent fishing possibilities that awit you in Bishop Creek there are a few lakes in the canyon. South Lake, North Lake and Sabrina Lake can all be reached by car. For the adventurous, moderate to difficult 2 to 5 hour hikes can get you to many more lakes. 

South Lake provides your best bet to get a big brown. Every year numerous 8-10 pound range trout are brought out of this alpine pristine lake.

Gary Olsen who is owner of the South Lake Boat Landing as well as Bishop Creek Lodge and Parchers Resort states that the lake is family oriented. "We want to give the whole family a chance to catch a fish. We like families, that's what we are all about."

The marina at South Lake rents 14 foot aluminum boats with motors and has private mooring facilities. Shore fishing is available.

 Lake Sabrina, nearly 200 acres in size, was created around 1908 when the Nevada Mining and Milling Company built the dam to provide power for the mines in Goldfield and Tonopah, Nevada. The power lines stretched over the White Mountains via Silver Canyon, making them the longest such lines in the world at the time.

NMM sold the facility to Cal Electric, which eventually sold it to Southern California Edison.  Shore fishing is accessible from the dam on the east end. Walking trails can bring you to other spots. Fishing here can be good and it is in a beautiful setting. The marina has a store for supplies and rents out boats as well.

North Lake has no services. You have to take a pretty good dirt road to get there. There is a campground there. This lake is usually uncrowded and when the weather permits its a nice place to spend a day.

While Bishop is just a 25 minute or so ride away from Bishop Creek Canyon, I highly recommend that you try staying in the Canyon. Campgrounds are plentiful. There are also three lodges there. Bishop Creek Lodge, Parchers Resort and Cardinal Village all offer warm, clean comfortable lodging. The Ritz Carlton they are not.

I have stayed at Gary Olsens Bishop Creek Lodge and would highly recommend it. There are 12 individual cabins that sleep between 2 and 8. The larger units have bunk beds for the kids.

 The cabins are carpeted, heated, have an inside bathroom with hot shower, linens, a complete kitchen with utensils, refrigerator and stove. Outside of the cabins are a bar-b-que and picnic table.

My favorite part of the lodge is the cafe. Friendly people serve up good hearty food in a setting that lets you know that you are in the mountains.

The bar in the cafe is the only place on the resort that has a T.V. Sports are usually on at night. After dinner its a good place to belly up to and get a cold one.

The store carries groceries, tackle, ice, firewood and just about everything else that you might have forgotten.

The cabins usually open around mid May to June. They stay open until the last weekend in October.

This area is a great place to take friends or the family. This summer load up the car and spend some time in a place where the TV or phone won't become a distraction. A place that is so beautiful that you probably won't care if the fish are not biting that day. A place called Bishop Creek Canyon.