Bait anglers and lure tossers had a tough time at South Lake this week despite the excellent weather conditions. Nightcrawlers and Yellow Powerbait were working but scratching out a limit was a bit tough for those still fishing from a boat or from shore. The dam and the rock slide are the only areas producing fish right now for still fisherman.Trolling flashers with a nightcrawler on the other hand was on fire. On Saturday the Kemp and McCutcheon families trolled with flashers for 6 hours for nearly 30 fish with the biggest one weighing over 4lbs.

The back of the lake is now about 5ft deep in most areas and is now fishable. We did a little scouting back there on Saturday and while we did find some fish, they're not too concentrated back there yet. Hopefully by the holiday weekend the fish will be back there in force. South Lake will be getting a double dose of trout from the DFG this week in preparation for the holiday weekend so the outlook is excellent.

Also of note, the Bishop Creek Canyon Fall Classic was announced this week. Throughout the month of September Inyo County & the Bishop Chamber of Commerce will be planting a big load of Alpers trout including several tagged trout worth up to $500. For the fall derby, all canyon waters including Bishop Creek will be planted with tagged fish!!!!

South Lake water level remains below the end of the launch ramp and while it is still coming up, the rate of the lake level rise has slowed to about 6" a day. Private boaters are not able to launch yet due to the low water level. It will probably be another week before the launch is useable.