Photo of Bottleneck Lake, Sabrina Basin, Inyo County, CA



Bottleneck Lake Fishing

John Muir Wilderness - Inyo County


Bottleneck Lake Fishing

John Muir Wilderness - Inyo County

Bottleneck Lake is situated high in the Sabrina Basin in California's Eastern Sierra. To reach the lake anglers will likely want to set up a back-country camp near Dingleberry Lake and then hike cross country up to this remote lake for a fabulous day of fishing. Most likely you will find yourselves the only ones there. Hungry brook trout strike eagerly at flies and lures. This is a strenuous high elevation trek that involves off-trail route finding and should only be attempted by experienced cross country hikers.

Bottleneck Lake is at 11,100 feet, 5 miles from the Sabrina Lake trailhead. The Sabrina Basin is filled with lakes, making it a great place to set up a base camp and fish for a week. Dave's Sierra Fishing includes two other Featured Trips in the Sabrina Basin, Hungry Packer Lake and Baboon Lakes, both of which are accessible by trail.

Bottleneck Lake, Sabrina Basin, Inyo County, California

Bottleneck Lake

Ambitious anglers could rise early, hike to the lower lakes in several hours, spend the day fishing from lake to lake, and then returning to the trailhead before evening. The lakes are better fished by spending at least two or three days camped among them. If you're not a backpacker, the great people at Glacier Pack Train (760-938-2538) can pack you and your gear into a base camp. You will find their pack station located right at the trailhead.

Sidetrips

  • From Bottleneck Lake you can hike an easy one mile downstream to Fishgut Lakes, where you could spend days working along their open shorelines. Great for fly fishing.
  • Dingleberry Lake is known to have some of the best fishing in the Sabrina Basin. Reportedly a 5-pound brown trout was taken from Dingleberry.
  • For some easy fishing, make the short hop over to Emerald Lakes. You won't catch any lunkers in the shallow lakes, but the pan-size trout are always bouncing out of the water as dusk approaches.

Nearby Featured Trips in Inyo County

  • Hungry Packer Lake - 2 miles from Dingleberry Lake, spectacular scenery
  • Baboon Lakes - beautiful lakes to explore, days of good fishing
  • Marie Louise Lakes - a short hike from South Lake, great lakes for children to learn the joys of fishing

Dingleberry Lake, Sabrina Basin, Inyo County, California

Dingleberry Lake


In My Creel

  • Adams
  • Zug Bug
  • Elk Hair Caddis
  • Blue Wing Olive
  • Mepps
  • Thomas Buoyant
  • Panther Martin

From experience I knew that the avaricious fish in the Sabrina Basin are usually not overly particular about which flies, lures, or baits are presented to them. The smaller, pan-size fish, will strike at almost anything. The bigger fish, as usual, are more leery and require a little more finesse. I wish I had brought a grasshopper imitation because they hoppers were bouncing all over the place in late August.


Recommended Books, Lures, and Flies for Fishing the Sabrina Basin



Bishop Pack Outfitters, Sabrina Basin, Inyo County, California

Bishop Pack Outfitters

Bishop Pack Outfitters

For an extended stay in the Sabrina Basin, consider having yourself packed into a base camp by a local packer. I had a great experience with nearby Bishop Pack Outfitters. They are located a couple miles from the trailhead near North Lake. You can arrange to have them pack your gear into a recommended base camp while you make the trek on foot or you can make the journey on horseback along with the packer.

Owner Mike Morgan and his crew are very knowledgeable about the area and can pack you into great camps you might not find on our own. They can also steer you to some of the best fishing spots in the Sabrina Basin.

Making Your Way to Bottleneck Lake

The trailhead at Lake Sabrina is reached by driving west about 17 miles from Bishop on Highway 395. Parking at Lake Sabrina is found along the highway about a half mile east of the trailhead, not right at the lake. For overnight trips into the John Muir Wilderness, which includes the Sabrina Basin, you will need a wilderness permit, which you can pick up at the ranger station in Lone Pine or Mammoth Lakes.

The trail up from Lake Sabrina is steep, with many swtichbacks. For those not accustomed to high elevation hiking, plan to take it slowly. Carry water. 2½ miles of hiking accompanied by a 1,100-foot climb will deliver you to beautiful Blue Lake, a great place to stop for lunch or to camp. You can fish there for both rainbow and brook trout.

Half way down the shore of Blue Lake, turn onto the Dingleberry Lake trail. It is clearly marked with a sign. The trail rises and drops slightly as it works its way around a rugged canyon, past lower Emerald Lakes, and over a low ridge before dropping to Dingleberry Lake.

As you approach Dingleberry Lake, look across the valley toward the hillside on the north side of the lake. The cross country route to Bottleneck Lake climbs that mountainside and passes through the gap between the two prominent peaks.

Although you could camp at Bottleneck Lake, it is probably better done as a day hike since the climb from Dingleberry is steep. The route should only be attempted by experienced cross-country hikers. Various routes lead up to the gap directing you to Bottleneck. I began at the creek crossing 0.2 miles upstream from Dingleberry and angled across the slope and up, following an obvious tree line leading north. Once high on the slope, I doubled back to the pass. The lowest point is on the left (southwest) side of the pass. Follow an obvious route through the gap and almost immediately find yourself at Bottleneck Lake.

Lodging and Camping

Good backpacking camps can be found all over the Sabrina Basin. At Dingleberry Lake, packers often set up groups at the campsite designated for horse groups immediately upstream from the lake. You will find nice campsites a little farther upstream where the trail crosses the creek. You could also camp at nearby Blue Lake or Emerald Lakes or in many places farther upstream along the creek.

For accommodations near the trailhead, consider Parchers Resort located a few miles away near South Lake. They have cabins with a range of amenities. Down the road a short distance from Lake Sabrina is Cardinal Village Resort with housekeeping cabins.

California's Best Camping

For complete information about campgrounds near the Sabrina Basin, see

California's Best Camping website logo

Fishing Supplies

Fishing supplies can be purchased locally at the following places:

  • Lake Sabrina Boat Landing
  • Cardinal Village Resort Store
  • Parchers Resort Store
  • Brock's Flyfishing Specialists, Bishop
  • Sierra Trout Magnet Fly Shop, Bishop
  • High Sierra Tackle, Bishop

High Sierra Trails

Sabrina Basin waterfall, California

Sabrina Basin

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