Kirman Lake, CA

Kirman Lake (45 acres) at 7,200' containing Brookies and Lahonton Cutthroats. Kirman Lake was named after Richard Kirman, a wealthy banker out of Reno who owned much of the land within this area during the late 1800's. Most of the Brookies are in the 14-16" range with some monsters up to eight pounds. The Cutthroats are usually within the deeper portions of the lake. Kirman is a trophy trout lake with special regulations of barbless flies or lures only, 16" minimum, and 2 trout limit. The shoreline is thick with weedbeds and reeds, so it is best float tubed. You have to hike into Kirman, a 3 mile walk from the Sonora Campground Trailhead. It is a fairly flat dirt road that winds up into the foothills. From there, it gets steep and then drops into a small valley that holds the lake. Good patterns for Kirman are: Green Scuds 10-16, Olive Leeches 10-12, Zug Bugs 14-18, BH Prince Nymphs 14-18, Palomino Midges 14-18 and BH Hare's Ear 12-16. The large size of the fish in Kirman is due to the immense population of Gammarus scuds that reside in the lake. The fish feed through thick concentrations of these scuds and gorge themselves into girthy football-sized fish. Try Scud patterns in orange, green and olive colors.

To get to the Kirman Lake trailhead, drive 17 miles northwest from Bridgeport on Highway 395 and turn left (west) on Highway 108. Kirman, which often is misspelled on maps as Carmen, is regulated by the Department of Fish and Game. From Los Angeles, plan on a six- to seven-hour drive north to Bridgeport along highways 14 and 395.