TWIN LAKES, SOTCHER LAKE
Just a few miles up the road is the town of Mammoth Lakes, home to a number of excellent fishing holes.

While almost any of the Mammoth Basin lakes will produce a good Alpers trout, local guide Alex Kady has his favorites.

Kady, a guide at the popular Trout Fitter/Trout Fly Shop in Mammoth, lists his top lakes there as Twin Lakes and Sotcher Lake to the west of Mammoth in Red's Meadow.

What makes these two lakes hotspots for Alpers? Their size.

"I feel the smaller the lake, the better the chances of catching a big Alpers," Kady said.

Twin Lakes is located just west of downtown Mammoth at an elevation of about 8,600 feet. This is a great lake for tubers, small boats and shore-fishing, but it does become weedy in late summer. There are rental cabins along the south shore of the lake and several campgrounds within walking distance. It's a very popular summer destination.

Sotcher Lake is tucked deep into the San Joaquin River Gorge, reached by a spectacular road that hangs on the side of the mountain as it drops nearly 3,000 feet.

During peak season, the road is open to passenger cars during the day only if you have camping or cabin reservations in the canyon. Otherwise, you must enter early before vehicle control begins, or else take one of the Red's Meadow shuttle buses that make continuous loops through the canyon. For both the fisherman and the sightseer, a visit to the canyon is well worth the trip.

Sotcher is a beaver lake, created by a massive logjam at its south end. Limited shore access makes this better for float tubes or boats, but there are some shoreline hotspots at the rock slide on the west side and at the inlets on the east side.

This is a scenic and beautiful place to fish and rarely crowded.

Woolly Buggers are great flies for Sotcher, but if you like tossing metal, small Panther Martin lures and gold Kastmasters work well. And night crawlers and PowerBait are both dependable.

This is bear country, so hide those big fish. I've seen some nice trout lost to wandering bears looking for a free meal.

GULL LAKE
Just a few miles up the Highway from Mammoth Lakes is another cluster of great fishing lakes located in the June Lake Loop. Four lakes -- including June, Gull, Silver and Grant -- dot the loop, along with excellent fishing in the connecting streams.

Guide Kady also includes Gull Lake as one of his favorite Alpers waters, because it fits his criterion of being a smaller lake.