The lake's weekly fish reports back this up, along with the lake's reputation of kicking out monster 'bows on most opening weekends.

Despite being less than a half-mile at its widest, the little pond seems to pump out big fish consistently.

Lake operator Gary Cino said that on opening weekend last year, he weighed over 80 rainbows that topped 3 pounds.

Kady said if you are looking for big Alpers at Gull Lake, tie a bubble-and-fly combination, or bait a night crawler and work the tules close to shore. Gull Lake is right in the town of June Lake, with campgrounds, rental cabins and condos, shops, restaurants and services.

SADDLEBAG LAKE
Our next stop will be west of Lee Vining in the shadow of Yosemite National Park. Saddlebag Lake is a high-country lake tucked into rugged mountains about two miles north of Highway 120 and 12 miles west of Lee Vining.

This big, deep lake sits at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Boaters, shore-anglers, tubers and those willing to make a trip to the inlet at the north end find plenty of good trout fishing.

Saddlebag Lake is an outpost at the end of a dirt road and at the trailhead into the Hoover Wilderness.

It's a scenic place, challenging and rugged, but a fisherman's paradise.

There are a campground and a store here, but don't miss the homemade pies at the café.

Richard Ernst operates the lake and spends just about every free minute either trolling the deep waters or working his secret spots where bigger fish are usually found. Ernst said to head to the back of the lake early in the season when Greenstone Creek is running strong into Saddlebag.

If the bite is on, it doesn't much matter what you use. But you can have some incredible success tossing right into the tongue at the inlet.

Don't forget that Alpers are raised in natural raceways, so they like flowing water. Make sure you rig with 4- to 6-pound line -- some big fish may well slam you at the Greenstone Inlet. Smaller DFG stockers will also quickly fill your stringers at this hotspot.

Ernst said that another good area is along the northeast shore, which is especially good for trolling, but also produces good action for shore-anglers.

Look for the springs that bring fresh water into the lake at this point.

In the store, you will see a photograph of Ernst holding a 6-pound Alpers that he took with a gold-red Thomas Buoyant lure trolled deep.

"I used to rig with flashers," Ernst said. "But this season, the Thomas Buoyant was really bringing in more Alpers."