Lake Sabrina

Lake Sabrina is where Highway 168 runs out, 19 miles and 9,130 feet up from Bishop, in a granite cirque at the head of the Middle Fork of Bishop Creek. Southern California Edison built the dam in 1907 and 1908 to feed its hydro plants down the canyon, and the lake covers about 184 acres when full. It fishes as a put-and-take lake first: CDFW planted it six times between early June and late September in 2026, and the boat landing and the county add trophy rainbows of 2 to 8 pounds on top. A few holdover browns and brook trout washed down from the Sabrina Basin lakes are the rest of it. The goldens you hear about are in the lakes above, not this one.

The lake is deep with steep sides, so most of it is trolling water, and a fly angler does best with a float tube or a rented boat. Head for the south end, where the creek comes in from Dingleberry and Blue Lake, and the narrows on the way there. In early summer, hang a beadhead Pheasant Tail or Prince under an indicator 10 to 20 feet down off the inlet seam, or strip a size 8 or 10 olive or black Woolly Bugger on an intermediate line along the drop-offs. July and August evenings bring caddis and midges up at the inlet, so carry an Elk Hair Caddis and a size 16 or 18 Parachute Adams. The big plants sit 30 to 40 feet down by day in summer, and the only way to reach them on a fly rod is a full-sink line and a leech counted down a long way. In fall, streamers along the inlet channel find the browns and the brookies in spawning color.

Plan around ice, water level and crowds. Ice-out swings widely: the lake was ice-free by April 19 in 2026, but in 2023 the road did not open until June 1 and ice was still floating in early June, so check a recent report before the late-April opener. Edison moves the level through summer and fall, and in 2026 it scheduled a drawdown of about 18 feet from June 29 to October 30 to repair the spillway, with the dam, lot and lake trail closed at times. Check Edison's notices before a trip. The road and the small lot fill early on summer weekends and again when the aspens turn, so arrive at first light. The season closes November 15. If Sabrina is slow or packed, North Lake, the Weir Pond and Intake II are all a few minutes back down the canyon.