Convict Lake

Overview

Convict Lake sits in a glacial bowl at about 7,580 feet, a couple of paved miles off Highway 395 south of Mammoth Lakes, with 12,241-foot Mount Morrison standing straight up from the far shore. It is small, close to 170 acres, but up to 140 feet deep, and that cold volume is why a lake this size produces rainbows in the eight-pound class most seasons. The name dates to the fall of 1871, when a posse caught up with convicts who had escaped from Carson City; Robert Morrison and Mono Jim died in the shootout, and the peaks above the lake carry their names. The fish are mostly hatchery rainbows: CDFW stocks weekly through the season and Convict Lake Resort adds its own fish, with brown trout and some brook trout alongside. Do not expect a wild-trout experience, but do expect fish. Spring and fall are the best times, partly because the water is cool and partly because the lake is stocked hardest around the resort's two derbies. A three-mile trail circles the shoreline, so shore anglers can reach the whole lake, and the marina rents boats; gas motors are not allowed, electric only. Float tubes work well along the drop-offs in the morning calm before the canyon wind comes up. Convict Creek leaves through the campground and runs down toward Crowley Lake; it is worth a look on its own but carries a shorter season than the lake.