Getting There



To reach Summit Lake, park at the North Lake Trailhead. North Lake is located outside of Bishop in the Lake Sabrina area. The trail leads to Piute Pass and into the High Sierra Backcountry.

The Hike



The trail to Summit Lake starts in a forested area and works it's way westward and uphill for the first 1.4 miles. When you reach the first switchbacks you will be exposed to the sun for much of the rest of the way. After passing Loch Leven Lake on the left, the trail climbs gradually to Piute Lake. This is a good place to rest and find some shade. There is little shade for you after this point, up to, and beyond Piute Pass. From Piute Lake, the hike to Piute Pass is a moderate 2 miles and the rest is downhill to Summit Lake. There is a trail that leads directly down to Summit Lake from Piute Pass. The country around Summit Lake consists of open boulder fields which provide abundant shore access and backcasting opportunities.

The Fishing



Summit Lake lies just over Piute pass in Fresno county. It is the first lake that welcomes you into the Humphries Basin and is the first prospect for Goldens once you get over Piute pass.











Fishing Summit Lake proved to difficult for us this year (2014) as we had very little action. We started with flies and spinners in the outlet area and saw no signs of life there. We worked our way northward and eastward around the lake. At the far eastern and windward side we spotted a 10" Golden Trout, deceased, floating in the water 100 feet from shore. I sighted another fish, alive, in the shallows of the windward side so I am convinced there are fish in there. We eventually circumnavigated the entire lake and had no luck. We landed no fish while fishing Summit Lake this year.



We made use of the rest of the day by fishing the outlet stream from Summit Lake to Upper Golden Trout Lake. There are many pockets and riffles that offer small trout.











We had the most luck fishing Summit Lake with small dries like grasshoppers and black ants twitched across the surface of the water. The lakelet on the south side of Summit Lake produced more fish than the main body. I found the best part on the main body to be around a row of submerged rocks near the south shore. The rocks will be visible with polarized glasses. This is a good place to start when fishing Summit Lake. We had also caught some using small spinners like a Mepps in gold colors. Most of the fish that come out of Summit Lake are about 7-8 inches long but they are gorgeous little Goldens. From Summit Lake, I recommend going over to Lake Muriel where there is good action for some nice Brookies.



Summit Lake does not make a great place to camp due to wind and sun exposure. Muriel Lake, nearby, offers better camping spots and excellent fishing for Brook Trout.







