Kirman Lake

Kirman Lake, nestled on the outskirts of the Toiyabe National Forest near the junction of highways 108 & 395 is home to some very large trophy brook and Lahontan cutthroat trout. Because the fishery is special, it is managed with special regulations. Only artificial lures may be used and no more than two fish with a minimum size of 16in may be kept. The lake is somewhat secluded but merely requires an easy three mile hike or mountain bike on good dirt road to reach the land of sage, reeds and large fish. My dad and I made the hike in an hour and I was well rewarded by catching seven fish. I landed four fat 14-15in brookies and three 16-18in cutthroat while fishing from about 10:30am through 5:30pm. My dad on the other hand wasn’t so lucky as he was skunked! We both used Z-Rays and variations of Panther Martins. The lake is very shallow and reedy along the shore, making a trailboat or float tube a must for effective fishing. Please practice catch and release. On a side note, these photos were taken with a small Sony camera while my D700 is in for cleaning.
  • The start of the hike to Kirman Lake, near the junction of HWY 108 and 395. My dad got his first experience of hiking with a float tube.
  • A look back toward the trailhead.
  • The trail facing mountains made of the Stanislaus Group of volcanic rocks.
  • Dad labors onward.
  • Bitterbrush along the road was in full bloom.
  • Several iris had already sprung for our viewing pleasure.
  • Kirman lake lies on the other side of the knob that's in the background of the meadow.
  • Halfway point = Junction Reservoir. Closed to fishing forever as since it's used as a cutthroat brood stock source (from what I hear, anyway).
  • All of the tributaries to Junction and Kirman are closed to fishing year-roud too. I suppose to protect spawners in the spring.
  • Just past Junction Reservoir the trail gets a wee bit forested... just before the biggest little climb.
  • My dad doesn't quite remember which gate he should use.
  • Here's the worst of the uphill. Mountain bikers that are not experienced riders may need to push bikes uphill.
  • Looking back at the eastern Sierra.
  • Our first view of Kirman.
  • Special fishing regulations are very obvious. Only 2 fish may be kept and they must be over 16 inches.
  • Eastern Sierras. I think that's Lost Canon peak. Leavitt Meadows is over the hill in the foreground.
  • Obviously, the lake is full of reeds and requires a trailboat or float tube to fish successfully.
  • This is my secret weapon - a Sevylor Trail Boat. It weighs about 2.5lbs including the paddles and packs super-small. I don't think sevylor makes them anymore.
  • Would all the effort to bring this float tube be worth it?
  • The view from my trailboat as I pushed-off.
  • I took this photo through a water-proofing device. Thus my dad is out of focus.
  • This is the life.
  • Kirman's reeds were a great home for an abundance of birds. This is a Ruddy duck with a pretty blue bill. They also had an interesting little call that involved an accelerating head bob. Pretty cool.
  • Here's one of the seven fish I caught at Kirman, a nice 1lb fat brookie.
  • Being so close to the Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center helicopter fly-bys are common.
  • Beaver lodge on the lake.
  • That's my dad with a view looking towards Sonora Pass.
  • After floating for so long I needed to stretch my legs and explore the geology.
  • Kirman Lake looking back towards Sonora Pass.
  • Kirman Lake looking back towards the trail.
  • Based on the scant geologic information I can find, these rocks are comprised of the Relief Peak Formation.
  • Amongst the sandstone I found an interesting piece of conglomorate/breccia chalk-full of granitic pieces. I wish I would have looked at the rock more carefully now that I realize the macro on the small stand-in camera was bunk.
  • Close-up. Knife is about 3.5 inches.