Rock Creek Lake

Best fished from a float tube, this nine-acre, low elevation lake has good weather and great fishing almost every day of the year!

This terrific fishing property lies at 3,200 ft in the foothills below the western slope of Mt Lassen National Park. It is a comfortable 50 minute drive from either Red Bluff or Redding, and is easily accessible by paved roads except for the last 200 hundred yards or so. This gravel portion leading to the front gate, and the mile long driveway leading to the lake, is passable to any 2 wheel drive vehicle. There is a cabin perched above the lake for our clients to use. This is the perfect get-a-way for any kind of group; providing fishing for the anglers, comfortable cabin and loads of hiking opportunities for the non-angler, plus site seeing at the nearby National and State Parks.

While the 2012 Ponderosa fire devastated the area, the scrub oaks and manzanita are making a comeback and the drive into the lake has views of Mt. Lassen making this is one of our more uniquely beautiful locations. Rock Creek itself runs right through the middle of the lake and provides a short spawning section for the lakes many browns and rainbows. The lake was built in the 30’s as a water source for a historic lumber mill, but now it is used only for the pleasure of our clients. It is quite deep where the creek channel runs, but a good part of it is around 12 ft deep and has wonderful weed beds, which are incredible insect factories. Over half the lake’s shore is covered in willows that harbor all sorts of insects, including terrestrials, plus any number of trout fry. You will always find many Rock Creek Lake rainbows and browns nosing in and around the willows looking for an easy meal. Each year we get reports of trout brought to net that measure in the 30 inch range. We also hear about those anglers that were towed around the lake for a while and then turned loose by a monster they never even got to see.

Hatches of one kind or another seem to occur every day of the season on Rock Creek Lake, and as a result one can use dry flies much of the time on this lake. See the section on seasons to get a detailed description of fishing Rock Creek Lake. Shore line fishing is only possible along one side of the lake, so you will need a float tube or pontoon craft to really fish the lake properly. Prams or any kind of boat is prohibited at Rock Creek Lake.

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Reservations and Rates

The cost of the daily fishing (costs shown are per person) and cabin rates (costs shown for group) for the Rock Creek Lake package are:
• Full Day Fishing: $175 per day/per person (2 or more anglers)
• Single Angler Package: $470 per night (includes cabin and fishing)
• Cabin Rental: $295 per night (plus $29.50 County Tax & $125 Cleaning Fee)

Included in your fishing package at Rock Creek Lake is a full day of fishing at beautiful Rock Creek Lake and the lakeside cabin (if booked as part of your trip).

Not included in your fishing package at Rock Creek Lake are float tubes and fins, items of a personal nature, food and drinks, fishing supplies, and a CA fishing license.

The Fly Shop® is not in the insurance business, but we recommend Travel Guard (AIG) and Global Rescue (IMG) coverage as a service with a desire to see your best interests protected. It is impossible to know when an unfortunate situation (loss of luggage, fly rods, illness in the family, or an accident) may occur. However, such things can and do happen, and this insurance can provide a means of recourse against non-refundable financial losses.

Travel Insurance Information

Non-angling companions are welcome and can spend the day hiking the property and checking out the beauty of the surrounding area.

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Seasons at Rock Creek Lake

Even though Rock Creek Lake is relatively small it is surprising how selective its trout can be at times and how their feeding habits can change with the seasons.

March to early May:
Cold and sometimes discolored water is the norm for the early part of the season. You can be fishing in rain and occasionally snow, or in beautiful sunny weather. It will be cold to cool at night and you may need to dress warmly during the day, although sometimes all you will need is a light shirt, and this can be especially true as you get into late April and May. Usually hatches, especially in the first month or two, will be few and far from prolific. None of this means that the fishing will be poor; on the contrary, some of the best days of the season come in these early months. The fish are coming off of a long, cold winter and are ready to take on some calories. They are hungry, and this hunger can make them gullible at times, enough to make even novice anglers feel like a pro. They can be tough to fool at times as well, and knowing a few techniques for lake fishing will really pay off then.

March will mean off colored, cold water and you usually won't seem as many rising fish. However, they will slam those streamer type flies so you will want to have a good supply of various buggers and leech patterns. The larger sizes (#6-#8) can work at this time, but be sure to have some of the smaller patterns as well. Midges seem to be a factor every month of the season so having midge nymphs, emergers and some dries will be necessary. Something to remember is that when you are faced with cold water situations a slow to slower retrieve can be the ticket. That can be true when using these streamers and also with some nymphs. You can get away with heavier tippets in off colored water, but keep that slow retrieve on the back of your mind.

By late April and May the Callibaetis mayflies will begin to hatch, so you will want dries, nymphs and emergers of that fly. Crippled patterns seem to out fish dries by quite a good margin. There can also be other mayfly species hatching and usually these will be small (#16-#18) and light yellow, tan or sulfur in color. There is one terrestrial insect event you could see in May and that is an ant or termite flight. You will know it is going on because every fish in the lake will working the surface and you will catch more trout during the ant flight than at any other time on the lake. Carry winged ant patterns in May!

June through August:
Summer is always associated with warm to hot weather which means light weight clothing while on the water and maybe a warm jacket or shirt for the evenings, which are usually cool due to the 3200 ft elevation the lake sits at. This warmer weather also means that every kind of insect in the lake and around the lake is becoming active. June is considered Callibaetis month in this country, but you will also see other mayflies, caddisflies, midges, dragonflies, damselflies and the terrestrials (beetles and ants) throughout the summer season.

June and a good part of July can bring an amazing cast of insects doing their thing at Rock Creek Lake. We left off with a tip on the early season about always carrying winged ant patterns and that continues for the month of June as well. We have found that cripple patterns are the best dry fly pattern for the imitating the callibaetis hatch. Midges are active every day of this season and here is another tip- watch carefully during this hatch and you will see that the trout are most likely taking the midge before it comes to the top of the water. They will almost always eat the midge when it is stuck in the bottom of the surface film (meniscus) and will ignore anything sitting on top of it. Fishing mayflies and caddisflies in the surface film (using cripples or emergers) can sometimes mean the difference between successful takes and refusals. Streamer type flies will work, especially those that mimic damsel nymphs, but the smaller patterns seem to work best. This season is terrestrial time and you will want to have beetle and ant patterns in your fly box. Beetles in size 14 and ants in size 16-18 seem to be the most productive. These patterns will take fish anywhere on the lake, but all terrestrial fishermen know that these insects seem to like to fall off of trees and bushes that hang out over the water- enough said! One last thing you might keep in mind is to use a loop knot to your flies when lake fishing, since it will help keep the fly looking natural and you can use a size larger tippet.

September through November:
All the information above about summer time fishing will hold true for a good part of the fall season. As the nights get colder and colder the hatches will get fewer and fewer, with the exception of the midges. They seem to hatch out everyday, sometimes for just a bit and sometimes off and on all day. Callibaetis will provide some action much of this season, but the flies themselves will be a size or two smaller than the June variety. Terrestrials will work most of the fall, especially in an around the lake side willows. During the first part of this season you can almost always get action early and late in the day. However, as the colder weather comes you will find that midday fishing is great.

Rock Creek Lake closes at the end of November and reopens the following March.

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Lodging at Rock Creek Lake

Directions will be provided to you upon receipt of your trip deposits for key locations to enter the cabin. It is a two-bedroom, two bath housekeeping cabin that sleeps up to six people. Cooking utensils and dishes are furnished. A gas stove with oven, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, cleaning products, and an outdoor gas barbecue are provided for your convenience. Sleeping arrangements consist of a bunk and twin bed in each bedroom.

There are linens in the cabin, so no need to bring either blankets, sleeping bags, or your pillow. Add food and fishing gear and you will be ready to enjoy a very pleasant and comfortable cabin plus a great stillwater fishery.

Check in time for cabin guests is 3:30 PM or later. You can fish until 2:30 PM on the date of departure, but please vacate the cabin no later than 1:00 pm to allow us to prepare it for incoming guests.

Day of Arrival:
Once we have received your trip deposits, a full information packet will be sent to you, and will include a schedule we try to adhere to for Rock Creek Lake. The normal arrival time at the lake is 3:30 PM. We know it is hard to hold yourself back from coming in before that time, especially when you find yourself at the front gate before 3:30. If at all possible we will tell you if you can fudge some on the arrival time, but in the event we don't please don't enter the ranch before your appointed time. Nothing can ruin a trip faster than an incoming group arriving when the outgoing group is making preparations to leave or are still relaxing and enjoying the ranch. Nobody wants a group to do that to them, so please do not infringe upon another groups time at the ranch, either.

When you do enter the ranch there usually will be no one to greet you. At various times the housekeeper may be just finishing up turning over the cabin, but usually they will be gone by then. Feel free to make yourself at home and settle back and begin to drink it all in - the scenery that is. The ranch caretaker may put in an appearance sometime during your stay to take care of anything needed, but we really want your time at Rock Creek to be as isolated and uninterrupted as possible, and that includes right up to the time you drive off the property.

Day of Departure:
On departure day there are a couple of things to keep in mind, depending on whether or not there will be a group coming in on the same day, and whether or not the housekeeper will be cleaning the cabin that day. If the cabin is to be cleaned on departure day (we will let you know), we ask that you take all your belongings out of the cabin and put them in your vehicle by no later than 1:00 PM. That includes all food items, luggage, fishing paraphernalia, and personal items. The housekeeper will arrive at 1:00 to begin cleaning the cabin for the next group. You are welcome to stay on the property if you wish, and can fish until approximately 3:00 PM. At that time we ask for you to load up and depart. It would be perfect if you did not see the incoming group and they didn't see you as well. If everyone will adhere to their schedule that is how it will happen. A quality departure added to a quality arrival and mixed in with two or more days of great fishing, eating and companionship is a hard combination to beat.

Need Assistance?
In a perfect world you will have no need of help of any kind. However, power can go out, water pressure can go down, gas supply can be a problem, etc. These events are rare, but can happen. In the event anything goes awry you will find maps and directions in your information packet as to what to do and who to contact. The one thing to keep in mind is that you are in a fairly remote area and quick fixes may just not be possible. We will try to have emergency items around (like battery powered lights) to assist you while the problem is being taken care of. We hope you will stay relaxed and keep enjoying the property knowing we are doing everything possible to fix whatever minor problems may arise. Fortunately, breakdowns rarely happen at Rock Creek Lake.

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Getting to Rock Creek Lake

Getting to Rock Creek Lake is relatively easy from anywhere. Less than an hour drive from Redding or Red Bluff.

From Red Bluff (45 minutes):
Proceed east on Antelope Blvd. (Hwy 99E) for three miles to Hwy 36. Turn left (north) on Hwy 36 and travel 11 miles to Dales Station. Turn left (north) on Manton Road (A6) and travel 16 miles to the community of

Manton. The remainder of the driving instructions can be found in your packet upon the receipt of your trip deposits after booking your trip.

From Redding (50 minutes):
Proceed east on Hwy 44 for 35 miles to the community of Shingletown. Turn right on Wilson Hill Road and travel seven miles to a stop sign. Turn left at the stop sign onto Rock Creek Road and proceed 5 miles to the end of the pavement. You will be crossing Rock Creek at this point. The remainder of the driving instructions can be found in your packet upon the receipt of your trip deposits after booking your trip.

Entering the Ranch:
Pull off the road and park in front of the gate. You will have been given the gate combination after we have received your trip deposits, and you can use this combination to open the gate and let yourself in. Please be sure to close and lock the gate behind you.

Additional Information


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Making Reservations to Rock Creek Lake

To make a reservation, please give us a call at 800-669-3474 during business hours any day of the week, or email us at bryan@theflyshop.com or chris@theflyshop.com anytime. We can give you the answers you need, detailed explanations to questions you might have, or check on availability and confirm your reservation in minutes.