There are a large number of fishing spots you can drive to in less than an hour from the Mammoth campground area. These include the June Lake loop; Convict Lake and the stream and the lakes behind Convict; Crowley Lake; the Owens River, and many others. The list goes on and on. I’ve already blogged about some of these places, and information about others is easily obtained at the visitor’s center from the resident rangers or fishing tackle stores in town that will also help with tips about fishing local waters. One of my favorite information stops is Rick’s Sporting Goods right on the main drag across from the shell gas station. That area also includes my favorite bakery stop at Schott’s, where I usually pick up cinnamon rolls before I head out for the day.
Since this trip was only a week long I’m going to end this series with one more day-trip suggestion that you might consider trying. This spot is accessed at the Rock Creek road starting behind Tom’s Place near the top of the grade off the main highway up to Mammoth from Bishop. This is another hike-in-to-fish trailhead that’s fun. It’s located past Rock Creek Lake where there’s a small parking lot that often gets full during the late morning, so arrive as early as possible. The lot is called the Mosquito Flat trailhead, and the trail starts at an elevation of 10,250 feet and goes up from there. The trail is aptly named the gateway to Little Lakes Valley, a series of small fishable lakes with mostly small trout that usually like to jump on your bait or lure. This is also a popular backpacking trail that’s busy during summer months.
The first lake along the trail is Mack Lake. It is not far off the main trail and it lies to the left (east) and below the main trail on your way up. Oddly enough, it’s often lightly fished and overlooked by the locals because it’s so close to the trailhead. Nevertheless, I’ve had better luck further up the line. Marsh Lake is next, followed by Heart and Box Lakes. 
I like to fish the inlets of these spots where the main stream runs in, or where smaller streams come down from springs along the mountainside. You’ll find parts of the lakeshore marshy and wet, but there are good rocky points to fish all along other parts of the shoreline if the fish aren’t biting near the stream inlets.
I rarely hike past Box Lake on a one day trip. That’s a nice spot to angle for small wild trout, too. Some of the lakes further along the trail hold larger trout, but reaching them in a day, and still saving time to fish, is a push for old guy like me. There are catchable size trout in the connecting stream too, but the bank is brushy limiting access. You can have a lot of fun playing catch and release in this area, and I recommend that you use ultra light tackle to enhance your angling experience.
This trail is also a great wildflower walk, and the scenic views along the way are to die for. It’s high altitude though, so don’t be in a hurry. That’s where the wildflowers come in, like, “Let’s stop and smell the flowers and catch our breath before we go on.”
The town of Mammoth has been one of my summer homes in the Sierras for many years, and probably always will be for many more. If you like to camp, hike, and fish, like I do, it’s a perfect getaway. You can enjoy decadent tourist amenities or get down and dirty backpacking, or do something in between those extremes if you like. Mammoth is like a comfortable old hiking boot for me. It’s a place you can keep going back to, but also a place where you always discover something new and exciting to make your day. Give it a try, and maybe we’ll bump into each other sometime somewhere along the trail. I’ll be the old guy with the fishing pole in my hand — stop and chat. There’s always another fishing yarn to spin. You’ve just heard mine, now what about yours?