MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. — For many years, cars loaded with skis and snowboards sped past the turnoff to Hot Creek in the eastern Sierra on their way to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Now, some winter visitors are stopping to fly fish at one of California’s most fabled trout streams, although not everyone seems pleased.
Hot Creek is in a valley framed by the Sierra to the west and the Glass and Inyo Mountains to the east. This is volcano country, formed by a huge eruption 760,000 years ago. Earthquakes still rattle ski condominiums, and geothermal springs provide water to Hot Creek that is mixed with mountain snowmelt from Mammoth Creek. The result is mineral-rich water with stable year-round water temperatures that is ideal for trout.
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