Hell Hole Reservoir
Location & Setting: Hell is harder to get to than many of us realized, and who knew the water was so ice-cold? Considering the facts about Hell Hole Reservoir, that’s the bad news. Except for the little detail recognizing the threat of strong afternoon winds storming up the lake’s narrow, glorified-canal persona, the rest is all good. Unfortunately, we’re talking about breezes stiff tough enough to strand small boats and preventing them from returning to the boat ramp or camp. Still, some would consider Hell Hole heaven.
Hell Hole is close to nothing and seemingly an endless drive from anywhere.
Except by rock- eating 4WD vehicles or adventuresome hikers, little is accessible other than by boat.
DESCRIPTION:
Looking up lake across the bow of Steamboat Mountain, the backdrop is tiny Granite Chief Wilderness and the humongous summit of the Sierra Nevada. Few, if any, recreationists visit the area above the lake; that is, until you top the crest and plunge into Lake Tahoe and bump into hundreds of thousands of people. Hell Hole is close to nothing and seemingly an endless drive from anywhere. The lower lake is not untypical of the Sierras; the upper lake is worth the journey to hell and back.
Tenacious trees hang to the weathered, granitic slopes and soften the stark reality of the canyon. Hiking the Hell Hole Trail along the south side or creeping over the 4WD road on the north and recreationists quickly learn the hard reality.
At a mid-Sierran elevation of 4700 feet, the lake sits astride the Rubicon River that only a few miles upriver has drained the heart of the Desolation Wilderness. The river peaks out just below 10,000-foot elevations, then slices a little-seen canyon through the backcountry above Loon Lake; there’s no access over thousands of acres except a hiking trail and the famed Rubicon 4WD Trail. The water is dammed cold.
Low silt runoff through the granitic gardens and pristine stands of forest carries few nutrients into the reservoir. Clear water breeds spooky fish. The nearly wild, cold-hardened fish are hardy, the anglers equally so.
Fishery:
The reservoir stretches over a hellish 1300 acres and 12 miles of shoreline. Except by rock-eating 4WD vehicles or adventuresome hikers, little is accessible other than by boat. Once you leave the dam area and the boat launch, few spots along the steep shorelines make attractive locations for grounding a boat and camping. Trolling for brown trout and Mackinaws becomes the smartest option. Kokanee salmon are also good bets—if you can catch the ones that have grown past prey-base, snack sizes for the hefty brownies and Macs. Still, there’s sufficient kokanee fishery to provide reliable enough action to count on a fresh-fish dinner back at camp.
In 2005, a good representative year, the CDF&G stocked 2000 pounds of catchable brown trout and 25,000 fingerling kokanne. In prior years, they also dumped in enough fingerling rainbows to bulk up the prey base.
Both browns and Macs can total up to 10 pounds each while 5-8 pounders are commonplace; Macs approaching 20 pounds have been caught here.
Facilities:
All boating activities are permitted; however, long, often crooked, sometimes narrow access roads and cold waters curb usual boating use to smallish fishing boats and smaller kayaks or canoes. The winds howling up the gut of the lake will sometimes limit those craft as being too small. The relatively seclusion of the upper lake is guarded by a narrow cleft through the canyon, and when the lake is drawn down, getting through is equally challenging.
Yet, in the upper lake the rocky shorelines become level enough for camping, and shoreline fishing can be rewarding. A rugged, rocky 4WD route provides access on the upper, northern shoreline. Some 4-wheelers will even bring in car top boats. Sited on several, rocky tiers above the southern shore, the Upper Hells Hole Boat-in Campground offers up to 15 seldom-used units, including time-worn fire grates, tables, and pit toilets. A hiking trail also provides access.
The Hell Hole Trail finds it way over and under numerous rock outcrops to the boat-in campground. See Locations>Trails>Hell Hole Reservoir Trail.
Camping on the lower end of the lake is a driving proposition and much more civilized. Hell Hole Campground provides 10 walk-in tent-sites-only units. The carry-ins are only a few-hundred feet, and this is the only camping area near the lake. Big Meadow Campground lies a quick couple of miles by road on the ridge above the lake. With 54 units, including trailer and RV spurs, and even a flush toilet, this is your classical FS campground. Middle Meadows Group Campground on the South Fork of Long Canyon is five or so miles west of the lake. Two group units are suitable for 25 or 50 people maximum.
A paved boat ramp sits on the west end of the lake above the dam. The location provides picnic tables and a vault toilet.
Fishing Hints:
Trolling is by default the most successful way to fish this reservoir. The often more supper-reliable kokanee are usually trolled at depths of 30 to 50 feet. Use downriggers weighted and matched to the boat size to get fishing lures or bait down to a specific depth a hundred, or so feet back, and keep it there. A sling blade dodger and lures such as the Koke-A-Nut make a popular combination for catching kokanee.
Find a school of kokanee and chances are you’ll find brown trout and mackinaws lurking just below. They like to keep the meals handy for a quick rise to pick off a meal. Drop a lure below the kokes, such as a J-plug for the macs and Rapalas for brownies. Apex and Flatfish also work well. Color selections should match kokanee or rainbow baitfish.
If every lure you have in your box doesn’t seem to be doing the trick, drop baited hooks such as good ol’ night crawlers, to the depth of the thermocline.
This is not to dissuade bank anglers from trying your art. The problem is the lack of accessible shoreline and the general need to fish deep. Fall and spring when the waters are cooler and fish are nearer shore, bank fishing can be more profitable. Unless, you just toss a worm and a bobber out, kick back, sip a thermos of the proper refreshment, and enjoy the scenery.
See general hints under Activity>Fishing.
DIRECTIONS:
To Hell Hole Reservoir
The lake lies about 69 miles east of Auburn. From there, follow Highway 49 to Cool and then at downtown Cool’s only strop light, turn east up Highway 193. From Highway 193 in Georgetown, turn east on Main Street into the heart of town. Continue through town where Main becomes Wentworth Springs Road (FS#1). Follow the paved road for about 25 miles and turn left (north) onto the paved Eleven Pines Road (FS#2). The well-signed intersection indicates this is the road to Hell Hole. Drive northeast for another 23 miles to the lake.
Shortly after it goes past the boat ramp, the road is gated just before the dam. This is where hikers park. Hell Hole Campground sits along the lake about a mile before the boat launch, and the Big Meadows Campground sits on the left side of the road about three miles before the boat ramp.
ACTIVITIES:
Fishing (Rating: Best)
Rainbow, brown, cutthroat, Kamloop Junction rainbows and Kokanee are here.
Boating - Motorized (Rating: Good)
All craft allowed, but afternoon winds often make boating hazardous. Gravel boat ramp. Boat ramp near dam on west side. Large parking area and overnight parking and camping allowed. Best for trailers/RVs. Best in late spring to mid-summer due to draw down.
Flat-water paddling often good as the number of powerboats is small and a boat access campground on the upper end is a perfect long paddle -- when the winds aren’t up and especially if you’re not returning into the headwinds.
