Internees also liked to fish Shepherd and George creeks where they connected with the Los Angeles Aqueduct just to the east of Hwy 395. These two very productive areas were very good for Rainbows and Browns.

The ultimate prize for the Manzanar fishermen were the Golden trout of the alpine lakes beyond Mt. Williamson, the 14,375' peak almost due west of the camp. The lakes were reached by following Shepherd creek west past where it connects with Williamson creek and then on to Shepherd pass. The pass would skirt Williamson (the second-tallest peak in California and about 100' shorter than nearby Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in both the state and the Lower 48) and ascend to an elevation of 12,000' before neading northwest to the lakes of Diamond Mesa, an area also known as the Kern drainage. Above the treeline, the alpine lakes were forbidding and frigid, but that was where the Goldens were to be found.

This was the route it is believed the mysterious Heihachi Ishikawa went to get his Golden trout. His treks, always alone, often lasted as long as two weeks.