Interesting day yesterday for sure. If I had been targeting any little trout, I could have and should have rated the lake a 7 or 8. I must have had a hundred hits from those little 10" rainbows. LOL I dropped into the little bay on the North West end, just up from the launch, and just tossed spinners at them for a while. The little dudes were too small for the spinner most of the time and just picked at the tail. You would watch the school right to the boat.
I was targeting the large bows and browns, and that is why I gave it a 3. Probably should have given it a 2, but the little bows made the difference.
I suggest trolling from the surface to 20 feet deep, using small lures or wedding rings, but expect mostly small fish. I did spot fish down to 40', but they seemed to be pretty much turned off - NO JOY with them. There seems to be more small trout in Rock then I have ever seen this time of year. Now, for the bigger bows and browns, I suggest waiting until the fall - when the fish have grown up a little. I did catch three 20 inchers, but I had to work my back off to do it.
The water level is down to early summer level. It is not impossible to launch a larger boat, but if you don't know the launch, it would not be easy either. The water temperatures were only 49 at the surface at 7:00 am, up to 59 by late in the day near the inlet, but only 55 near the outlet at 5:00 PM. In most areas, the water clarity is 10+, which is probably why it is so hard to get the larger fish right now.
One side note: People have asked me over and over for the locations of the hazards on Rock Lake. We don't seem to be able to attach maps or pics on our PMs, so I cannot really help you. Still, right now you can help yourself. With the water down and the clarity sooooo good, take your boat out and slowly motor the shore around the lake. You will find areas where it is so safe you wonder why we warn you, then you will be surprised as you hit a rock. LOL I know that lake inside and out and almost did that myself yesterday. I have a new mark on my map where the water goes from a shocking new depth I discovered of 512 feet to a shelf that was only 2 feet under the water. Ooooops!
Have fun but be careful out there.