A closer
look: Crowley Lake
If you set out
to make a proto-type habitat for trout to thrive, Crowley Lake would be
the result.
Crowley is at an ideal altitude: 6,800'.
It is a man made reservoir formed by the damming of the Owens
River Gorge. It stays cool
enough in the summer, yet does not go into a deep freeze during winter
months. The lake has an ideal ph, on the alkaline side.
This is essential for aquatic insects, the base of the food chain
for the fish that inhabit the lake.
Crowley has numerous spring creeks that continually bring in
oxygen and nutrients... the Upper Owens River, McGee Creeks, Convict
Creek, Hilton Creeks and Crooked Creek.
Not only do they provide the above, they also provide spawning
habitat for wild fish, something that most Eastern Sierra Lakes do not
possess. The Eastern Sierra
has no native trout other than the Little Kern Golden; wild fish exist
in Crowley, in good numbers. These
are fish that have propagated in the system.
The
introduction of Sacramento perch into the lake has also been a benefit
to the larger trout. These
fish spawn late spring early summer and the fry are numerous in the lake
by fall. This is an ideal
scenario for the aggressive feeding that takes place in the fall months.
Massive amounts of protein from the feeding of perch fry help to
build up body weight for the long winter.
The most
important reason Crowley remains a solid fishery is the implementation
of the restricted gear season. This
takes place August 1st. and continues until the closing October 31st. Fishing with organic baits is no longer permitted, the limit
is reduced to only 2 fish over 18", and only barbless artificial
lures or flies may be used.
The California
Department of Fish and Game stocks or plants if you will, as many as
500,000 rainbow and brown trout during late summer and fall. Most of these fish are between 3"-10".
These fish will grow at a tremendous rate and be catchable by the
following season. Growth rates can be as high as 4"-8"/year.
Eliminating bait fishing and putting a size restriction insures
these fish will reach maturity in good numbers.
Several types
of rainbows are co-habituating in Crowley, and this provides good
activity throughout the entire season.
Eagle Lake, Kamloops, and Coleman strains of rainbows fill
various niches in the lakes system.
Von Behr, and Lock Laven strains of brown trout also exist and
reproduce in good numbers.
The lake also
has a unique weather characteristic.
During the long warm days of summer, a diurnal easterly wind will
set in around mid-day and push the water from the dam or deep end of the
lake towards the shallow or west end of Crowley.
This keeps cooler water flushing and circulating continuously
during the warmer summer periods. Most
shallow water Lakes and Reservoirs do not get this type of natural
dynamics and suffer greatly. Many
fish will leave the flats in other less fortunate lakes and head for
deep water where only trolling is effective.
This condition allows Crowley’s fish to remain on the flats,
actively feeding and easy to reach with conventional gear.
The confluence of the majority of the springs that feed Crowley
are also located on the western ends of the lake and provide oxygen and
nutrients for the fish and aquatic insects.
The key to
Crowley Lake's unsurpassed trout growth rate is its fantastic chironomid
population. These are still
water midges. Crowley's
trout forage on these year round. Learn
how to present and imitate the chironomids here and you will live long
and prosper!
Crowley Lake
is located off Hwy.395, 25 miles north of Bishop, Ca.
Take the Crowley Lake/Hilton Creek off ramp and you will find an
information/toll booth. Access
to the lake is easiest here. There
is a parking fee and boat rentals/tackle store are available if you
wish. Detailed maps of the
lake are available at the Fish Camp Store.
There are also
many areas you can access around the lake via a multitude of dirt roads.
I suggest stopping by a local tackle store or getting a guide or
friend who has local knowledge of these roads before your trip.
Float tubing
is very popular here, but you must keep an eye on the strong winds,
which come up suddenly and without warning!
Be careful, wear a Personal floatation device at all times if you
tube this lake. The
mudflats around the lakes border can be treacherous, exercise caution
when transiting or driving along the shoreline.
This is the
premier fishery for trout in the Eastern Sierra in my opinion.
It is one place you must fish when visiting this area.
