Fish'n Conditions - Updated 7/13/10

Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters.  Hope you are well and getting a few opportunities to come fish the Eastern Sierra this summer. 

As expected, the run-off continues and appears to be peaking at this time.  Thunderstorm activity in the upper elevations could increase flows dramatically in the freestone creeks instantly, but until now there have not been any “frog chokers” in this region.  It looks like a mild monsoon pattern developing for the mid summer and this would be a good thing as the snow fields would dissipate at a more gradual rate.  Look for a more stable or decreasing flow trend in August for the majority of streams and rivers. 

Alpine lakes are in great shape and will fish well through the fall.  The backcountry regions and high elevation passes are opening late this season and the crossings over larger streams and drainages are tough.  There is currently a bunch of snow in upper passes and basins.  Check with local packers and the NFS before venturing in at all upper elevation trailheads. 

Hot Creek:  Just dandy! 

Mikey O. fooled this one & others on a Caddis Dry! while fishing with SD Guide T-Loe...

What truly amazes me is how this fishery gets taken to the wood shed and beaten like an ugly step child on a daily basis, yet continues to provide excellent fishing.  There is a bunch of eager fish in Hot Creek and if you can make a decent presentation during the multiple hatches that occur this time of year, you will go bendo. 

The morning caddis and PMD emergences are special right now and you can pretty much fish dries or adults by 8 am.  If the sun is bright or you have some fish with a negative attitude towards being hooked try hanging a dropper or short tied emerger using caddis or midge pupa. #18-22 work fine.  Rig your leaders @ 9-11 feet, 5X and 6X tippets. 

The flows are close to ideal and the fish are nicely spread out over the entire habitat.  You may find larger concentrations in the deeper pools, but more aggressive feeding in the riffle water, and tailouts.   There are good numbers of  less touched  fish holding in the faster pocket water and soft sections on the north side (opposite bank from the main trail) of the crick.  Fishing these spots requires technical presentations and accurate casts utilizing reach, pile, and stack mends.  You will also find fish holding along the softer water on the near side right along the banks edge.  Use an upstream approach with mends towards the opposite bank to keep your fly line off the flies drift track. 

Ian C. spanked this wily brown on a small mayfly emerger fished below a dropper while fishing with T-Loe...

Bud and Max Schmitz at Hot Creek with guide extraordinaire Fill Therrien

Bridgeport Reservoir:  Yup. 

Robby O... first fish ever caught on a fly was this gorgeous Bridge Brown...

Conditions are excellent and we are hooking trophy sized fish every guide trip!  The icing on the cake is the quality browns showing up in 10 feet or less.  No algae, the weed lines are easy to read and meter, and the bite is steady & consistent most days especially when you get any texture to the surface.  The average fish here is smaller than Crowley and you will see some planted rainbows in the mix, but overall it is a fun a beautiful place to fish. 

The goofy thing here is the lack of chironomids.  I am seeing more callibaetis, dragon, crane, & damsel flies than the large still water midges.  Knowing this - be armed with PT’s, Killa baetis, and damsel fly nymphs for still water nymphing.  On the high pressure days you will see plenty of smaller midges so I suggest you hang a broken back, or midge larva/emerger #16-20 as your dropper below the PT, baetis, etc…The key here is to keep your flies on the mud, not in the weeds.  Fish are spread out in 5-12 feet. 

The streamer fishing is also excellent using damsel and dragon fly nymph imitations.  Get your fly down 5-8 feet and you will get bit along the weed lines in Buckeye Bay and the Walker Channel.  There are also good reports near the launch ramp and Rainbow Pt. areas with far less issues with the weed beds. 

Get the hot scoop from Jeffery at the Bridgeport Marina alias, “sheep-is erectus”, or the “sheep whisperer” and he will set you up with the best flies and can help you out with all of your fishing needs here.

A Big Bridge Bow for Alex S...

Fat Brown on the Fly for Scott S...

Ken A. with his Trophy Brownie to go with big numbers...

Crowley Lake: Ripening

Cameron Smoller age 14 caught this 21 inch Brown Trout on Crowley Lake guided by The Fabulous Phil. It took him 25 minutes to bring it in and lots of encouragement!

Fishing was consistently pretty good for most of June but when the water levels began rising rapidly towards the end of the month we saw a significant decrease in the chironomid hatch, and an explosion of weed growth out to 17 feet in the most productive areas like Sandy Pt, McGee Bay, the Hiltons, Green Banks, and Six Bays.  Consequently, a significant reduction in the catching department.  If you don’t mind still water nymphing in 15-18 feet you can still get bit using chironomid patterns.  We have found that it is not always necessary to get your lower flies down on the mud at depths over 13 feet.  Many times you will get grabs at the 11-13 foot range even while fishing 18 feet.  This will be the case when the fish are focusing on pupa instead of larva.  The surface algae is becoming an issue in some locations depending on wind direction, but remains below average for this time of year.

Crowley’s numbers should improve for fly fishers when the fish begin migrating to the cooler more oxygenated waters near the inlets.  Things are a few weeks late all over the Sierra this season.  You will then find them in the creek channels and along the weed free flats near the shoreline.  The Sacramento Perch fry will begin to play a major role for the trout’s diet in August.  Near the inlets there are callibaetis mayflies; damsel & dragon fly nymphs swimming along the weed lines.  I have good reports of trophy sized fish around Green Banks slamming damsel nymph patterns fished in 17-20 feet of water using full sinks.  Numbers are low but the fish are all quality.  The chucker’s and ducker’s are fairing better than the heaver’s and leaver’s.

Steve S. with Fill on Crowley...

East Walker River:

Flows are what we expected with all the snow this season and are over 400cfs at this time.  The water clarity remains good and this is a great time to hone your heavy nymphing skills.  The EW can have some great dry fly action with high water.  Many of the large shallow runs that do not hold fish during lower releases will now harbor good numbers of fish that feed on the abundant caddis and mayfly hatches this time of year.  With the higher flows the fish spread out more. Although you may have some difficulties wading into normally accessible areas, opportunities in other sections will present themselves.

I suggest tungsten beads on your nymphs.  They do a better job in getting down under these flows while “Under-Cator” nymphing.

Jim G. with a gorgeous Brown while Fishing the EW with Two-Bug Doug...

Lower Owens River:

The lower (downstream of the Bishop Creek confluence) drift boat sections are blown out due to high flows.  The only good thing to do in this area currently is get a truck tire inner tube, a six pack of barley pops, and take a float to cool off!  Look for excellent conditions this fall beginning in mid September. 

Wading the upper sections @ 450cfs is not too fun.  The late afternoons and very early mornings when it is cooler can still provide some good opportunities to fish in the larger accessible pools and runs.  Caddis & PMD’s #16-18-both nymphs and dries. 

The banks are undermined and can be unstable.  I suggest you examine the edge before you posture yourself along the bank in a precarious position. 

Upper Owens:

Clarity is ok, lots of weed below the confluence of HC.  Good numbers of smaller wild fish in the upper sections.  Dry dropper rigs using a Stimulator as the upper and a midge or mayfly nymph as the dropper.  I like flashback PT’s in particular this time of year #16-20.  The campground region is being planted and if you can get a streamer pattern to fish clean, the stockers whack them good down here using the “dip & strip” with a light sinking tip line.

West Walker:

Still too high for working the canyon, fish the meadows by the Marine Base or the Chris Flat area.  The WW slows down in these sections and has much less turbidity.  Streamers, dry dropper bead head rigs with a copper or dark tiger midge work well.

Freestone Creeks:  Rock Creek, Rush Creek, McGee Creek, Lee Vining Creek, Bishop Creek, Robinson Creek…etc

All of them are running high but are getting planted around the campgrounds at least every other week.  Clarity is good in most, but you need to concentrate on the softer water and slower runs.  The spawners are out of McGee & Hilton proper; however a few fish are beginning to show at the mouths of these inlets.

Alpine Lakes:  Mammoth Lakes Basin, June Lake Loop, South lake, Virginia Lakes, Twin Lakes…etc

When it gets hot in the valleys these locations are great places to go kick around in a tube and fish streamers.  Conditions are good in all the drive to spots after a prolonged cold snap earlier this summer.  Full sinks or heavy sink tips will get you down to that 10 foot depth along the drop-offs.  Spruce-A-Bu’s & Loebergs work well for the stockers in these areas.

San Joaquin River:

Ripping.  August will display better conditions. Reports have Sotcher & Starkweather lakes fishing poorly, and only the very slowest sections of water on the river are providing opportunities on the SJ.

Adobe Pond:

Due to the cooler period earlier this summer Dobe is fishing well for this time of year.  If the T-storms are not developing we are doing sundown sessions out here for the remainder of summer.  Lots of sight fishing and dry dropper presentations for the beautiful wild browns that are plentiful in this private fishery.  Please click on the Adobe Ranch tab above for more information.

Eagle Lake: Incredible as always!

Click below to view our New Eagle Lake Spring 2010 Video :     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXazNKbYqpQ

Fall Trips booking now... 9/21/10 ~ 10/14/10

Talk about Beauties... I mean the fish you guys... The McMaster girls had back to back doubles at Eagle...

Doug Errr and I are back from the tremendous spring trip and are already eager to return this fall.  We will put out hard booking dates as well as a video to promote the fall trip soon.  Looks like mid-late Sept through most of October.  Doug Err and I agree that a rare slow day on Eagle is a great day on most lakes!

As of mid July the fish are still on the chew in the south end of the lake according to SD client and Eagle still water expert Phil Oliver. There are also concentrations in the deeper sections near Pelican Pt.  Set up on the rocky points, or steep drop-offs in 10-14 feet.  Fish deeper as the sun gets higher, or if it is glassy with no cloud cover.  Water clarity is eroding quite a bit as the lake is in turnover.  Goddard caddis and midges are the best patterns with some lingering callibaetis and increasing damsel fly nymph activity.  Drifter’s Agent Orange, blood sucking Vanderleech, and punk perch patterns are banging them right now.  The broken back midges are also hot as a lower fly when the chironomids come off.  I suggest you start out with Agent Oranges in the am, move to flashback Pt’s or BB’s and midges in the late morns/afternoons.  The Eagle Lake RV Park has all my time tested guide patterns developed for Eagle and the Under-Cator strike indicator in stock. There is also a good selection of larger trolling flies that imitate the Tui-Chubs @ Eagle and have been used with good success by famous Eagle Lake guides Ronnie Beck and Timmy Noxon.  Tell the friendly cover girls that work there I said howdy!

New Hampshire Jackson and his trophy Broom Tailed Eagle Rainbow caught and released in late June 2010

Online fly sales request New Lower Prices for 2010. And new for 2010…the broken back “Black and Blue Midge” #18 and the broken back Dark Zebra Midge #18.  These smaller sized versions of our time tested and deadly broken back #16 patterns are a must for still waters as well as moving waters that hold trophy trout.  The new colors give you additional options for the ever changing water and light conditions. Click on the Online Fly Sales Request Tab at the top of this page.

SD “Two Bug Doug’s” Under-Cator (patents pending) is currently available online, the shops listed below and to wholesalers. 

Two Bug’s vision has led us to come up with the ultimate strike indicator/bobber.  It is now available online, and in stores February of 2010.  This versatile strike indicator comes in two popular sizes and can be used by fly fishers or spin casters.  It is high riding and easy to see - never needs floatant or drying, adjusts quickly and easily without slipping, and casts beautiful. Unlike others it needs NO tools or torque wrenches to install on leaders or lines from 25lb.-7X.  It won’t slip, kink, or damage your line like others.  A user friendly custom thumb screw (patents pending) locks the Under-Cator onto your leader or line securely and easily!  

This strike indicator/bobber has gone through extensive guide testing and trials on both still waters and rivers for over a year. It is the most innovative and versatile of its kind available. 

"I was fishing with a club member that said he hated nymphing until he tried your new indicator this weekend. He fish’s a lot and said it opened a whole new world to him because it was so easy to use and felt good when casting. Thanks, Mike"

"Thanks for getting my new indicators so fast - well in time for our Kern River Fly Fishers Lower Owens outing Jan 29-31! The dry fly action Friday (overcast) was epic and I landed dozens of browns on #20 Griffiths gnat, #22 para adams to +15".  I have to say your undercator is the best indicator I have ever used. I set quickly and often and other indicators always slide on my tippet and/or leader. It gets frustrating when you are constantly readjusting the indicator. I never had to readjust your undercator the whole weekend while I was nymphing. I'm very impressed.  Great product. Rich"

The 2010 Sierra Drifters Flies are available at the following great fly shops and stores now: The Bridgeport Reservoir RV Park & Marina, The Crowley Lake General Store in Crowley, The Crowley Lake Fish Camp, Bob Marriott’s Flyfishing Store in Fullerton, Eagle Lake RV Park at Eagle Lake, Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes, Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks, The Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys, Stroud’s Tackle and the So Cal Fly Shop in San Diego. There are links to these locations at the resources tab above.

Thank you for taking the time to read our report. 

Be the fly friends…

Tom Loe, Doug-R, Fill and Two Bug Doug

Sierra Drifters Guide Service    

and Michele Loe, Sales Associate Prestige Properties of Mammoth Michele@MammothLakes.com

Eastern Sierra Real Estate…. http://www.mammothrealestateonline.com/Nav.aspx/Page=/About/Default.aspx