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Fish Report

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Doug-Err, T-Loe, Two Bug, Fill

We have experienced drift boat guides available who can put you on some of the finest trout water the state has to offer. Let's go "catching" together!

 

 

Sierra Drifters advocates "fishing for fun" catch & release!

The Sierra Drifters Guide Team will be at the ready to assist you for any of your guiding needs in the Eastern Sierra while T Loe is away from his home waters.

Sierra Drifters Flies & Sungicators are only available at the following great fly shops and stores (don’t be fooled by any of the imitations out there!): Crowley Lake Fish Camp & The Crowley Lake General Store in Crowley, Bridgeport Marina at Bridgeport Reservoir, Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes, Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks, Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, The San Diego Fly Shop in San Diego,  The Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys, Bob Marriott’s in Fullerton, Buz's Fly Shop Too in Bakersfield, & Crosby Lodge at Pyramid Lake, Nevada.  There are links to these locations at the resources tab above. We pride our Guide Service & Products on Innovation not Imitation! 

May 9, 2008

Upper Owens: Very Good 

Flows are running at 64 cfs and 79 cfs below the Hot Creek confluence. The fish are schooling up in the deeper pools and runs and some bigger fish have been spotted along the river. Some fish are holding in the riffles throughout the day making sight fishing with nymphs and dries possible. #18 Flashback Hare's Ears, Pheasant tails, and midges in Tiger, Zebra, and Gillies are all getting fish. Try #16-18 Elk Hair Caddis and #20-22 Parachute Adams for dry flies. Ray Sebastian (pics below) opted to challenge the high winds on 5/7/08 and managed to nymph up some nice 'bows and browns here recently.

Doug Rodricks

May 6, 2008

Crowley Lake: Sandy Point has been the most consistent for numbers of fish. #16 Tiger Midges 6" - 2 feet off the bottom in 10-12' of water have been producing. The larger fish are still staying down deeper, but occasionally are in the mix when the wind comes up. but Concentrate on Green Banks, Layton Springs, Whiskey Creek, Crooked Creek, and Big and Little Hilton. Pulling streamers with a sinking line has also been producing fish. Picture taken 5/5/08 is of Steve Clark's rainbow from Layton Springs.

Peter Zeman from Thousand Oaks on Crowley May 6th...

Doug Rodricks

Various shapes and sizes and perch are bitn’ too. Green banks, Sandy point best so far. Fill

Lower Owens Drift Boat Trips... The flows have now been increased to 553 cfs as of this writing... probably going to need to wait until fall now for drift trips! There is a link above to the LADWP river flows.

Bridgeport Reservoir survived the opening weekend... Most everyone caught fish and the weather was great!!! The water level is a bit low but that should fix itself soon with warm temps on the horizon... Fish are scattered throughout the lake. Water temps are still cold,(47 to 53 degrees on the surface) so fish are seeking wherever it is warm....Maybe towards the surface. Was good to see all you Fly Fisher folks on tubes and pontoons .....Action was fair to good for still water nymphing (midges) and those with sink lines and streamers.....The midging should go off this year with the abundance of snowmelt higher up.... The Brown Trout that Paradise Shores planted last fall are looking very healthy...A huge thanks to Eric and Michelle!!!!!!.....On that note maybe we should all CONSIDER RELEASING those beautiful Brown Trout SO they WILL GROW EVEN BIGGER!!!!!!  Jeff Wenger - Manager

April 24, 2008

Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to all for this pre-season opener report from the high country. I’m filling in for the mighty Tom Loe once again while he is staying busy putting clients on the legendary Lahontan Cutthroat of Pyramid Lake.

Lots of wind and cooler temperatures have arrived in the Eastern Sierra the last few days. The latest cold front which moved through the region dropped half an inch of snow on the higher elevations. Look for temperatures to steadily increase and winds to die down as the weekend approaches. You can expect temperatures to be in the low 20’s at sunrise Saturday morning on Crowley with highs reaching the mid to low 60’s. We are predicting a banner opener on Crowley as DFG and Alpers have put many a large fish in the lake recently. Crowley lake is known for its quality trout and you can look forward to a higher than normal catch rate on larger trout this year.


Crowley Lake, ready for the opener

Many of you have probably heard about the invasive Quagga/Zebra Mussel issue here in the Eastern Sierra. The LADWP and the Crowley Lake Fish Camp are working together to prevent the spread of these mussels into the lake. Mandatory boat, kayak, and canoe inspections will be implemented for boats entering Crowley Lake. Please allow from 20 minutes to one hour for boat inspections depending on the size and condition of your vessel. Please be patient with this process, as this will benefit us all in the long run.  All boats must be clean and dry (no standing water) including dock and anchor lines, no debris present on trailers or boats, and all drain plugs pulled. A clean boat will expedite the process, but you must make sure there is no water present, or your boat will not be allowed to launch.


LADWP  lock tag on a boat trailer


Quagga Mussels next to a Drifters Sungicator

Boats can be inspected ahead of time Monday-Friday at the LADWP office at 300 Mandich St. in Bishop from 8:00am-3:00pm. Boats can be inspected after 3:00pm by appointment. Call (760)873-0409. April 24 and 25 boats can be inspected in the VONS/KMART parking lot from 7:00am-7:00pm in Bishop at the corner of Main St. and Highway 6. Boats may also be inspected starting April 23 at Crowley Lake’s South Landing from 8:00am-5:00pm, and April 24 through the duration of the fishing season from 7:00am-7:00pm. Once your boat has cleared inspection, you will be issued an inspection certificate that must be displayed on the dashboard of your vehicle at all times while on the lake property.  A tamper proof wire lock tag will be attached between the winch hook of your trailer and the boat to allow for access in and out of the South Landing gate at Crowley if you are planning on moving your boat off the property. More info on this is available at www.ladwp.com/mussels

Upper Owens River: Very Good

Some bigger fish have moved up in this area recently and the river bank has been completely free of snow for some time now. Remember to check your regulations from the Benton Bridge downstream to Crowley Lake, as not all of the river will be open on April 26. The section from the fishing monument upstream to the Benton Crossing Bridge will open to fishing on May 24 and close on September 30. You may fish from the monument downstream to Crowley  during the regular season. Pheasant tails, hare’s ears, midges, and bird’s nests are a good choice for nymphs here in #18-20. Streamers are still effective in the deeper runs, and go with #16 Stimulators and #18-22 Parachute Adams, Midge Clusters, Elk Caddis, and BWO’s for dry flies.

East Walker River: Good-Excellent

Flows are currently holding at 55cfs as of report time. Fishing has been mixed here, some days were seeing decent fishing and others were not so good. Recently the water temps have warmed up some below the dam and the fish have definitely responded. #18 Pheasant tails and Zebra midges, San Juan Worms, Caddis Pupas, and Serendipities are your go to flies. Chuck Robertson and Alison Johnson had so much fun fishing the Lower Owens , they decided to wade the East Walker the next day. Alison managed to fish her way to about 14 fish with most being browns and one being a rainbow. These were all quality fish with the smallest being  15” and two in the 20”+ range.  I’ve haven’t seen too many people that can make 3 consecutive casts and hook a fish on each of them. This girl can fish!  As the warmer weather approaches, look for the fishing to improve greatly.


Alison Johnson with a nice East Walker Brown


Alison Johnson and  Sierra Drifters guide Doug Rodricks with another big East Walker brownie


Alison Johnson and  Sierra Drifters guide Doug Rodricks with E Walker rainbow

Pleasant Valley Reservoir: Good

Air temps have been a lot warmer down this way. Fish the inlet section which flows into the Reservoir with streamers and nymphs for some grabs. Float tubing with a full sink line and a variety of streamer patterns will get you into fish. Concentrate your efforts near the boat ramp area and you should do well here. The Wild Trout Section has also been fishing well lately. Nymphing has been producing fish as well and dry flies are getting  fish when they are on the surface. The gorge is also a good option as this is a great time of year to get fish on dry flies. Good presentations are important to fool the wild fish down here.


Twin Lakes, Mammoth - April 2008

Mammoth Lakes, June Loop, Bridgeport:

The upper elevation lakes in the Mammoth area are still frozen, with some thawing around the edges occurring at the Twin Lakes. Convict Lake is in prime shape for the opener and should fish well. All of the lakes in the June Loop area are free of ice and will be open. We had some late ice on them which was blown off by the winds within the last week. Bridgeport Reservoir and Upper and Lower Twin Lakes are also completely clear and looking good. Good luck to all this 2008 season and tight lines!

-Doug Rodricks

Contact us at: (760) 935-4250 or email us at:  be-the-fly@sierradrifters.com

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