April 1, 2007
This report brought to you by yours truly; Fill Therrien. I’m filling in for the beloved and handsome
(after all he’s responsible the number of bookings I receive) Thomas Loe
as he is busy at the moment catching LARGE and beautiful fish on Pyramid
Lake. Tom doesn’t throw the word “epic” around much, but epic indeed is
how he describes the action. See below for pictures and a full report on
his adventure will come later!
EAST WALKER RIVER…
The flow of the E. W. at this time is 90 cfs (cubic feet per second).
It can fluctuate from 80 cfs to 140 cfs depending on irrigation needs. You
should see some baetis, midges, and some stone flies coming off but it
seems nymphing will be your best bet. The East Walker is one of the better
spots in the area to fish currently (no pun intended). Should be worth the
drive, a drive I might add, that is quite scenic.
HOT CREEK… I’m
hearing good reports from Hot Creek. Flow is low, 10 cfs but it usually
doesn’t get much higher than 22 cfs at any given time unless spring run
off a factor. Fishing baetis and caddis dries around noon should result in
some fish faces getting pulled on.
UPPER OWENS…
Still not seeing numbers of fish here and the fish you will catch are hard
earned indeed. I’d explore other options (see above and below) at this
time. Stay tuned on this area as the weather warms.
PLEASANT VALLEY
RESERVOIR…. Flow from the power station holding at 109 cfs.
This can change when work on previously mentioned power plant is complete.
Hard to pin the DWP fellows down on when this flow will increase.
Reservoir itself should have some fish left over from recent Blake Jones
Derby making it a good place to tug a streamer from your tube. I’d suggest
the inlet and the “boat ramp” area (about mid way into the reservoir). It
does require a bit of a walk and we usually strap our tubes on our backs
and ride a bike in to shorten the journey.
LOWER OWENS…
Two Bug Dug recently took clients to the wild trout section with moderate
success so he decided to try the area at the bridge on Five Bridges Rd. In
a word, better. The caddis and BWO’s have been coming off fairly
consistently here with some stone flies showing as well. Depending on the
wind and the weather you should start seeing them around noon to as late
as 3-4pm. Use emergers and adult versions of caddis and baetis for best
results. How ‘bout a “double meal deal” consisting of an adult dry fly and
an emerger dropper and let the fish make the decision?
LOWER OWENS DRIFT
SECTIONS… When conditions are good with a rising barometer,
warm weather, reliable hatches, and favorable water temps the fish here
are responding accordingly. When a change in one or more of the above
happens the fish to become less cooperative. This being said, when the
baetis and the caddis hatches come off the dry fly fishing turns on!
Complementing the dip and strip nicely. Check out the fine specimen
Harold Green from Norco caught on a recent trip with his buddy, Mark
Harpin. Jim Frankian from Burbank nailed a nice fish with his friend Rich
Garcia too. Check out the pics... Need a break…Dr. Fill prescribes a
drift boat adventure down the Lower Owens!
Harold
Green from Norco
Jim
Frankian from Burbank
GUIDE TIP… A
frequently asked question on my trips is “Where do I go to eat in Bishop?”
Being a bachelor, and dining out often, I have some suggestions for you.
They are as follows…
Whiskey Creek, 524 N. Main St… All around the best
place in town. Varied menu that should have something for everyone in your
group. If you happen to be in Bishop on a weekday try and get to the bar
for their happy hour. From 5pm-6pm, weekdays, everything on the bar menu ½
price. I highly recommend the flat iron steak. You can get a beautiful
steak, mashed potatoes, and asparagus for around 9 bucks. A great deal!
Has big screen TV for your viewing pleasure as well.
Yamatani Japanese Restaurant 635 N. Main St.… If
you like sushi, this is your place. The owner has moved from Mammoth and
set up shop here in Bishop. Excellent sushi as well as tempura style
meals. Ask Robbie for some “off the menu” specialties. Has nice bar for
any “medication” you may desire.
La Casita, 175 S. Main… Mexican food the way I
like it, plenty of food at a reasonable price! For the hearty appetite my
suggestion is the big as your head, Super Burrito! On a plate the size of
a manhole cover comes a flour tortilla stuffed with all you desire. Trust
me on this, they don’t use the word “super” loosely. Tom is the only
person I have seen finish one! Also has a cozy bar. Go in, sit down, and
listen to the locals solve the world’s problems or watch the current
sporting event on one of their televisions.
The Back Alley, 649 N. Main St.… Located behind
Yamatani Restaurant lies the best kept secret in Bishop. Yes, Bishop has a
bowling alley and it is the home of the best hamburger in town. If you are
in the mood for a mouth watering burger, this is the place. Believe!
May I pass on a little known fact? All calories
consumed on a fishing trip DO NOT count and may even contribute to weight
loss! Eat hearty!
Hope to see you on the
water sometime!
Fill
Thanks to “Fill” for providing an informative fish
report. Flattery will get you EVERYWHERE!
As many of you know I have been doing some out of
the region guiding at Eagle Lake in the spring and fall, and have recently
teamed up with the stellar staff at the Reno Fly Shop to guide Pyramid
Lake in Nevada. This is Piute tribal land and requires special permits to
legally guide. I will let the pictures speak for themselves, it is
freak’n awesome! Largest so far 31.5" and 30" Give us a call if you are
interested. We will get some Eagle Lake pics out soon.
Mr. & Mrs.
Linkcredible...
Chris Linkletter
with the current jackpot fish at 31.5"
Scott...Mr.
Linkcredible
Heavy D, RB and
The Beef...
Daryl Anthony,
Ron Brower and Jake Brower
The Beef...Jake Brower
Jonny Madren
And Cary "The
Trout Ninja" Kutzke's 30"'er!
You can pick up our Authentic & Improved Sierra
Drifters Guide Flies, Sungicators & Killer Kits only at the
following stand out locations (don’t be fooled by any of the imitations
out there!): Crowley Lake General Store in Crowley, Kittredge Sports
in Mammoth Lakes, Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks, The San Diego Fly
Shop and Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, The Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys,
Bob Marriott’s in Fullerton, Buz's Fly Shop Too in Bakersfield and online
at
www.bigfishhappen.com. There are links to these locations at
www.sierradrifters.com/resources.htm. We pride our Guide Service &
Products on Innovation not Imitation!
And from Michele… Mammoth Mtn. received over a
foot of snow March 27th making for what we hear to be great
spring skiing conditions…there are great deals to be had out there for
condo rentals through April… It’s a great time of year to combine skiing
and fishing! Check out the lodging page of
www.mammothlakes.com and also here for some great Mammoth Lakes Real
Estate Listings…
http://www.mammothlakes.com/mlRE/Agent_Michele.html
FISH ON BABY!!! Now that I have your undivided
attention we need you all to write the Cal DFG Commissioners and express
your approval of the new regulations opening sections of the Upper Owens
River, Hot Creek and the tailwater section of the East Walker River to
year round fishing beginning on March 1st 2007. We have
included a link to the new regulations and as usual you can click on the
button providing important DFG news by visiting our website at
www.sierradrifters.com. DFG commission info at
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/
We at Sierra Drifters Guide Service support the
new regulations and feel the additional year round water will benefit all
catch and release fisherman with little impact on the fisheries,
enforcement or search and rescue organizations. Get the word out friends
we need to make our opinions heard.
Be the fly friends…
Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
760-935-4250
Driftfish@qnet.com
