August 21, 2005
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to
all for this August moon fish report from the Eastern High Sierra.
Fly fishing is pretty dang good in most fisheries
here in the Sierra. The high water levels that plagued many freestone
creeks and tailwaters earlier this summer are beginning to recede and flow
at near perfect levels with the exception of the Lower Owens River which
is currently at its maximum release rate out of Pleasant Valley
Reservoir.
The weather has been excellent aside from some
breezy afternoon winds in the upper valleys and the forecast for the
coming week is predicted to be very seasonal and warm with very slight
chances of afternoon T-storms forecasted.
The Sierra Drifters crew, along with many of the
regions top fly fishing guides here in the Eastern Sierra, urge you to
take a moment and write Governor “Terminator” before he exterminates AB 7
sponsored by Assemblyman Dave Cogdill. The passing and implementation of
this bill (The inland fisheries bill) is vital to the health and future of
our hatchery system and the prospects of recreational sport fishing
opportunities in many inland waters in California. Click on the DFG News
link above for a link to email your letter to the Governor.
Crowley Lake: Good-very
good
Streamer fishing has been the hot ticket recently
as the perch fry are moving in along the weed lines in McGee and Hilton
Bays and along the shoreline at Green Banks. You will see the fish
rolling and crashing in the mornings and late afternoons. Even the larger
browns are sick of eating daphnia. It has been a while since we have seen
so many browns and cutts in the flats especially in 5-8 feet. Loebergs
and Punk Perch #10-12 are spanking the fish when trolled and stripped with
a light to medium sink tip line. Tubing is awesome as Wade Yoshi and Wendy
Young can attest to…“Wendy loves your Loeberg Guinnea fly, and used it
exclusively. This was Wendy's first time to Crowley, and her first time on
a float tube. Although she did extremely well with your fly, I used
several other "Go-To Patterns" hoping to find and equal or better bite for
her, but she continued to catch more fish, so I eventually switched over
to the Loeberg also, and had similarly excellent results.”
Wade Yoshi and
Wendy Young
The freakin east winds have been howling the last
couple of days beginning around 11 am so keep an eye out for that dark
water headed from the chalk bluffs at that time. The winds are backing
off and swinging into the SW by 4 pm and the afternoon bite has been very
good. The winds are forecast to be on and off the next few days here.
The stillwater nymphing has been spotty with some
days being excellent and others being very slow. If you are not getting
grabs or do not see a significant emergence of chironomids in the flats,
move out to 14-17 feet and hang larva patterns like our Crystal Zebras or
Tiger Midges #16-18. Punk Perch #16-12 used as an upper fly is also a
good call especially in the mornings. The grabs are ferocious with this
fly and most the takes are “automatic sets” Hang a Gillie or Crystal
Emerger #18-20 in the late mornings. The lack of chironomids in McGee can
be attributed to the low water levels in June that eradicated Augusts
generations of potential emergers. Hatches will improve as the water
levels drop and September should be one of the best months Crowley has
seen in years.
The Neal family from Lemoore, CA fished with us
recently on Crowley with Cody taking honors for this “saaaweet bow”...
Cody Neal with
guide, Tom Loe
And the Schoenbaum family from Woodland Hills, CA
spent some time with us on Crowley…as you can see the fly-fishing
brothers, Ryan & Cole had a great day...
(L-R) Cole & Ryan
Schoenbaum with guide, Tom Loe
The fly fishing friendly and very knowledgeable
staff at the Crowley Fish Camp will also take care of you tubers not
wishing to make the long kick out to McGee Bay. They also have some new
flat bottom boats powered with 30 hp 4 strokes that work great for
stillwater nymphing. There is a link on the resources link above.
Bridgeport Reservoir:
Good
The lake level is dropping as well as the surface
temperatures. Tubers making the effort to get in the short water and near
the creek channel in Buckeye Bay are still being rewarded with good
numbers and some very large rainbows with a few big browns in the
afternoons. The hot ticket here is the late afternoon snap with a
moderate westerly wind coming offshore. Fish the mornings, take an
extended lunch break then get back out for the sundown migration of
“fatties” that swim in to ambush the perch fry and callibaetis and damsel
fly nymphs along the weed lines. Loebergs and Punk Perch #10-12 as well
as damsel fly nymph imitations #12 rock ‘em here. Use a light to medium
sink tip.
Stillwater nymphing is still good with solid
numbers of chironomids and callibaetis mayflies emerging each day. Birds
nest, hares ear, PT’s and light colored scuds #14-18 will cover the mayfly
imitations. Gillies, Crystal Emergers, and larva patterns like Tigers and
Zebras will fool them for chironomid patterns if you are not banging the
rascals on streamers.
This is a fun lake to fish and is far less crowded
than Crowley most days with a bunch of nice folks around. Tubers will
have plenty of water to move without running into an armada of anchored
boats.
The Bridgeport Lake Marina is fly fishing friendly
and will accommodate tubers needing a ride out to Buckeye. I strongly
suggest this or renting a boat as it is a long kick from the eastern
shoreline. Just say BAAAHHH!!! when you see Jeffrey or any of the
gang at the marinas office. There are links on the resources tab above or
click on
http://www.bridgeportreservoir.com/photogallery.htm
East Walker River: Fair
Flows are just under 300 cfs this week. Fly
fishing at these releases is still tough and you must use plenty of weight
to get your nymphs down. Streamers cast into the larger pools below the
dam area in the “miracle mile” are a good bet in the early mornings and
late afternoons. The Spruce-a-bu is a great imitation for the Tui Chubs
which inhabit the river here #8. There are also perch fry present in this
area and I would have a few Loebergs in your quiver as well if you plan on
doing the “dip and strip” here. Numbers are not great, but have a camera
along for sure as this place has been kicking out some large browns
recently. Water temps have come down some this week but please do not
overplay your fish and practice above average revival times after a catch
and release.
West Walker River:
Good-very good
The flows have dropped significantly here and
wading is possible in all areas presently. Excellent dry fly
opportunities abound in the canyon and during the lower light periods in
the Pikel Meadows section. A dry dropper bead head nymph with a Crystal
Tiger or Zebra is deadly here. You may also use a dry/dry combo with elk
caddis #16-18 as the target fly and a Stimulator #14-16 as the point bug.
San Joaquin River:
Saaa-wheeet!
Ideal flows coupled with some excellent weather
provided the stage for some great caddis hatches and the wild fish went
bonkers for dries fished on top. The river is being planted with rainbows
in the campgrounds once again this season and this has taken the pressure
off the wild trout allowing the more ardent fly fishers plenty of
opportunities if they do a little hiking away from the crowds. You may
drive your own vehicle in before 7 am and after 7:30 pm. A shuttle bus
will take you in otherwise. There is a $7.00 charge for each person
entering the area. Tom McCray from Irvine, CA fished with us recently on
the San Joaquin which is in perfect shape as you can see from this
picture….
Tom McCray
Hot Creek: Fair-good
A jag of small rainbows have been planted by the
DFG to bring the fish counts up this summer. Give these rascals a few
months and by late fall they will be a hoot to catch and release.
Mornings and calm late afternoons have been best here lately. Caddis
imitations of all kinds are solid choices. Fish an emerger #18-20 along
with a dry #16-18 for a solid combo rig. Flows are down and clarity is
excellent so use 6x tippet (2 feet) and at least a 9 foot leader.
Crowley Tributaries:
Upper Owens River, McGee, Hilton, Crooked Creek
Very Good
Take a hike down McGee Creek and have some BWO’s
#18-20 handy in the morning. I suggest the section below the confluence
of Convict creek. There are fair numbers of rainbows migrating up from
Crowley into the cooler water upstream.
You will experience this event in all the other
tributaries, some to a lesser extent depending on the flows. The Upper
Owens has plenty of hatchery rainbows around the Benton Bridge and down to
the monument. There is a weed problem downstream from the confluence of
Hot Creek at times. Streamers are a good choice in the lower sections as
well as a BWO hatch in the mornings and caddis emergence in the
afternoon.
Dry-dry combos work well in the Long Years section
this time of year and you may hang a large resident brown in one of the
larger bends on a hopper pattern drifted properly.
The mosquitoes are thick on the windless days so
lather up with insect repellant.
Alpine Lakes: Mammoth
Lakes Basin, June Lake Loop, Rock Creek Lake, Virginia Lakes
Fair-Good
Heavy pressure this time of year will impact your
fishing here. If you can get on the water within a few days of a stocking
truck you should have some fun. Troll the least accessible shorelines or
the inlets if they are not jammed with shore fishers.
Virginia and Twin Lakes Mammoth are your best bet
for wild fish. Theses rascals can be fooled during the lower light
periods in the afternoons with stillwater nymphing tactics and may fly or
very small midge patterns.
Full sinking lines and streamers are best for the
stockers. The larger Alpers will destroy our Spruce-a-bus #8 and Loebergs
#10. These rainbows like to hang near the tree stumps and will cruise the
drop-offs in the 6-12 foot range in just about all the alpine lakes this
time of year.
Anthony Stanley from Monrovia, CA had the
following to say..."
I was up at Twin Lakes (Mammoth) and
had "something" in middle Twin rip my last Spruce-a-bou right off my rig
while stripping it in. I switched to a Loeberg and caught two fish on
my first three casts, but really want to know what it was that took the
fly! I can confirm that on any
of the stocked lakes, the Spruce-a-bou is my go-to streamer."
You can pick up our guide flies at the following
stand out locations: The Bridgeport Lake Marina in Bridgeport, The Crowley
Lake Fish Camp and the Crowley Lake General Store and Deli in Crowley, The
Troutfitter/Trout Fly in Mammoth Lakes, Malibu Fish’N Tackle in Thousand
Oaks, The San Diego Fly Shop and Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego. There are
links to these locations at the resources tab above.
Looking forward to fishing with you soon.
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
