August 25, 2007

Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters.  Best fishes to all for this “Hogust Moon” fish report from the Eastern High Sierra. 

The management of the Crowley Lake Fish Camp and I would once again like to thank the 119 participants and numerous sponsors of the First Annual Sierra Drifters Crowley Lake Still Water Classic.  The event was a great success and we will be able to put at least $10,000.00 worth of brown trout in Crowley this season.  We have been receiving some additional donations and the proceeds will of course go to additional fish this year.  We have added a link here so you can check out the scores of all the contestants that participated in the Classic.  You may also check out the sponsors of the Classic and we encourage you to support those businesses and companies that generously donated to the enhancement of Crowley.       

And to see a video of the tournament

The DFG is expected to begin the post August planting of sub-catchable rainbows soon.  We will evaluate what would be best for the fishery with regards to size or numbers at the end of this stocking period.  We promise to keep you posted and how your “fish bucks” will be utilized.  We have been informed that Crowley will receive a full allotment of fish this season in addition to the surplus catchable rainbows and brood stock that were planted in June and July of this year due to the NZMS issues at the Hot Creek Hatchery facility. 

For the first time this summer we are beginning to experience some of the negative impacts that below normal snow packs and precipitation can cause in the fisheries here.  Many of the freestone creeks are currently flowing at levels that look like late October.  Fishing has become tougher in several of the more popular areas and we suggest you do not remove fish from the water during the release process in several of these fisheries due to high water temps and low dissolved oxygen content.  Please do not overplay the fish; they are far more stressed this time of year with the current conditions in some areas. 

Crowley Lake: Very good 

I am adjacent to Sandy Pt. running out with clients with our destination being the Green Banks area of the lake in the north arm when I get a violent series of taps on my shoulder from one of the clients who was to be guided that day on my 24 foot “Fish Magnet”.  I looked over my shoulder and there was obvious concern on his face and he was pointing his finger and dramatically trying to tell me that there was a fire starting in the brush by the clump of willows near Sandy Pt.  I pulled back on the throttle and looked to see what he was so alarmed about…  Some of you Crowley addicts already know what I am going to say, but for those who have never experienced a major chironomid emergence like we have been seeing the last week I will enlighten you.  Those gigantic black columns that appear to be smoke rising up from the sage and rabbit brush are in fact thousands upon thousands of midges!  These aquatic insects are the foundation of the food chain that makes Crowley so special and in years such as this we are enjoying some very consistent and good “catching” during the significant hatches of chironomids.  By the way, they do not have a proboscis and will not “bite”.  Have some #18-20 Drifters “Gillies”, #18-16 Drifters crystal tiger or zebra midges with copper and black beads to “match the hatch”.    

The North Arm region has been the most consistent with fish being caught along both the north and south sides.  Six to eleven feet depending on the day.  The weeds are vanishing quickly this year as the water continues to drop a few inches each day.  The Six Bays section has also picked up and we got into some large rainbow brooders here recently.  McGee Bay has been spotty, however when it goes there are fewer boats and tubes and you can spank them all the way into four feet.  The algae has not been a factor in any region of the lake for quite sometime now.  Crooked creek has also produced some excellent fishing with a few monster rainbows coming to get their pictures taken. 

The streamer fishing has really picked up.  There continues to be a good amount of damsel nymph activity along with a scattering of callibaetis nymphs near the inlets of the Owens and McGee.  The new Drifters “Killa baetis” can be used as a trail fly behind a damsel or suspended on a still water nymph rig.  During the low light periods you will witness the utter annihilation of the tiny perch fry by some of the huge browns patrolling the weed lines.  Sierra Drifters Punk Perch patterns both light and dark versions, and Loebergs (I prefer the guinea or heavily spotted pattern for Crowley) #10-12 are sure bets when used with a medium to heavy sinking tip line. 

The “Turtle” Mickey Baron guided San Diego Fly Fisher and Sierra Drifters veteran Art Reifman to a jumbo rainbow recently.  This humongous bow did not miss any hatches judging from its girth!  Dandy fish Art, well done in tight quarters.

Art Reifman & The Turtle 

Thanks again for a wonderful day fishing. As usual it was a blast...

Karl Schoenbaum

We had another amazing week of trout fishing on Lake Crowley with Phil Therrien and Doug Dolan. My 10 and 12 year old boys have become fly fishing fans due to the awesome fishing these experts have shown us. We caught 30 - 45 fish each of the three days and many were 17 - 22 inches! Its the kind of fishing I would expect to have to travel to far away places to experience.

Both Phil and Doug are not only very expert fly fishermen, but show great patience with my two active boys.

Jim Maguire
Prestige Solutions, Inc

"Fill" and Sergey Maguire

"Two Bug" and Sergey Maguire

"Two Bug" & Serge Maguire...nice rainbow on a Sierra Drifters Punk Perch while stripping out of the float tube for the first time.

Upper Owens River: Very Good 

My suggestion as the best moving water fishery currently in the region.  The flows are low but not severe, this being a spring fed creek with some additional water coming in from the diversions at Mono Lake sometimes.  The section upstream from the Benton Crossing Bridge and confluence of Hot Creek (referred to as Long Years) is fishing very well with several types of rigs doing the job.  Dry/dry rigs with a hopper and caddis or mayfly #18 is deadly during the morning and afternoon hatches.  Dry dropper bead head rigs are always a good choice and bead head nymphs like PT’s, WD 40’s, Tiger and zebra midges will all work if presented well.  There are some large resident fish in this area and as the summer rolls on streamer patterns like the Loeberg used with the “dip and strip” method will be very effective at times.  Early mornings and windy late afternoons are optimum times for the reel wreckers here.  Get those streamers down along the cut banks.  You are going to be donating flies if you use less than 2X tippet!  The section downstream from the campground is well stocked and has additional fish migrating up from Crowley to spice up the pit in this section.  The river is larger in this area and you will have better success fishing under a Sungicator (strike indicator) and using more weight to get those nymphs down into the deeper pools.  Drifters copper tigers and flashback PT’s #16-18 spank the planters here and you will get the occasional large wild fish working their way up from Crowley to keep you honest! 

Rock Creek: Good 

The creek is very low but heavily planted and you will need to find the deeper pools to locate concentrations of fish.  My favorite spot in this area are the ponds located below the outlet of Rock Creek Lake.  It is a short and easy hike below the meadows and falls that eventually end up at the upper pond.  Plenty of wild fish here and they are a blast to fish for with a dry dropper after the sun gets low.  The “skeeters” can be ravenous down here at times, bring repellant.  

Bridgeport Reservoir: Fair 

Jeffery Wenger at the Marina is advising larger boats to launch at the “bath tub” ramp.  He is having no problems getting out his rental boats but reports the marina docks may be removed soon as the level is getting skinny inside the marinas break wall.  The Bridge remains in good shape despite the low water year and we should see some fine fly fishing as the water begins to cool this fall. 

The algae are not a factor nor are the weeds if you target the center of the lake and towards Rainbow Pt.  Full sinking lines with Loebergs, Vanderleeches and Drifters Punk Perch patterns are good choices for tubers trolling streamers.  Get down 12-15 feet and you will begin to hit fish. 

Jeffery reports trollers are doing well with some big browns being netted.  You may still fish bait here and keep a five fish limit per day. 

East Walker River: Fair 

The sections below the “miracle mile” are showing signs of low and warm water.  There is some heavy weed present in the slower sections making presentations difficult if not impossible.  The fish are concentrating and moving towards the dam as the oxygen content and flows continue to drop.  I suggest that you do not fish the EW in the lower CA sections, if at all, until the water temps begin to cool in September.  Seventy degree water and low flows here put lethal stresses on trout. 

Hot Creek: Fair 

Same story here.  Very low flows out of Mammoth Creek are not making for great conditions on Hot Creek.  The fish are holding in the deepest pools.  There can be some fun hopper fishing this time of year as well as excellent caddis and midge action on the surface.  Fish Hot Creek during the coolest times of the day and you will put far less stress on the fish.  Fishing dry flies and not nymphing the big pools will get you into the more active fish that are not stressed by the current conditions. 

San Joaquin: Good 

Very low levels for August however this river is fed by mostly snow melt with cooler feeder springs that are not geo-thermally warmed, so the water temps do not become as much of a factor here as in other areas.   Dry dropper rigs with a Stimulator (plenty of hoppers along the banks, hence the Stimmy) on top and a bead head  PT, hares ear, or Drifters olive zebra and caddis larva #16-20 will get you grabs.  We got some takes on parachute ant patterns as well.  Terrestrials are a vital part of the trout's diet on all of the freestone creeks in the Sierra.  As the levels continue to drop use smaller patterns in the #16-18 range.  Caddis and mayfly adult patterns are right on most of the time here #16-18.  Fishing the largest pools and deeper cuts are your key to locating concentrations of fish.   Casting upstream from the tailouts of the larger pools is the best strategy for presentations.  Conventional drifts and high sticking will work on only a small percentage of the water right now.  The fish are very spooky and you must make longer casts to get consistent grabs.

Steve Wozniak making an upstream presentation...

West Walker: Good  

This is a good place to catch planted rainbows on a dry dropper rig near the campground planting areas, or the Pikel Meadows trout habitat section. Drifter’s crystal tiger midges #16-18 are butter for these fish; I prefer the black nickel beads. The river is low and very accessible right now with above average amounts of fish being planted here recently. 

Alpine Lake Regions: Good 

Lakes are always your best bet during high or low water years in this area.  They offer a more stable habitat and are not as influenced by the current conditions we are experiencing.  In addition to the stability and beautiful settings these areas offer there has been a great effort by the County and local businessman to supply an above average amount of planted quality fish in all of the drive to local Alpine lakes. 

My favorite fly for streamer fishing these gorgeous fisheries…the Drifter’s Spruce-A-Bu.  We have two versions of this pattern (light and dark) that I created and I must say I am partial to the “Kelley Bundy” or blonde style.  Although the “Mary Ann” dark olive style gets more grabs when it is cloudy or if the sun is low.   I can’t say if the trout love this pattern or hate it, all I know is it gets bit.  Use it with a full sink or heavy sinking tip line and troll along transition zones like drop-offs, creek inlets, and “corners” of Alpine lakes. 

Lower Owens River: Diamond in the ruff! 

We are waiting for the weather to cool down some before we begin drifting this area.  I expect that we will have some opportunities around or shortly after Labor Day and my guess is that we will have the best early fall ever here.  I am very much looking forward to drifting in September and October this year.  It will be great!  No word from the LADWP as to when they will back off the flows but I would not be too concerned with high water when the air temps begin to drop and the days shorten more.  The water clarity is very good and the flows will not go higher this year we have been told.  We expect a very normal drift boat season with low flows from November through March for sure.  Last year we had 500cfs in January!   

The fishing is good in the wild trout area if you do not mind using battle ship chain to get those nymphs down.  Fishing caddis dries during the low light periods are fun and the fish are very eager.  Crossing is not safe at these flows.  If you are going to wear waders make sure you have a wading belt securely fastened when using breathable type pants. 

Sierra Drifters flies and “Sungicator” strike indicators 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 at Lake Crowley, Crowley Lake General Store in Crowley,  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 and online at www.bigfishhappen.com. There are links to these locations at the resources tab above.

We pride our Guide Service & Products on Innovation not Imitation!

Be the fly friends…Tom Loe

Sierra Drifters Guide Service    

760-935-4250

Driftfish@qnet.com 

and Michele Loe Michele@MammothLakes.com