February 20, 2006
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to
all for this Presidential 2006 fish report from the Eastern High Sierra.
Just when it looked like spring was going to make
an earlier than normal emergence…Old Man winter came roaring back in and
crashed the party big time! A string of extremely cold Artic storms lined
up on the high country and Owens Valley dropping substantial snow in the
upper elevations and a solid dusting on parts of the Owens Valley over the
holiday weekend. Air temperatures have plummeted over the last week and
this has once again dropped water temps back into the high thirties and
very low forties at best on the Lower Owens River near Bishop, CA.
The forecast is calling for a slow but steady
warming trend throughout next week with no major precipitation forecast at
this time.
The roads around the river are in pretty good
shape with only a few “tank traps” here and there, but you should always
avoid any wet sinks longer than the distance between your front and rear
axles when driving the unimproved dirt roads in an all wheel drive
vehicle.
ROAD TRIP!!! Sierra Drifters guide, Tom Loe will
be doing a seminar and slide show for the combined groups of the Las Vegas
FFF, TU Vegas Chapter and the Las Vegas/Henderson Fly Fishers at 6:30 pm
on April 18th 2006 at the incredible Bass Pro Shop facility in
Las Vegas. The show will include Stillwater nymphing tactics from a boat
or float tube, as well as instruction on the “dip and strip” method of
fishing streamers from a boat or pontoon. Areas focused on will be the
Eastern Sierra’s Crowley Lake and the Lower Owens River near Bishop
California. The public and friends are invited to attend at no charge.
Donations however, would be greatly appreciated to the above mentioned
clubs. This will be an informative, really fun show and we are looking
forward to a large turnout of friends and clients from all over. Come to
Vegas and say hi!
Lower Owens River:
Fair-good
The flows have dropped to 100cfs and the water
temperature has lowered back into the thirties and low forties recently
making the hot bite during the first two weeks of February a fond memory.
We are back in full winter guide “garb” once again damn it! We are still
tagging some very large fish but overall the numbers have dropped off with
the drastic change over the last several days. We expect the conditions
to change for the better slowly this week as the weather is predicted to
improve and the Artic air dissipates over the next week.
The wild trout section is easily accessible with
these very low releases and you will encounter a strong baetis/bwo hatch
after noon each day. The fish are really targeting on this emergence and
it is by far the best time to fish for the rascals. A bwo pattern #18
will get the job done with a solid presentation and drift in the channel
foam line or eddies and tailouts of the larger pools. Look downstream of
the significant riffles for “pods” of feeders. Midges are very prevalent
this time of year here and cluster patterns like a Griffiths Knat #20-22
will work on the top as well as crystal olive zebra or tiger midges fished
under a strike indicator. These low release rates will change very soon
folks so take full advantage of them in the near future.
The DFG has been doing a great job of planting
this season on the Lower Owens - no doubt in part to the passing of the
Inland Fisheries Restoration Bill AB7. We are seeing a good number of
quality “tagged” trophy rainbow trout. These fish have a metallic tag
clipped to their gill plates in an area that is not damaging to the fish.
The DFG does NOT want to get these tags back; it is just their way of
letting the public know that not all big fish planted in this region are
Alpers trout. We have taken a close-up shot of one of these tags and put
it on the web so you may view it.
DFG Tag Close Up
Our guided drift boat trips continue to be your
best bet in this area for getting into a trophy fish on a fly rod. We are
continuing to have very good fishing for these big critters using our “dip
and strip” method of tugging streamers from a drift boat. The mid-day bwo
hatch is also providing a great change of pace for an hour or so each day
casting dries to the gulping surface feeders.
Mike “Mac” McIntire, from Hermosa Beach, CA, Jeff
Ginter and son “The Rocket” from Huntington Beach, CA commonly known
amongst those on the river as the “Three Rancheros” booked their annual
float trip with us just before the cold snap hit. Mac hit it big with two
huge rainbows before noon and Jeff got the big fish honors with a rod
wrecking monster hen in the 7 pound class after lunch. The Rocket swears
revenge next year (maybe some better fitting pants???) Inside joke folks.
Mike
McIntire..."Mac Attack" on the Lower Owens 2-13-06
"Mac" and "The
Rocket" 2-13-06
Jeff Ginter with
"Destinies Child" 2-13-06
John Tsitakis and
Martin “Marty” Wiley (former D-Haul winner) from Bakersfield, CA had
aspirations of hitting some big fish (and dissing another earlier featured
Sierra Drifter, Bill Darbee) while on a drift trip with us. They were not
denied. It took extra innings but the low sun angle was enough for the
two fly fishers to net a couple of super big bows on one of the last bends
of their drift. Fun day guys, way to go!
Martin Wiley and
John Tsitakis (holding fish)
"Marty"
Answers...
Revenge was etched on the brow of Bob Futrell from
Coto de Caza, CA as he stepped into the drift boat with his fly fishing
co-worker Jim Fricks, from Trabuco Canyon, CA for their annual float trip
down the Owens with us. Bobby wanted a re-match with a huge trout he had
hooked on a prior drift with us (the fish won that battle) and it was
still heavy on his mind. The day was slow with only a few decent trout
being seen, not many hard grabs and a steady stiff wind that made good
presentations difficult. Towards the end of the drift near a huge willow
tree stump Bob made a very good cast considering the wind. After a few
animated strips of our Spruce-a-bu fly and his rod went bendo; then
bananas! Check out this one for sure. Kismet baby!
Bob Futrell
(holding fish) & Jim Fricks "Bobby's Revenge" 2-16-06
Pleasant Valley
reservoir: Poor-fair
Reports here from “freeze tubers” are not real
good as of late. The suddenly cold water temps have the fish lethargic
and seeking the stability of the deeper sections near the dam. The rez
level remains high so the usual transition area is still very difficult to
fish from the shore. The creek just below the powerhouse is your best bet
using a dry/dry or dry/ dropper bead head nymph combo in the deeper
sections in the brush. Watch for ice and some snow patches along the
banks the next few days especially if you are wearing felt soled wading
boots. You may have a crack at the US Olympic Luge team after a slip on
the banks!
The Gorge: Fair
Slower here as well this week but look for this
area to come on when it begins to warm up again. Some ice and snow in the
upper and shady sides in the pit, but not really bad like this January.
Still- use extra caution for the next few days when hiking down in here.
The usual mayfly imitations will all work #14-18, and midge cluster
patterns in the 18-20 range will suffice. Dry dropper bead heads with
zebra midges and birds nest or flashback PT’s are a solid choice.
